A spat broke out this week over whether the ACT’s Hare-Clark electoral system discriminates against women.
The ACT branch secretary of the ALP, Michael Kerrisk, said, “the Hare-Clark electoral system used here in the ACT, and the one chosen by the Liberal Party, is a brutal one. . . . Increasing at the level of female representation in the Assembly will not be easy. . . . The Hare-Clark electoral system is all about promoting the individual at the expense of the party. And in any system like this, female candidates will often be unsuccessful.”
At present, there are only two female members of the Legislative Assembly out of 17. And we do have a Hare-Clark system. But the latter, of itself, did not cause of the former.
This election, women were pre-selected by each of the major parties to every or winnable seat except one. The winnable seats for the major parties are two each in the two five-member electorates (Brindabella and Ginninderra) and three each in the seven-member electorate (Molonglo). (Only one major party will actually win a third seat in Molonglo, however, it is still winnable by either of them.)
The Liberal Party has pre-selected three women to stand in Molonglo, two women to stand in Ginninderra but only one to stand in Brindabella. That is six women for seven winnable seats.
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