Minority governments do not sit well with most Australians, and particularly with farmers

We surely are all relieved that the election is over and we have a government with a strong majority.

Minority governments do not sit well with most Australians, and particularly with farmers. They want certainty. There are too many other variables in agriculture without having to see national policy the subject of compromise between two different parties sharing government. When you have it at state level as well it is destabilising.

The downside with the election result is the ludicrous result in the Senate. An election should express the will of the electorate. I have no problem with proportional representation delivering members or senators in relation to their popular support. However, it is hard to justify an outcome that has people being elected on 0.22% of the vote.

Having said that, it is a bit rich for the mainstream parties to be complaining about micro parties and arguing for changes in the rules to prevent these groups from doing the clever preference deals that delivered these outcomes. They must come to terms with unexpected results and move on.

I still hold to the old-fashioned view that the majority party’s policies should prevail and if a minor party wants to reject its legislation or bring it down then it can face the consequences. Voters will make their judgement about their actions. The governing party should not be made to alter a policy that was part of its mandate.

The result has shown that there are some issues that the Australian Election Commission needs to look at.

One is public funding of candidate election expenses. This is an increasing cost to taxpayers. With such large numbers of candidates in the last election, and such unexpected outcomes, it is time for a review of this perk for political parties.

The other reform that is desperately needed is the requirement that those who choose to vote below the line for the Senate should have to mark every square. A higher number of Tasmanians voted below the line than in most states. For us, this meant numbering candidates 1 through 54. In NSW, there were 110 candidates!

I have an aversion to above the line voting because it is so difficult to understand the deals that have done between the parties on preference; and I like to be sure that my preferences end up where I want them to go rather than were some backroom deal says they should go.

We don’t have above-the-line voting for the House of Assembly and I don’t believe we should for the Senate either. Far better, I believe, for people to be required to vote for a minimum six candidates (the number of senate vacancies) and if they want to continue numbering beyond that then that is their option.

Those reforms have considered before the next election, which might well be a double dissolution election, given the unknown nature of the new senate after June 30 next year.

The election result sent a clear message that voters support sustainable agriculture and that they appreciate the key role farmers play in the economy.

We’ve congratulated the candidates who have been elected; and commiserated with those who were unsuccessful. We’ve also recognised the contribution of sitting members who were not returned – in the House of Representatives, that includes Dick Adams, Sid Sidebottom and Geoff Lyons.

When the dust settles, TFGA will be meeting with all elected representatives, to reinforce the importance of agriculture in Tasmania. We’ll be reminding them of the commitments they made prior to the elections, and holding them accountable for recognising and representing the interests of Tasmanian farmers. In particular, we want to see genuine engagement on overcoming our freight and shipping problems; and we’ll be emphasizing the importance of the new government honoring its commitment to deliver increased investment in research and development that will underpin the continued growth and development of the industry.

With the federal election all but over – some counting continues in a few seats – we’re now getting ready for the state election which must be held before March. This will be a watershed election for Tasmanians in general and our farmers in particular.
TFGA chief executive Jan Davis, Tasmanian Country column today