THE ELECTORAL ISSUE Campaign for a Democratic Parliament 1987 2005 2021 History at a glance


ELECTORAL INEQUALITY

These web pages are a "for the record" outline at the end of the long, almost 50 years, often controversial, frequently disappointing, sometimes exciting, peaceful and always determined efforts to create a fair system in which voters have an equal say in choosing our representatives in the WA Parliament.

The pattern of malapportioned enrolments below is historical from the creation of the State Parliament in 1890.
Enrolments from the election of 1986 are illustrative.

The pattern was also the central reason the Liberal and National Parties and their predecessors maintained an unbroken majority in the Legislative Council [LC] from 1890 to 1992, over 100 years.
The Liberal Party has always opposed one vote, one value and since the reform in 2021 which ended vote weighting has said it will it bring back.

Contents on the left link to steps toward reform, statistics, related information and an overview of history.

Moral, philosophical and social reasons
WHY SHOULD VOTES BE EQUAL ?  Arrowright

WHY VOTES SHOULD BE EQUAL

EQUAL DIGNITY
Every citizen has dignity, an equal claim to freedom and an equal right to look after his or her own interests. This requires as much influence in elections as any other citizen.
CONSENT
The United States Declaration of Independence of 1776 states a timeless truth for democracy; "governments are instituted amongst men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed." The only just way do decide whether the people have given their consent to a government is to rely on majority rule where, "everybody is to count for one, nobody for more than one."
EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW
Parliament makes laws which are equally binding on us all. Since all are equally compelled to obey the laws, all must therefore have an equal opportunity to choose the representatives who make the laws. Laws made by a minority are not legitimate in a democracy.
FAITH IN ELECTIONS
Democratic majority rule with equal votes gives legitimacy to government. By definition most of the people accept the election result.



Over and under representation.
[Enrolment statistics for State election 8th Feb 1986]
Citizens do not have equal political influence
Area Enrolments Assembly seats Council seats
Metro 77.5% 52.6% [30] 41.2% [14]
Country 22.4% 47.4% [27] 58.8% [20]
State 100% [57] [34]


electtwo (29K)

Inequality among electors in Council Provinces
[Enrolment statistics for State election 8th Feb 1986]

Province enrolments 1986 (53K)
Metro Provinces average per Member   48 621 Average Metro : Country Province ratio
3.4 : 1
Country Provinces average per Member   14 017
Percentages above or below State average Province enrolment per Member of 22 861 Highest Province   North East Metropolitan   +112.7%
Lowest Province   Lower North   -80.7%
Ratio between highest and lowest 11 : 1


Inequality among electors in Assembly districts
[Enrolment statistics for State election 8th Feb 1986]

electLAgraph1986 (39K)
For the Commonwealth House of Representatives and most State Parliaments, electorate enrolments may vary by only 10% from the average.
Percentages above or below State average district enrolment of 13 636 Highest district - Murdoch = +114.6%
Lowest district  Murchison-Eyre = -72.8%
Ratio between highest and lowest = 7.9 : 1

