We Need A Referendum on Plebiscites and Proportional Representation

We have one of the best governance systems in the world, thanks to our heritage. However, I believe the past two decades of unmandated population growth underscores two fundamental flaws in our constitution.

We have a prudent process for changing it, so only after overwhelming evidence and experience does a change gain the board support needed to amend it. Sometimes it has happened swiftly, such the changes to Senate appointment rules after The Dismissal. Sometimes it has been slow, such as the 1967 recognition of Aborigines as citizens. Bi-partisan support is essential.

Twenty years of an unmandated policy by governments of all persuasions that has transformed the country dramatically against the will of the majority means something is systemically wrong with our political system. It has become captured by vested interests.  It has become disconnected from the people and is no longer properly representing us.

That policy is high immigration. I recall back in the early 1990s the then (ALP) Minister for Immigration stating in the media, “There is a perception in the community that immigration is out of control.”

In the past year (2023) the ALP Federal government oversaw the biggest spike in immigration this country has ever seen – taking us to third world levels of population growth.

Sustainable Population Australia’s ‘Say NO to a Big Australia‘ campaign is responding to public outrage. It has a pragmatic approach to achieving its goals, given the current state of our political process. It aims “to make high migration THE election issue and force a policy shift.”

SPA is not calling for a plebiscite, because plebiscites are merely a tool for polling the people at the government’s discretion, that it can then ignore. There are many polls the media run and the government can also use the Australian Bureau of Statistics to gauge opinions either through the census or a postal survey as was done for marriage equality. Therefore, plebiscites as they are now are redundant. They should be beefed up and made into a tool the public can use to reign in a rouge parliament. Plebiscites should be an avenue popular opinion on a particular issue can be brought to bear on a government.

Constitutional reform is required for that to happen. We need a referendum on plebiscites. The constitution should be amended to make it possible for a certain (significant) number of citizen signatories on a petition to initiate a plebiscite. The petition should compel parliament to introduce a Bill and consider it. Currently, only the ruling party or coalition can initiate a bill for a plebiscite. Parliament could still vote the Bill down, but members would then be accountable for the way the voted at the next election. If the Bill passes, a Yes result should require at least 60% of the whole electorate to succeed. The result should be binding on the government of the day. Remember, plebiscites cannot change the constitution, they are designed for individual policy issues such as conscription, the national anthem, the national flag and involvement in a foreign war. This is a safeguard against state capture.

Curtailing the power of politicians requires a huge groundswell of public support. A Bill for a referendum that takes some power away from parliament is unlikely to be popular with politicians unless there is an enormous amount of pressure from the public.

The extent to which immigration policy has become uncoupled from public opinion also illustrates how unrepresentative our electoral system is. We also need a referendum on the electoral system to make it a more proportional representation of the electorate’s will, as Tasmania, the ACT, New Zealand and most European countries have.

I have just joined the Samuel Griffith Society, Australia’s peak (I think) body for those interested in all matters constitutional. For those who don’t know, Samuel Griffith was one the primary authors of our constitution, and Governor of Queensland in the lead up to Federation. The SGS is holding a conference at the Gold Coast  https://www.samuelgriffith.org/2024