Annabel Crabb's Civic Duty: Nov 10
The first episode of the new ABC series explores a unique feature of the Australian electoral system – preferential voting. On Monday, Annabel returns for the third part of her ABC trilogy on Australia's parliamentary democracy. The series began in 2017 with The House and continued in 2021 with Ms Represented, a documentary about women's experiences in Australian parliaments.
In Annabel Crabb’s Civic Duty, she visits historic moments shaping Australian democracy, evaluates its present state, and poses important questions about its future.
Preferential Voting: A Democratic Oddity
Australia adopted preferential voting in 1918, a system praised by mathematicians and theorists such as Lewis Carroll, author of Alice in Wonderland, who saw it as a fairer voting method. This voting system remains one of the country’s distinctive electoral features.
Democratic Innovations from Colonial Times
- Australia’s colonial era was marked by public, booze-fueled voting, which was soon replaced by democratic innovations like the secret ballot.
- The full enfranchisement of women was achieved, although 1902 saw a Senate amendment exclude Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from voting, significantly impacting the nation’s history.
- The establishment of an independent, permanent election authority was also an Australian innovation.
"The full enfranchisement of women, marred in 1902 by the exclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander voters in a last-minute Senate amendment that changed the course of the nation."
Annabel Crabb’s Civic Duty offers a thoughtful look at the foundations and evolving nature of Australian democracy.
Author's summary: This series delves into Australia’s unique electoral features, historic democratic milestones, and ongoing questions about the future of its parliamentary system.