Enrolments for 8th Feb 1986 State election
DistrictsDistrict
enrolment		PROVINCEProvince
enrolment		MsLC
1 each election
METROPOLITAN AREA
[Average Province enrolment = 86 127]
Cottetsloe
Floreat
Nedlands
Perth
Subiaco		18 602
19 762
17 501
18 248
18 114		Metropolitan92,2272
Balcatta
Balga
Nollamara
Mt Lawley		20 520
22 603
17 398
18 274		North Central Metropolitan78,7952
Ascot
Helena
Maylands
Morley-Swan
Welshpool		16 841
21 870
17 887
22 532
18 113		North East Metroppolitan97,2432
Joondalup
Karrinyup
Scarborough
Whitford		28 747
21 801
17 856
24 619		North Metropolitan93,0232
Clontarf
East Melville
South Perth
Victoria Park 		16 450
17 569
17 993
16 427		South Central Metropolitan68,4392
Armadale
Canning
Gosnells
Murdoch		21 266
19 509
20 656
29 268		South East Metroplitan90,6992
Cockburn
Fremantle
Melville
Rockingham		22 833
17 464
20 272
21 897		South Metroplitan82,4662
Totals602,89230602,89214
Metro district average20 096
AGRICULTURAL, MINING AND PASTORAL AREA
[Average Province enrolment = 29 822]
Avon
Merredin
Mt Marshall		9 745
9 074
8 851		Central27,6702
Collie
Warren?
Narrogin
9 410
8 758
9 258		Lower Central27,4262
Dale
Mandurah
Murray-Wellington		12 289
12 390
11 234		Lower West35,9132
Albany
Katanning Roe
Stirling		9 212
9 557
10 002		South28,7712
Esperance-Dundas
Kalgoorlie
11 694
11 182		South East22,8762
Bunbury
Mitchell
Vasse		9 202
11 636
10 820		South West31,6582
Geraldton
Greenough
Moore		10 396
10 235
11 419		Upper West32,0502
Darling Range
Kalamunda
Mundaring		10 871
10 486
10 859		West32,2162
Totals238,58023238,58016
A,M &P district average10 373
NORTH-WEST MURCHISON-EYRE AREA
[Average Province enrolment = 20 883]
Gascoyne
Murchison-Eyre		5,113
3,702		Lower North8,8152
Kimberley
Pilbara		17,918
15,034		North32.9522
Totals41 767441 7674
N-W-M-E district average10 442
Overall averages13 63645 722
Overall total  577772835734

Parliament [ i.e. Liberal/National Parties] drew the Metropolitan Area boundary, the boundaries of the 4 North-West-Murchison-Eyre Area districts and prescribed malapportioned ratios of enrolment between Metro and AMP country areas.




Other facts
  • Vote weighting does not exist in Legislative Councils in other States.
  • The Western Australian Legislative Council contains the worst imbalances in any House of any Australian State or Territory parliament.
  • The nine Legislative Council provinces with the lowest enrolments elect 18 out of the 34 Councillors which means they can veto any matter. They contained only 23.8% of electors at the time of the 1986 election.
  • Politicians [ i.e. Liberal/National Parties] have no place in drawing their own electoral boundaries but in Parliament they adopted the boundary between metro and country, drew all the boundaries of the 4 districts is the North-West-Murchison-Eyre Area. All boundaries should be drawn by independent WA Electoral Commissioners.
Comparison with other State and Territory Parliaments
Legislative Councils
State or
Terrirory		 ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA
Legislative
Council
present		 No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes
Equal
enrolments		 n/a Yes n/a n/a Yes Yes Yes No
Electoral
system		 n/a whole State
one electorate
PR		 n/a n/a whole State
one electorate
PR		 15 equal enrolment
divisions
1 Member each		 8 equal enrolment
divisions
5 Members each
PR		 6 regions
over 6:1 imbalance
6 Members each
PR
Legislative Assemblies
State or
Terrirory		 ACT NSW NT QLD SA TAS VIC WA
Equal
enrolments		 Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes Yes No
Electoral
system		 5 electorates
5 Members each
PR		 93 districts
1 Member each		 25 divisions
1 Member each		 84 equal enrolment
districts
5 districts with large area allowance
1 Member each		 47 districts
1 Member each		 5 divisions
5 Members each
PR		 88 districts
1 Member each		 53 equal enrolment
districts
6 districts with large area allowance
1 Member each
Among 4 State and 2 Territory Parliaments in Australia the principle of equal representation is applied in drawing electoral boundaries. There are three exceptions, two permit lower enrolments based on the area of Legislative Assembly districts; 5 of the 89 districts for the Queensland Assembly and [post 2005] 6 of the 59 districts for the Western Australian Assembly. Prior to 2005 only Western Australia had vote weighting in both Houses. From 2005 to 2021 the WA Legislative Council the solitary example in the nation.

Key to abbreviations:- PR = proportional representation, ACT = Australian Capital Territory, NSW = New South Wales, NT = Northerbn Territory, OLD = Queensland, SA = South Australia, TAS = Tasmania, VIC = Victoria, WA = Western Australia
Equity Scales


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