ACT Labor Senator Bob McMullan called yesterday for the new ACT third Federal seat to be set aside for a woman candidate.
He suggested that the ALP national executive designate the seat for a woman, given that the ACT branch did not have the power under its rules to do so.
Senator McMullan said he was not getting into the quota argument, but said this was a vacant seat, so no sitting member would be disadvantaged and it was a safe seat, so there was no question of putting a marginal seat at risk. It would be recognising an historic anomaly and taking active steps to overcome it.
“”I am confident the national executive would receive the enthusiastic co-operation of the ACT branch,” he said.
The ACT branch conference had supported more women, but did not authorise changes to procedures for pre-selection for single-member electorates.
The secretary of the ACT branch, Doug Thompson said he thought “”the comment a bit premature given that the national conference has yet to make up its mind on affirmative action”.
The national conference is to met in September with affirmative action on the agenda and strongly pushed by Health Minister Carmen Lawrence.
Mr Thompson said, “”The ACT branch has a strong record on affirmative action.”.
Earlier this year, the ACT’s increased population qualified it for a third seat in the House of Representatives. The sitting Member for Canberra, Ros Kelly, has said she will move to the Tuggeranong-based seat with the new name, Namadgi, and the sitting Member for Fraser, John Langmore, will move to the central seat called Canberra. This will make the vacant seat the Belconnen-based Fraser.
All three seats are safe with two-party preferred margins of between eight and 12 per cent.
The pre-selection for Fraser is in the sights of several Labor figures, among them Follett staffers David Wedgwood and Richard Webb and ACT Trades and Labour Council secretary Maureen Sheehan.
Senator McMullan said federal representation in the ACT had to be looked at as a whole.
With the Senate, there are now four safe Labor seats in the ACT. Two held by men (McMullan and Langmore) and one by a woman (Kelly).
Under Senator McMullan’s reasoning the new seat should go to a woman so representation was equal.
In 1988, Senator McMullan beat Sue Robinson to take the seat vacated by Sue Robinson, changing the ACT representation from two women and one man to one woman and two men. However, as there were only three safe seats there would always be a 2-1 imbalance.
Mr Wedgwood said last night, “”Under ACT branch rules all four winnable seats are open to women and men. Because of the affirmative-action rules, which I helped draft women currently hold five of the 11 ACT ALP parliamentary positions.”
The ACT branch had already reached a level that other branches were hoping to achieve by 2000.
Senator McMullan said the ACT branch conference had called on the National Conference to adopt national rules on equal representation.
“”While there is room for debate about the best method to achieve this, I think it’s an admirable objective, and it is appropriate that it starts right here in Canberra,” he said.
It would follow the proud tradition the ACT had in ensuring the fair representation of women in leadership and winnable positions in the Legislative Assembly _ four of eight MLAs and the leadership.
Several Labor sources described Senator McMullan’s proposal last night as coming from left or out of the blue and could not guess if there was any ulterior motive.