http://blogs.crikey.com.au/thestump/2008/10/21/migrants-in-parliament-ii-%e2%80%93-the-nz-election/ The world of politics, policy and public life Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:09:14 +1100 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 hourly 1 http://blogs.crikey.com.au/thestump/2008/10/21/migrants-in-parliament-ii-%e2%80%93-the-nz-election/#comment-248 ltep Tue, 21 Oct 2008 06:33:59 +0000 http://blogs.crikey.com.au/bartlett/?p=94#comment-248 There's certainly nothing to stop either political party from putting up a more racially diverse selection of Senate candidates should they wish to. I'm actually a little surprised the move hasn't come from the Greens yet. It would certainly bring a whole new element to debate (potentially). There’s certainly nothing to stop either political party from putting up a more racially diverse selection of Senate candidates should they wish to. I’m actually a little surprised the move hasn’t come from the Greens yet. It would certainly bring a whole new element to debate (potentially).

]]> http://blogs.crikey.com.au/thestump/2008/10/21/migrants-in-parliament-ii-%e2%80%93-the-nz-election/#comment-247 Ben Raue Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:19:30 +0000 http://blogs.crikey.com.au/bartlett/?p=94#comment-247 It must have a lot to do with the list system. In Australia it is possible to argue in each individual case that this particular white man is the best person for the job in each electorate. But when you put together a list of 50 people it looks very odd and discriminatory if you don't have a solid proportion of women on the list. While it wouldn't be as pressing to ensure ethnic diversity, that pressure would also encourage parties to put Asian MPs on their list. While no individual electorate may be so dominated by the Asian community to make it electorally sensible to run a candidate from an Asian background, it makes perfect sense to have a couple of Asian-born MPs on your list to appeal to that community. Another benefit of PR. It must have a lot to do with the list system. In Australia it is possible to argue in each individual case that this particular white man is the best person for the job in each electorate. But when you put together a list of 50 people it looks very odd and discriminatory if you don’t have a solid proportion of women on the list. While it wouldn’t be as pressing to ensure ethnic diversity, that pressure would also encourage parties to put Asian MPs on their list. While no individual electorate may be so dominated by the Asian community to make it electorally sensible to run a candidate from an Asian background, it makes perfect sense to have a couple of Asian-born MPs on your list to appeal to that community. Another benefit of PR.

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