1
00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,640
Speaker 1: Local body politics. Having a bit of a weeken the sun,

2
00:00:02,720 --> 00:00:05,040
Speaker 1: they formed a group, as we told you tuesday, to

3
00:00:05,080 --> 00:00:06,960
Speaker 1: look at the ways of pumping up voting turnout and

4
00:00:06,960 --> 00:00:09,680
Speaker 1: the possibility of a four year term. The government's change

5
00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:11,840
Speaker 1: of rules around Murray Wards has also seen the local

6
00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:14,400
Speaker 1: authorities front up this week have the Assayates Select Committee

7
00:00:14,400 --> 00:00:17,520
Speaker 1: and on that specifically. They're bogged down and they don't

8
00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:20,280
Speaker 1: even seem to know it. They're bogged down by something

9
00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:23,119
Speaker 1: that never had to be as problematic as it's turned

10
00:00:23,120 --> 00:00:25,240
Speaker 1: out to be. So the old rule was of councils

11
00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:28,120
Speaker 1: decided to introduce in your area Murray seat or Marry wards.

12
00:00:28,160 --> 00:00:31,120
Speaker 1: The locals who hadn't been consulted got to run a vote.

13
00:00:31,200 --> 00:00:32,600
Speaker 1: If you went out and got five percent of the

14
00:00:32,680 --> 00:00:34,599
Speaker 1: rate payers backing you, you had a vote. And when

15
00:00:34,600 --> 00:00:37,279
Speaker 1: they did hold a vote, it was a landslide each

16
00:00:37,320 --> 00:00:40,080
Speaker 1: and every time. Telling the councils that Murray wards were

17
00:00:40,360 --> 00:00:44,440
Speaker 1: not wanted labor without consultation changed that rule. You weren't

18
00:00:44,440 --> 00:00:47,160
Speaker 1: allowed to vote anymore. Councils could do whatever they wanted,

19
00:00:47,200 --> 00:00:49,560
Speaker 1: no checks, no balances. Now this government wants to flip

20
00:00:49,600 --> 00:00:52,519
Speaker 1: that law. Now. Mistake number one from the councils, as

21
00:00:52,520 --> 00:00:55,680
Speaker 1: I argue this week, its central government overreach is what

22
00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,600
Speaker 1: they say while they forget that. They're the same councils

23
00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:01,400
Speaker 1: who cry poor to governments over everything from infrastructure to

24
00:01:01,400 --> 00:01:04,440
Speaker 1: storm damage to GST collection. You can't have it both ways.

25
00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:07,840
Speaker 1: Central for money and local for power doesn't work. Mistake too.

26
00:01:08,200 --> 00:01:10,160
Speaker 1: The answer has been in front of them all along.

27
00:01:10,480 --> 00:01:16,040
Speaker 1: It's called democracy. Originally, before they started jurymandering the system,

28
00:01:16,080 --> 00:01:18,560
Speaker 1: anyone could stand. Still can. In fact, if you noticed

29
00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:20,679
Speaker 1: that anyone can stand, and if they got enough votes,

30
00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:24,039
Speaker 1: guess what they were elected Because not many maris stood.

31
00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,119
Speaker 1: Some bright spark argued race based policy was an answer.

32
00:01:27,360 --> 00:01:29,800
Speaker 1: Stack the rules, marry get a different deal, and it's

33
00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,720
Speaker 1: been downhill ever since. When the rule is that anyone

34
00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,320
Speaker 1: can stand, there are no barriers, You have no problems,

35
00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:37,880
Speaker 1: the freedom to stand, the freedom to debate, the freedom

36
00:01:37,920 --> 00:01:40,640
Speaker 1: to contest the vote. It's a good, clean, clear system,

37
00:01:40,800 --> 00:01:45,480
Speaker 1: and most importantly, a level playing field. It's fair. When

38
00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,160
Speaker 1: you mess with it, you strike trouble. And here we are,

39
00:01:48,320 --> 00:01:51,600
Speaker 1: years later, trying to untie the mess that race based

40
00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:56,000
Speaker 1: bias creates. Keep it simple, listen to the people value democracy,

41
00:01:56,200 --> 00:01:59,360
Speaker 1: and you might just find more people actually turn up

42
00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,320
Speaker 1: to vote. For more from the mic Asking Breakfast listen

43
00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,680
Speaker 1: live to News Talk SETB from six am weekdays, or

44
00:02:06,720 --> 00:02:08,639
Speaker 1: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio