Western Australia Premier Roger Cook makes an impassioned case for compulsory voting at local government level. This measure has been introduced every year since 2015 to increase public participation in these high-stakes elections. Alarmingly, fewer than one in three eligible voters cast a ballot in the last council elections statewide. This alarming state of affairs has led to a loud outcry for reform. This low turnout spells potential disaster for the representation, accountability and legitimacy of local governance in Western Australia.
The rise of extremist candidates has brought a new layer of concern to the electoral landscape. Local Government Minister Hannah Beazley called this phenomenon “very, very disappointing and worrying.” She urged the electorate to “do their research and vote for candidates who are representative of them and their community,” emphasizing the need for diverse views in local councils to reflect community values.
The Impact of Low Voter Engagement
The stunningly low voter turnout in the last few statewide elections has had political analysts and party leaders talking. Now, the alarm of new data showing fewer than 30% of registered eligible voters are going to the polls has sparked new cries for reform.
In an effort to address these issues, Premier Cook noted, “It really seems that our local government sector is very fragile at the moment and vulnerable, particularly in a world which is soaked or immersed in social media.” Taken together, his remarks underscore the uphill battle for local governance and the pressing demand for reforms to make local government more accessible to the public.
The loss of half a dozen councils since March has only compounded the difficulty. This extends to the Shire of Derby West Kimberley, the City of Nedlands and the Town of Port Hedland. This instability, especially in an era of extreme weather, wreaks havoc on issues of governance and democratic representation within affected communities.
In some councils, candidate nominations have actually risen in spite of these obstacles. The City of Busselton enjoyed its biggest candidate field in 25 years. At the same time, the City of Albany posted its third-highest participatory rate of all-time. 143 candidates were elected automatically when nominations closed earlier this month, indicating a troubling trend where ten councils lacked sufficient candidates to fill available seats.
The Rise of Extremist Candidates
The rise of these extremist candidates has left political commentators and parties in shock. Stephen Wells, a candidate in Busselton, is unapologetic about his desire to see the White Australia policy reinstated. He insists that his views are not extremist, stating, “I consider our current politicians extremists who project their own sins onto people with traditional views, like my own.”
Tamara Frewen, who won a Republican primary in Albany largely on an “anti-woke” platform. She was forced to resign after she compared a local pride organization to Nazis. She has appropriately and rightly condemned allegations that compare Albany Pride to the Holocaust or Nazi party philosophy. Her comments raised a firestorm, causing many to jump to positions on the issues of civility and incendiary political rhetoric in local elections.
Minister Beazley expressed her concern over the rise of such candidates, asserting that “extremist views and ideological positions based in hate and prejudice do not reflect our society or the community’s views and values in WA.” Her comments really highlight the need to create a political culture that values representation and inclusivity.
The Debate Over Compulsory Voting
As the idea of implementing compulsory voting gets more attention, we asked three experts to weigh in on what effect it would have on local elections. Political analyst Martin Drum cautioned that while compulsory voting may increase participation, it may not necessarily resolve issues related to single-issue candidates. He noted, “So if you are just focused on one single issue and have strong views on that, does that bode well for that kind of work? Possibly not.”
Drum elaborated on this, saying that despite the introduction of compulsory voting, the issue of smaller councils being more susceptible to the issue of limited electorates remains. He stated, “Regardless of what any politician thinks or pretends to think about my views, they should trust the Australian public to decide these things for themselves.”
In recognizing the case for reform in local governance, Premier Cook called for caution in placing new burdens. “I think we need to step forward carefully on this… I think everyone agrees that we now need more reform in that sector,” he said.
