Citizens' Assembly shows system failure

The decision to organise a randomly selected Citizen's Assembly to decide a very important national issue shows up the total dysfunctionality of the Australia's Westminster federal parliament.

It is an admission that this parliament is not representative of the population and is demonstrably incapable of producing a sensible outcome on one of the most important issues of our time.

Can we now look for leadership in the area of electoral reform so that both a representative legislature and quality leadership in the executive emerge?

This can hardly be expected to come from the major parties.

Voters may therefore have to look very seriously at non-major party candidates who understand that system reform is essential now.

What we are saddled with is the product of Australia's preferential voting system and compulsory voting combined.

It has produced a mediocre two-party tyranny which has to resort, again, to what amounts to a deliberative polling strategy.

Could the electoral reformers stand up please?

Email, 27 Jul 2010 Klaas Woldring, Pearl Beach