Australian Politics and Policy - Senior, 2019a

Australian Politics and Policy
Between 1911 and 1993, election of persons entirely unconnected to one of the
threelongstandingpartygroupingswasanoveloccurrence.However,intheseven
elections held since 1993, 33 independents and non-major parties have gained
election. PR-STV is credited with facilitating the election of ‘other’ electoral actors
to the Council and breaking the almost exclusive monopoly held by the three oldest
parties in the chamber. The most successful of the newer entrants has been the WA
Greens, which elected its first member to the Council in 1993 and has managed to
elect between two and five members of the Council at every election since.
Conclusions
WA’s formative historical experiences, its economy and its geography have made it
a sometimes-disgruntled member of the federation. But WA has more in common,
politically and culturally, with other units within the federation than it does
differences. Its grievances have been fiscal, as against identity-based, with the result
that outpourings of disaffection have ebbed and flowed with prevailing economic
circumstances. 56 These grievances aside, WA is an integral constitutive unit of the
federation.
Appendix: timeline of key changes to elections in WA since 1890
1890 Creation of Legislative Assembly (LA) with four-year terms. Members of
Legislative Council (LC) nominated by the governor until 1893. Plural voting
with property qualification.
1893 Voting extended to male British subjects over 21 years of age. Property
qualification continued. Optional enrolment.
1899 Adult suffrage. Women awarded the vote in LA.
1900 Payment of members and triennial terms.
1904 Plural voting abolished.
1907 Current Electoral Act passed. Preferential voting introduced.
1911 Full preferential voting introduced.
1919 Compulsory voting for the Assembly.
1920 Women became eligible to be MLAs.
1921 Edith Cowan elected as first woman in LA.
56 Lecours and Béland 2018.
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