Australia needs an independent electoral system inquiry.
In discussions on TV, Senator Don Farrell, preparing the final report on the 2022 federal election, stated that he is a great supporter of the Westminster system. Surely that doesn’t mean that Australia should continue with an electoral system that favours the major parties. That is not really part of the Westminster system at all.
The purpose of the 2022 inquiry by the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters (JSCEM), a committee entirely dominated by the two major parties, is to recommend reforms following submissions by voters. After the 2022 election many voters complained about the large donations provided by a variety of rich supporters. Apparently JSCEM’s recommendations again favour both major parties.
My own submission to JSCEM (No 219), recommending the introduction of Proportional Representation – Party List, used in 90 other countries including some using the Westminster system, does present a real reform. Clearly, the time has come for a truly independent inquiry, not one dominated by the major parties defending their threatened dominance.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
