Chap 8 And 9 Flashcards
Liberalism
Political philosophy emphasising the importance of freedom. In liberalism the people are the heart of political life and the rights and freedoms are the heart of justice.
Representation
John Stuart mill implemented this idea as direct democracy was too hard to achieve.
Electoral systems
Electoral systems are a method where citizens delegate/entrust representatives to make decisions on behalf of them
Characteristics of fair electoral systems
-provide political choice
-one vote one value
-create stable parliament
-facilitate accuntability of the electives
Fundamental political rights
-right to vote
-freedom to associate with others
-freedom to assemble in groups that have political purpose
-freedom to access unbiased political information
-freedom of political communication
-broad opportunity to vote (universal suffrage)
Pressure groups - ‘get up’
Groups formed with the aim to influence law making in parliament and the courts. AIM to pressure parliament by influencing public opinion
Political parties
Aim to influence law making by representing an ideology/worldview. Aim to get seats in HOR
Theory of justice
Justice in ancient Roman times was defined as ‘people should get what they deserve.
Based on the three main ideas of rights obligations and impartiality
Rights
Should be respectful, universal and fundamental
Obligations
People have duties which should be enforced. Obligations re to more than one party
Impartiality
People deserve impartial administration of law. Rules and law must be applied without bias and gov must make effective laws that do not favor one party
How does judiciary uphold justice
-protection of rights
-enforcement of obligations
-impartiality + fairness of judges
Natural justice - just the courts
-Impartial adjudication
-equal opportunities of both parties
-evidence based decisions
-an open court
Majoritarian electoral systems
Focused on single member electorates and are effective at achieving majority rule and strong representation
FPP
Most straightforward system, electors choose one option on ballot paper, simple majority wins
FPP advantages
-simple
-amplifies winners bonus creating strong majority in parliament
-electors know who to delegate and entrust their welfare
FPP disadvantages
-2 party only system
-minors/independents rarely get a seat (vote wastage)
-vote splitting
FPP in aus
1918 commonwealth electoral act
Was efficient/easy however gov dominated both houses
Opposition controlling senate meant no bills passed
Preferential voting
-electors number candidates in preferred order. If no candidate wins absolute majority, preferences are then distributed
PV advantages
-increases majority rule
-gets rid of vote splitting
-reduces vote wastage
-creates accountability
PV disadvantages
-can result in a high number of informal votes from people who misunderstand
-over representation of major parties
Section 24
Members of the HOR have maximum of 3 year terms
Section 7
Senators have 6 year terms with half with half the senate elected every 3 years except for double dissolution
Issue writs
Call an election - GG issues writs before an election (24)
Proportional representation
Aim to reflect the proportion of the vote received as a proportion of seats in parliament.
Multi-member elections, better t creating diversity and a wider variety of parties
Single transferable vote
Since 1949 aus used STVPR.
Key features:
-a quota rather than majority
-above/below line voting
-one quota per seat however multi quotas per electorate
-surplus votes get transferred
-preference values continue until last seat is filled
A quota
A fixed share of votes (or a proportion of formal votes cast)
Advantages STVPR
-fairer to candidates/political
-greater diversity as multi member system
-hung senate therefore house of review
-greater protection of rights and freedoms
Disadvantages STVPR
-difficult/complex for voters
-higher number of informal votes
-above vs below creates complications for voters
-hun senate can delay parliamentary process
-direct accountability is weaker
-hard to know who’s representing u
Reforms to STVPR
1) 1984 group ticket voting to reduce complexity
2) 2016 senate reforms reducing political party control Turnbull
Delegate representation
Constituents present values, concerns and interests to their representative who will represent them in parliament
Trustee representation
Entrust a representatives judgement to rep their best interest in parliament
Mirror representatives
When legislative chambers composition reflects composition of society
Partisan representation
Representatives are members of disciplined political parties - act according to dictates of party hat
Calculating quotas -14.3
Number of formal ballot papers divided by number of seats to be elected plus 1
Surplus votes
Total number of votes - quota
Transfer value
Surplus votes / total votes
The aec
Independent voting commission that maintains electoral rolls, runs consistent training courses for employees, counts votes and declares the winner
Malapportionment
The creation of electoral districts with divergent ratios of voters to representatives
Malapportionment in HOR vs senate
-very little in HOR due to reforms that require an electoral population to be within 10% of the population
-persistent issues in senate as all states have 12 senators (Tasmania over represented)
Malapportionment senate examples
1989 PM Paul Keating called senate ‘unrepresentative swin’ after Tasmanian senator wont pass bills
Gerrymandering in aus
-deliberate drawing of an electoral boundary to disadvantage a political party. Deliberately denies equality of political rights and undermines majority rule
Section 60
Fixes gerrymandering as it gives the power to draw electoral boundaries to the AEC
