With the third and final debate between Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten watched by 600,000-plus Australians last week, the call has been made to subject all candidates in all seats to a similar process.
Former Speaker of the Queensland Parliament and QUT Adjunct Associate Professor John Mickel believes that a debate commission agreed upon by the Prime Minister and Opposition leader should not just be restricted to Canberra or the capital cities.
He said the voters from regional cities in Queensland had every right to have their candidates participate in a formalised debate following any procedures adopted by the debate commission.
“The debate should hear from all candidates. Given the increasing role preferences from minor parties and independents play in electing candidates, transparency in the election process is important,” Professor Mickel said.
“It is great that independents and others are prepared to get up from their couches and put their name forward on the ballot paper but what do they stand for is the question,” Professor Mickel said.
“If they are aligned to a minor party or are running as an individual, the electorate deserves to know more about them.
“Yes we have ‘meet the candidates’ evenings in many places but these don’t give the full picture and are sometimes staged by organisations or other groups with a vested interest.
“The regional Queensland seats of Leichardt, Kennedy, Dawson, Flynn, and Capricornia are all marginal seats while Townsville-based Herbert is the most marginal in Australia. These will all be decided on preferences from minor parties and independents.
“The same can be said for other seats throughout Queensland and I think we should replicate the format of the leaders’ debate in all electorates.”
Professor Mickel suggested an independent moderator, ideally a representative of local media, should run such a debate and field questions.
“Voters need to know more about the real values of those making a run for parliament,” he said.
“Debates could be themed in ways which are appropriate to that particular electorate. For example, mining, infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, health and education or the local economy could all be topics up for discussion.”
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