Vote CDP #1 and ensure that a Christian viewpoint is represented in government for the benefit of all Australians
WA's Parliament Explained
The Western Australian Parliament Western Australia’s parliament consists of two “houses” – the lower house (Legislative Assembly) and the upper house (Legislative Council). The party with the majority of winning seats in the lower house is what forms “the government” as we know it. The Premier and what we call the Opposition sit in the lower house. Each “seat” in the lower house (there are 59) represents an “electorate” or voting region. The seats in the upper house (there are 36) represent regions or “districts” that encompass those in the lower house. For instance the lower house seat of Fremantle is in the upper house South Metropolitan Region. The system is designed to ensure all local and regional interests are represented in government.
Most laws are introduced and voted upon in the lower house – they are then passed to the upper house to be reviewed and voted upon. The upper house can review, suggest amendments, disallow or agree to the laws presented to it by the lower house. It can also present new laws (except “money bills”) and can form committees which gather and publicise information relating to the government’s plans and actions. The houses are designed to interact with each other to ensure no single party in government has complete control over the affairs of the state and that each law is carefully considered and debated in a balanced manner before being passed. In this respect the upper house is popularly considered to be the “conscience” of the lower house.
The greater the representation of each party in the upper house, the more votes they have on each proposed law. One representative can be in the position of having the final say on the direction a law takes if all other votes have been even (for and against). This is called holding the “balance of power” in the house. Governments may be in the position of having to negotiate to obtain minor party support in some areas, providing power to the minor party in others. Having even one CDP member elected to the upper house can provide direct representation of Christian views in the law making process, however the more we have, the greater that influence becomes.
The Western Australian Voting System
The voting system in Western Australia is different for each of the houses. For the lower house, it is a preferential system and to be elected, a candidate must win more than 50% of the votes (absolute majority). The system for the upper house is the proportional representation system. To win, candidates are required to achieve enough votes to reach a quota, which is calculated according to the number of voters and number of seats in each region. In both systems the basic premise is the same – the more votes achieved, the better the chance of being elected.
The preferential system requires voters to give a preference, in order, to all of the candidates standing for election in that seat. If there are 6 candidates, each voter must vote 1-6 according to their preference. All number 1 votes are counted first. If no candidate has achieved an absolute majority, the candidate with the fewest number 1 votes is excluded and their second preferences distributed to the other candidates. This process continues (including the next level of preferences from the earlier excluded candidate/s) until one candidate achieves an absolute majority of the votes counted.
To register a vote for a minor party, the minor party must be voted at number 1. If a minor party is voted at number 2 behind a major party, the vote for the minor party will never be counted because the major party candidate will never be the “excluded’ candidate. Essentially a vote below 1 for a minor party becomes irrelevant.
In voting for the upper house, electors have a choice to vote either “above or below the line”. Voting above the line (1 placed in one box only) gives support to one party only and gives the control of preference distribution to that party. Voting below the line requires all boxes to be numbered by preference and keeps control of preference distribution with the voter. Voters who choose this option should carefully examine the platforms of all candidates standing in their electorate to ensure preferences are given to like-minded candidates. The CDP actively canvasses the views of all candidates on crucial issues in deciding on the distribution of its preferences.
The Christian Democratic Party (“CDP”) is called to support Christian candidates at all levels of government to ensure that a Christian viewpoint is represented in government for the benefit of all Australians. We promote the Christian heritage upon which our nation was built and seek to preserve Christian values and freedoms in our society. We believe Christians, just like all other citizens, should exercise their democratic rights to be involved in the governmental process, whether by contesting for, supporting candidates or voting in the electoral process. Individual policies and platforms of the CDP in Western Australia may be examined at:
www.cdpwa.org.au
NUMBER 2 WON’T DO…VOTE 1 CDP
