MARK DREYFUS QC MP
SHADOW ATTORNEY-GENERAL
SHADOW MINISTER FOR NATIONAL SECURITY
MEMBER FOR ISAACS
TERRI BUTLER MP
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR PREVENTING FAMILY VIOLENCE
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR UNIVERSITIES
SHADOW ASSISTANT MINISTER FOR EQUALITY
MEMBER FOR GRIFFITH
NO LEGAL PROTECTIONS FOR POSTAL SURVEY
Revelations that the government's ridiculous $122 million postal survey on marriage equality will have no legal protections against voter fraud, bribery or deceptive campaign material have completely undermined its integrity before ballots are even sent out.
Thanks to the governments insistence on going around the parliament and pursuing an expensive postal survey, the usual protections under the Commonwealth Electoral Act carefully designed to protect the integrity of national elections will not apply.
Following on from the Census disaster, Australians have every right to concerned that this expensive and inaccurate survey will be a total mess.
And now Senator Cormann has acknowledged no legal protections for voters will exist.
Lets be clear what this means:
- There will be no way to stop lies being published by anti-marriage equality activists in an attempt to win votes. That means hateful material about the kids of same-sex couples, the kind which we have already seen, can be distributed without recourse.
- Campaign material will not have to be authorised, so voters wont even know where it comes from.
- There is nothing to stop someone else filling out your ballot paper instead of you.
- There is nothing to stop voters being bribed or intimidated into voting one way or another.
- Finally, there is no way to question voting irregularities or to dispute the result through the Court of Disputed Returns.
This is absurd. Its more proof that a postal survey is an expensive, inaccurate and divisive waste of time.
Not only is the government forcing LGBTI Australians to stand for a vote on whether they deserve equal rights, they will not even give any guarantees that the vote wont be fraudulent.
Australians deserve far better than this. None of this would have to happen if Prime Minister Turnbull had the guts to allow a free vote in his party room.
Australian taxpayers are footing a $122 billion bill for Malcolm Turnbull's weakness.
Its unnecessary, hurtful, and now we know it will be a complete farce.
THURSDAY, 10 AUGUST 2017
