Channel 9 Today Programme
17th September 1998
Well there's been plenty of talk in recent days in relation to the coming Federal Election about who is going to get who's preferences. Now, of course, at the top of the agenda is the argument by the Labor Party and the Democrats that any Liberal or National who puts One Nation anywhere but rock bottom on their "How to Vote" card is committing some sort of crime.
A couple of things need to be said.
In the 1974 election the Labor Party in Werriwa, Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's electorate, unashamedly put the Nazi party's candidate Ross May ahead of the Liberal candidate.
Make of that what you will.
And I have sited a piece of paper which was distributed by the Labor Party in the recent Queensland State election. It indicates by its writing in the bottom right hand corner that it is authorised by, and I quote "M Kaiser, ALP, Peel Str, South Brisbane" unquote. He is the Queensland secretary of the Labor party.
The text of it includes the words: "Thinking of voting Green, Democrat or One Nation? Give your preferences to Labor."
In other words here is an official ALP document which openly canvasses One Nation's preferences, so can we have a little less of the hypocrisy. Voters are sick of being treated as dills.
In the first place most don't need a "How to Vote" card to tell them what to do with their preferences. Most Australians are capable of working out how they want to vote and how they want to allocate their preferences. We work that out before we go to the tolling booths and we number the squares accordingly.
Perhaps in the next fortnight we can be spared the hypocrisy.
Put simply, in Queensland, in the state election an official document from the ALP actually sought from those who voted for the One Nation party, Pauline Hanson's party, Pauline Hanson's preferences.
Is that hypocrisy or something else.
I'm Alan Jones