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NEW COUNCIL ELECTION SYSTEM - A GERRYMANDER
Wollongong Council Active Community Team Councillor Kerrie Christian has strongly attacked the new optional preferential council election vote counting system to be used in September 1995.
"Sutherland Council used this system in 1991 despite strong opposition from both the Labor Party and independents," explained Councillor Christian, "in fact one Sutherland Councillor is so strongly opposed to this system, that he has issued and delivered 20,000 leaflets explaining what is wrong with optional preferential system!"
Councillor Doug McNeill of Sutherland has described the system that Wollongong Council is expected to adopt on Monday Night (13/2/1995)
...AS A CLASSIC GERRYMANDER
and ....A BLATANT ATTEMPT TO LOCK OUT INDEPENDENT AND MINOR POLITICAL PARTIES FROM THE POLITICAL PROCESS, through its double counting of votes and the need for candidates to get 50% of votes to get elected rather than the current 25%..
Sutherland Council, which is dominated by the ALP and green independents, has voted to rectify the problem and throw out the optional preferential system, even though it may reduce the number of ALP councillors from 7 to 4! They believe that the proportional system will enable independent and alternative opinions to be heard, in addition to the majority party.
However in Wollongong the ALP has done the opposite and has voted to throw out the proportional system and instead introduce optional preferential system.
Councillor Christian said that she strongly supported the view of Sutherland's Councillor McNeill that "PROPORTIONAL REPRESENTATION IS THE ONLY SYTEM WHICH INSURES THAT THE BALANCE OF ALL VIEWS ARE REPRESENTED ON COUNCIL."
Councillor Kerrie Christian
12/2/1995
Contact PH 671488
Return to Kerrie's Main ACT Web Page
Authorised - Kerrie Christian
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