Friday 28 June 2013

Tweaking Australia's Electoral System

Australia's political and electoral systems are quite brilliant: they're designed to deliver and protect the will of the people. But I often wonder whether the system really delivered what the people desired in the 2010 Federal election. We got the Representatives we desired - but did we get the Government we desired?

The Coalition and Labor both won 72 seats. That didn't show convincingly that the people desired a Labor government. So how did we end up with a Labor government?

Both parties fell four seats short of the requirement to form a Majority government in the 150-seat Parliament. It was the first Hung Parliament since 1940. Six crossbenchers held the balance of power.

Two of the six crossbenchers declared their support for the Coalition (National Party of Western Australia MP Tony Crook; and Independent MP Bob Katter). They both represented Divisions with stronger support for the Coalition than for Labor (the Seats of O'Connor, and Kennedy): the Coalition won more votes than Labor in both of those Seats. So you could say the two crossbenchers chose what their electorate desired.

Two other crossbenchers declared their support for Labor (Greens MP Adam Brandt, and Independent MP Andrew Wilkie). They both represented fairly strong Labor Divisions (the Divisions of Melbourne, and Denison): Labor won more votes than the Coalition in both those Divisions. You could therefore say that they also chose what their Division desired.

None of that was too unexpected. So we eagerly waited while the remaining two cross benchers took their time before announcing their decisions.  For seventeen gruelling days we waited until finally the two remaining members were ready.

The member for the Division of New England (Independent MP Tony Windsor) spoke first.  He was going to support Labor. But was that what his electorate desired? The Seat of New England hadn't been held by Labor since 1913; and in 2010 there was a 2.77% swing against Labor. Labor won only 8.13% of the vote compared with the Nationals winning 25.22%. The figures seem to indicate that the people in Windsor's Division might have been more in favour of the Coalition than Labor.

So we again waited with baited breath while the member for Lyne followed. For seventeen long minutes Independent MP Rob Oakeshott presented his justification for his verdict and finally mentioned it: he also would support Labor. But was that really what his electorate desired? His electorate had been represented by the National Party for nearly 60 years. It was only fairly recently that the people swung towards an Independent.

And did that swing mean they were becoming more favourable towards Labor than towards the Coaltion? There was actually an 18.49% swing away from Labor. In fact Labor won only 13.49% of the votes while the Nationals still won 34.39% despite the swing towards the Independent.

So the figures in Lyne seemed to indicate that the swing away from the Nationals towards the Independent was not because the people were favouring Labor over the Coaltion - the figures show quite the opposite. The swing away from the Nationals was also a swing even further away from Labor - not a swing closer to Labor. Even the Coalition had not been performing conservatively enough for the people of Lyne - and they were seemingly hoping the Independent would restore that. The figures didn't seem to indicate increased favour for Labor. Many of the people of Lyne were so angry with their elected Independent's choice that it was deemed not even to be safe for the Member for Lyne to meet his constituents in their public hall.

Unlike the first four crossbenchers, the last two crossbenchers went against the figures (the electoral results) of their own electorates. Even the media seemed disappointed. Nevertheless that was their decision. And so the Governor-General then invited Labor to form Government. And we all ended-up with a Labor government. That's how it happened.

Furthermore, the Labor party changed its leader during its term in government. So not only did we end up with a Government we didn't convincingly choose, but we also ended up with a different Prime Minister than we were led to expect during the electoral campaign.

Even though hung parliaments are rare, I sometimes wonder whether the electoral system couldn't be tweaked just a little bit to prevent a reoccurrence of this - to better ensure that the will of the people is delivered.

Perhaps a new rule could be made that would allow the actual figures in an electorate and not a cross-bencher's personal whim to be the determining factor in the event of a hung parliament.

Both Windsor and Oakeshott have announced the intention not to contest their seats at the next election. Windsor claims the polls indicate an Independent would again win the seat; and Oakeshott claims most of those who voted for him are happy with the way he's handled the 43rd Parliament of Australia.

Perhaps some method could also be considered to allow the people and not a party to choose our Prime Minister.

Any advantages, disadvantages and limitations of any changes would have to be weighed wisely and discerningly though.

What would deliver best to the Australian people their will, and protect it?

Praying in the Spirit

One Friday evening we were driving to Brisbane to go to Hillsong church.  It was about an hour's drive. In order to make good use of our time, I suggested to my travel companion that we spend some time praying.

I began to pray for various people whom we know at the church, and I welcomed the Holy Spirit to guide our prayers. One person I prayed for was a person at church named Anne.

While I was praying for Anne the name 'Karen' came into my spirit. I felt sure it was genuinely the Lord who laid the name on my heart. So I prayed in the Holy Spirit for Karen even though I didn't know who she was. I had a sense though that she might be a relative of Anne's.

So after the church service that night I asked Anne whether she has anyone close to her named Karen. Anne answered that she did have a close relative named Karen.

More than a month later Anne approached us at church, her face beaming, and told us about Karen. Karen had been married several years but had been unable all those years to give birth, but now Karen was more than a month pregnant.

Anne said that the timing of Karen becoming pregnant likely coincided with the approximate time when the Holy Spirit had led us to pray for her.  Anne felt it was a direct answer to prayer.

We can deliberately make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit to lead us in our praying:

"...we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Romans 8:27).

Ask the Holy Spirit to lead you in your praying, then allow yourself to be led. Driving in a car is a good time to do it.


Monday 17 June 2013

If the Truth Be Known


"Brother, if any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be. If he charges you falsely on some point, yet be satisfied, for if he knew you better he might change the accusation, and you would be no gainer by the correction. If you have your moral portrait painted, and it is ugly, be satisfied; for it only needs a few blacker touches, and it would be still nearer the truth" - Charles Spurgeon, from his sermon, “David Dancing before the Ark because of His Election,” in The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Sermons, vol. 35.

Street Evangelism in Ipswich

Using the gifts of the Holy Spirit to impact the youth of Ipswich.

Sunday 16 June 2013

Have Grace

The only way to serve God acceptably is to have grace. Nothing else other than grace can make us acceptable to God.

Sometimes we tend to feel that we are acceptable to God because we think we are performing better than another person. But the only thing that makes us acceptable to God is to have grace - God's grace - received by faith - in our life. The reason for this is because we ourselves have been in need of forgiveness. Nothing else has any merit. The only thing to lean on is grace.

To have grace also means to treat others with grace. God doesn't look too kindly on unforgiveness.