Constitutional Dilemmas: The Push for Proportional Representation
CIS "Meet the Researcher' Lecture
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
Luke Malpass
Running time: 75 mins
The cult political following that Proportional Representation electoral systems achieve in Westminster countries means that it is a matter of when not if pressure for comprehensive PR is going to arrive in Australia. New Zealand has it, Scotland has it, and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is talking about it for England, the very home of the Westminster system of government.
Curiously perhaps, New Zealand is holding a binding referendum on the future of its Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system which was modelled on the German electoral system, and early polling indicates its future is far from assured. This is due to concerns about its efficacy, and widespread lack of public understanding.
CIS NZ Policy Analyst Luke Malpass discusses his research in this area in conjunction with the launch of a paper into the future of New Zealand’s Electoral system. Luke will discuss MMP, how it has operated and what alternatives exist.
