Class Action started against new Senate voting law
People from every State and Territory are challenging in the High Court the Constitutional validity of the new Senate voting law, in that today a ‘Class Action’ was launched to join alongside Senator Bob Day’s challenge.
The case will be heard on 2 and 3 May, with an interim hearing tomorrow, 15 April.
“We are bringing this Class Action, called a “Peoples Writ, on behalf of the people of Australia, who stand to be robbed of our diverse democracy if the new law rammed through the Parliament in an overnight marathon session on 17/18 March is allowed to remain,” said Coordinator of the 3 million voices committee, Peter Madden.
The 3 MILLION VOICES committee, with Chairman Malcolm MacKerras, was formed to oppose this allegedly unconstitutional change of the Senate voting system.
Named on the People’s Writ are seven courageous Australians from eclectic backgrounds:-
- Peter Madden from Tasmania – Disability Worker,
- Maria Rigoni from Victoria – Mortgage Broker,
- Kim Vuga of Queensland- Mental Health Worker
- Peter Walker from NSW – Aboriginal Leader and Christian Minister,
- Stuart Paull from Western Australia – Truck Driver
- Irwin Ross from the ACT – Small Business Manager
- Miliwanga Wurrben of the Northern Territory – Indigenous Cultural Consultant
“For the sake of Australian democracy, we cannot stand by and let this law stand that will cement the Greens into control for years to come. This new law, by disenfranchising 3 million Australians, would make Minor Parties a thing of the past,” said Peter Madden, the Coordinator of the 3 Million Voices Campaign Committee.
Maria Rigoni said, “This loss of political freedom is unpalatable. I believe it is the will of the Australian people that integrity be restored in our Parliament.”
Kim Vuga said, “It is no secret that the Greens have been lobbying for years to change the voting system to wipe out all rival minor parties.”
Stuart Paull said, “This legislation represents a loss of our democratic voting system as intended by the Constitution’s founding fathers.”
“The current Federal Government and their Green accomplices have, despite the reasoned opposition in the Senate debates by the Labor and Minor Parties, constructed (to use the words of Senator Dastyari) “a rort … an electoral gerrymander … to bring about a more compliant Senate … created with the sole purpose of wiping out a handful of crossbench Senators and locking in a handful of Greens Senators”,” said Bernard FitzSimon, 2015 Labor Candidate for the NSW Seat of Orange.
Contact:-
3 MILLION VOICES CO-ORDINATOR: Peter Madden 0413 765 291
3 MILLION VOICES CHAIRMAN: Malcolm Mackerras 0408 460 269