One legislative mechanism that would enable voters to annul the term of politicians who go rogue or fail to represent the best interests of the electorate is the Recall Election.
Recall Elections are widely used in twenty American states to hasten the elected term duration of politicians and elected officials of all stripes. In the UK, the Recall procedure was introduced in 2015 and can be invoked to remove an elected MP by signing a recall petition. Public petitions are the usual method of initiating recalls with each jurisdiction having its own unique regulations and compliance requirements that typically involve a percentage of registered voters petitioning for a recall, usually within a specified time limit.
In New South Wales, the most recent debate around the introduction of recall processes was back in 2009 when NSW Liberal Opposition leader and oenophile Barry O’Farrell said he would back a change to NSW legislation. He received support from Greens MP Lee Rhiannon, National’s Leader Andrew Stoner, and Labor Premier Kristina Keneally who offered to ‘support a debate’.
At a federal level, the only mention found in Hansard is back in 1988 with an exchange between Liberal Senator Chris Puplick and Labor Senator Jenny Macklin during debate on the introduction of the Constitution Alteration legislation. Senator Publick flagged concerns that financially strong and well-organised political machines could hijack democratic processes when applying citizen’s recall. Recent events in the USA have demonstrated these types of behaviour do affect outcomes both for the positive and the negative, depending on your political leaning.
So where to for Australia with citizen-initiated recalls, and its sibling, the people’s plebiscite?
It seems pointless suffering the cost of implementing one form of voter-initiated legislative oversight without reviewing the implementation of Citizen Initiated Referendum best exemplified by California’s ‘Ballot Proposition’ process. Many voters harbour palpable doubts that they are witnessing the political class and their public servants subverting democracy with irrevocable decisions that are destroying Australia’s economy and lifestyle.
This sense of powerlessness is widespread and increasing as genuine public concerns are completely ignored.
The unsettled science of climate change constantly frays at the edges while state and federal legislation seems completely at odds with the general public’s mood or appetite for The Voice, higher energy prices, reduced energy security, and suffocating immigration levels. Similarly, policies that surround water, food production, health, and education seem out of touch with the prevailing public mood. In many cases, a political tin-ear is applied to the gripes of most voters with immigration increases opposed by two-thirds of the nation but growing never the less.
From a partisan perspective, many hope the now-independent Senator Lidia Thorpe remains in the Senate for her entire term as her presence appears to help, rather than hinder, conservative ideology.
Fortunately, neither amusement nor disgust serve as a democratic benchmark, but they are a measure of the frustration voters feel when their elected representatives break promises or act in ways unbecoming of their Office.
The revitalised Liberal Democrats feature recall elections as part of their policy platform and One Nation has supported citizen-initiated referendums in the past and are likely do so again. As those in power rack up debt and destroy the Aussie lifestyle, voters may never have a better chance to drive change with people-powered democratic mechanisms like the Recall Election. To make it happen, the free citizen must choose carefully which party will best serve their political interests.
It’s time to support a political David because our government Goliath is failing Australia.
Mike Ryan is a Hunter Valley based copywriter and member of the Liberal Democrat party. He writes in the HunterThunder.com blog.
