Democratic Reforms
The Bracks Labor Government vowed to introduce greater accountability, transparency and democracy to Victoria when it was first elected in 1999. As a part of the Bracks Government, I was involved in major reforms to the Parliament.
Reforms to the Upper House were introduced under the Constitution (Parliamentary Reform) Act 2003. A system of proportional representation was introduced to the Legislative Council (the same system used to elect the federal Senate) ahead of the 2006 State election, and the 22 Upper House electorates were consolidated to form five urban and three rural Regions, with each electorate returning five Members.
These reforms have made the Legislative Council more representative and have enabled it to better to fulfil its role as a House of Review, by introducing four year terms (instead of eight) and through a system of proportional representation, which has meant that no one party controls a majority of votes and several minor parties hold seats.
Under the reforms, the Legislative Council is not able to act obstructively or block an Appropriation Bill (the Government’s annual budget). Parliament now sits for more days each year and Governments have fixed terms, facing elections every four years in November. The next Victorian election will be on Saturday 27 November, 2010.
Our Government became the first Government in Australian to introduce a Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities, following extensive consultation with the community. The Charter will act to ensure that the human rights people often take for granted are protected and that governments take the human rights of all Victorians into account when drafting policies and legislation. These reforms have allowed Victorians to have a greater say in Government.
The powers of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Auditor General have been restored. The powers of the Victorian Ombudsman have been extended and Freedom of Information laws giving Victorians the right to access information held by Government agencies have been introduced. Since 1999 the Victorian Labor Government has also established the following bodies which allow Victorians to make a complaint about Government services:
▪ Public Transport Ombudsman
▪ Child Safety Commissioner
▪ Office of Police Integrity
These democratic reforms are complimented by the Parliament’s engagement with the community through the Community Cabinet program, where Ministers conduct public meetings within communities across the State.
