False

Objective of the Bill

The objectives of the Bill are to:  

1. Provide for broader representation in the Redistribution Commission by increasing the membership of the Commission from 3 to 5 members. In the interests of transparency, the appointments of all Commissioners, with the exception of the Electoral Commissioner who has already undergone a separate appointment process, be subject to the approval of the leaders of all recognised parties represented in the Legislative Assembly.
2. Implement a recommendation by the Electoral and Administrative Review Commission by providing that the independent Redistribution Commission has the ability to determine the number of electoral districts in the Legislative Assembly, subject to a maximum increase of up to 5 additional electoral districts, i.e. the total seats in the assembly would at the commissions discretion be between 89 and 94.
3. Provide that Queenslanders have more equitable access to representation in the Parliament by legislating for the Redistribution Commission to have the capacity, at its discretion, to amend the additional large district number, currently set at 2%, up to 4%.

Other Information

The Electoral (Redistribution Commission) and Another Act Amendment Bill 2015 and Explanatory Notes are available from the Office of the Queensland Parliamentary Counsel at www.legislation.qld.gov.au.

The Hansard transcript of the explanatory speech for the Bill can be accessed here

Public Briefings and Hearings

Public Briefing
The committee held a public briefing on Thursday, 30 July 2015 from 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The transcript of the proceedings is available under the Related Publications tab.

Public Briefing
The committee held a public briefing on Wednesday 5 August from 3.00 pm to 4.00 pm where Mr Ian Walker MP, Member for Mansfield, the Bill’s sponsor, briefed the committee on the Bill.   The transcript of the proceedings is available under the Related Publications tab.

Public Hearing
The committee held a public hearing on Tuesday, 25 August 2015 from 9:30 am to 11:30 am. The transcript of the proceedings is available under the Related Publications tab.

The committee will also held public hearings with invited witnesses as follows:  

31 August 2015
Mount Isa:      Red Earth Hotel                  1.30 – 5.00 pm

1 September 2015
Weipa:             Weipa Motel                       6.00 – 8.30 pm

3 September 2015
Cairns:             Rydges Esplanade Hotel      10:00 - 3.00 pm

Transcripts of proceedings are available under the Related Publications tab.  No transcript is available for the Weipa hearing. 

Referral

On 15 July 2015, Mr Ian Walker MP, Member for Mansfield, Shadow Attorney-General and Shadow Minister for Justice, Industrial Relations and The Arts introduced the Electoral (Redistribution Commission) and Another Act Amendment Bill 2015 into the Queensland Parliament.  In accordance with Standing Order 131 of the Standing Rules and Orders of the Legislative Assembly, the Bill was referred to the Legal Affairs and Community Safety Committee (the Committee) for detailed consideration.

The committee tabled it's report on 11 September 2015.  It can be viewed under the Related Publications tab.

Submissions

Submissions closed at 4.00pm on Friday, 14 August 2015 and are available for viewing under the View Submissions tab.