Like what you've read?

On Line Opinion is the only Australian site where you get all sides of the story. We don't
charge, but we need your support. Here�s how you can help.

  • Advertise

    We have a monthly audience of 70,000 and advertising packages from $200 a month.

  • Volunteer

    We always need commissioning editors and sub-editors.

  • Contribute

    Got something to say? Submit an essay.


 The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
On Line Opinion logo ON LINE OPINION - Australia's e-journal of social and political debate

Subscribe!
Subscribe





On Line Opinion is a not-for-profit publication and relies on the generosity of its sponsors, editors and contributors. If you would like to help, contact us.
___________

Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Bigger need not mean better

By J R Nethercote - posted Wednesday, 23 January 2013


Dissembling? The fundamental question seems to be taken as settled. It is not a question of whether the Assembly should be enlarged but simply one of how, and by how much. Photo: Ben Plant

An advisory group assembled by ACT Chief Minister Katy Gallagher has published a discussion paper proposing an increase in the size of the Legislative Assembly.

This is one of those episodes which puts an observer in mind of the popular movie, The Mouse that Roared, which featured Peter Sellers in multiple roles.

Advertisement

It is clearly an initiative of the Labor government; according to the Chief Minister, debating this is ''a priority for ACT Labor''. Nevertheless, the business of announcing terms of reference and membership of the panel was left to the ACT Electoral Commission.

There is little public evidence of whether this initiative enjoys the blessing of the opposition, though it presumably has the support of the Greens.

It would seem that the decision to increase the size has already been reached. Apart from examining past reviews about the size, the main chores of the advisers concern ''factors relevant to increasing the size of the Assembly''; whether the proportional voting system places any limitations on changes to the size of the Assembly; and recommending ''options for increasing the size of the Assembly''.

The fundamental question seems to be taken as settled. It is not a question of whether the Assembly should be enlarged, but simply one of how, and by how much.

It is far from obvious from previous reviews that there is a case for enlarging it. There is certainly a conviction that it should be bigger, but this is well short of an evidence-based conclusion.

Some advocates fall back on contrasting representation in the ACT with that of other jurisdictions in Australia. Such contrasts can be no more than suggestive: they amount to allowing benchmarking to decide a question at issue instead of simply to illuminate it.

Advertisement

Another favoured argument relies on the fact that the ACT Assembly covers matters which elsewhere in Australia are shared by state and local governments. This take on the ACT situation fails to address the question of whether, in merging state and municipal functions, the consequence is economy and streamlining by elimination, or at least reduction, of transaction costs.

The trickiest of all arguments concerning enlargement relates not to the size of the Assembly directly but to the burdens on ministers especially occasioned by the need to participate in the multitude of federal-state committees which function under the auspices of the Council of Australian Governments.

As the Assembly itself has a relatively light load in terms of sittings, a load not significantly augmented by committee duty, and the ACT is a geographically compact polity, this argument needs a good deal more propping up if it is to weigh heavily in the judgment.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. All

This article was first published in The Canberra Times.



Discuss in our Forums

See what other readers are saying about this article!

Click here to read & post comments.

1 post so far.

Share this:
reddit this reddit thisbookmark with del.icio.us Del.icio.usdigg thisseed newsvineSeed NewsvineStumbleUpon StumbleUponsubmit to propellerkwoff it

About the Author

J R Nethercote, visiting research fellow, ACU Public Policy Institute, was on the staff of the Royal Commission on Australian Government Administration.

Other articles by this Author

All articles by J R Nethercote

Creative Commons LicenseThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

Article Tools
Comment 1 comment
Print Printable version
Subscribe Subscribe
Email Email a friend
Advertisement

About Us Search Discuss Feedback Legals Privacy