2015-10-28
The Queensland Greens have announced they will oppose the plan for the state to have four year Parliamentary terms, saying it will just give governments more power.
Speaking ahead of appearing today before a Parliamentary Committee examining the issue of shifting to fixed, four-year terms for our Parliament, Greens spokesperson Kirsten Lovejoy said
“Queensland is the only state without the crucial accountability mechanism of an Upper House, which means our state governments have virtually unchecked power to do as they please.
“Every other state has four year terms for their Parliaments, but every other state also has an Upper House to provide some checks and balances on the government of the day. Queensland does not.
Referring to the impact of the last State election on small businesses, Ms Lovejoy said that although introducing fixed terms are a crucial step in building investor confidence between elections, nobody wants to be stuck with a rotten government any longer than it has to.
“An election is about the only accountability mechanism that Queensland’s government and politicians face. Reducing the number of chances for people to hold governments and politicians to account is not going to benefit democracy, and thus it will not enhance good governance.”
Ms Lovejoy said the Greens support having a fixed term for the Parliament, so that the community can have certainty about the timing of an election, and governments can’t manipulate the election date for their own benefit.
“There are many reforms that would improve the standard of democracy in Queensland and deliver more transparency and accountability to the community. Giving governments an extra year to cause harm to the community without having to answer for their actions is not one of them.”
For further comment, contact Kirsten Lovejoy – 0427 589 035