Comments on: ACT election live

By: William Bowe

William Bowe — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 11:02:30 +0000

By: Tom the first and best

Tom the first and best — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:27:22 +0000

Now 73 votes between the 2nd and 3rd Green candidates in Molonglo.

By: feral sparrowhawk

feral sparrowhawk — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 07:38:00 +0000

Actually Adam, whatever a poll at the time said, there was a referendum over single member electorates vs Hare Clark in 1995. Hare Clark got 60%, probably because people had realised that without it they wouldn’t have an opposition. I think its the only place in Australia where the electoral system has the authority of having been voted on.

By: Oz

Oz — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:40:05 +0000

And run it out of Musidlak’s house on Strzelecki Cr.

By: Adam in Canberra

Adam in Canberra — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:37:19 +0000

Thanks Tom, that’s very interesting.

Bogey Musidlak? He should start a law practice with Doszpot and Seselja.

By: Tom the first and best

Tom the first and best — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 04:31:29 +0000

On the subject of in creasing the Legislative Assembly to 21 seats (3×7)

http://www.prsa.org.au/qn/2003a.html#section3

By: Adam in Canberra

Adam in Canberra — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:59:29 +0000

Michael, that is of course why the ACT has the electoral system it has. There was a poll done at the time of self-government which showed that ACT voters overwhelmingly wanted single-member seats. But it was realised that, because Canberra has been deliberately designed as a socially homogenous city, and because of its social composition, if the ACT Assembly was to be elected from single-member seats, Labor would win all of them. So you have been stuck first with d’Hondt and now with Hare-Clark.

By: Oz

Oz — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:43:32 +0000

Right sorry, that’s what I meant. I was referring to a net loss of seats of both major parties. Of course that has not occurred yet in the ACT, but it is the chance the Libs may lose one that sparked the question.

By: Tom the first and best

Tom the first and best — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:34:56 +0000

Most elections have both parties swapping a few seats.

The question would be about a net loss of seats by both parties.

By: Gary Bruce

Gary Bruce — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 03:08:02 +0000

279 – Oz let me revisit what you said at 277 and how I interpreted it. You said -
“I wonder how many State elections there have been where both major parties have actually lost seats?”
That to me says that both Labor and Liberal have lost seats to someone at the same election. I would imagine both parties exchanged seats at a few elections ie Labor won some off the Libs and the Libs won some off Labor. Surely that is still both parties losing seats.