Enough is enough. Elections in Queensland, Mundingburra, Tasmania and nationwide in the space of a few months. And now Jeff Kennett is taking Victoria to the polls.
John Howard has promised a people’s constitutional convention to look at the republic and other constitutional issues. A major issue should be the number of election days in Australia. They are disruptive to business. They result in the unnecessary prolonging of the period of pork barrelling. They cause too much short-term decision-making with politicians’ eyes on the ballot box. The power of Premiers and Prime Ministers to pull the dates out of the hat adds to the uncertainty.
Mr Howard’s convention should look at a proposal to fix the terms of all federal, state and territory parliaments and have an election for the whole lot on one day, say, the first Saturday in December every three years. December elections have the advantage of allowing transitions in the silly season if there is a change of government.
Politicians have refused to put such a sensible proposal to the people because it would take away their power to chose the election date. But Mr Howard has said he would put to the people any consensus that came out of his convention.
Mr Kennett’s cynical and irresponsible early election proves there is no advantage in merely extending the discretionary term by a year. And it highlights that there is no god reason why the governing side should have the advantage of choosing the election date; the privilege is only abused.