Greens motion calls for government to properly fund NSW electoral commission

Budget estimates recently showed that the NSW Electoral Commission is not adequately funded.

In September budget estimates revealed that the NSW Electoral Commission's resourcing for special interest groups on an ongoing basis has been cut to just one staff member on an ongoing basis.

The Greens' motion called on the Government to properly fund the NSW Electoral Commission.

Ms ABIGAIL BOYD (14:43): I move:

(1)That this House notes that according to evidence given by the NSW Electoral Commissioner at a budget estimates hearing on 7 September 2022:

(a)the Victorian Electoral Commission has 11 full-time staff as well as an additional 75 part-time democracy ambassadors in the community fulfilling the democratic functions of the commission;

(b)the NSW Electoral Commission has a significantly reduced resourcing capacity of only one staff who is funded on an ongoing basis for all work with Aboriginal, cultural and linguistically diverse, people with disability and other vulnerable people in the community; and

(c)the NSW Electoral Commission is unable to adequately engage with interest groups and special needs groups within the community because they are not funded to do so.

(2)That this House affirms that the NSW Electoral Commission plays a key role in the State of democracy in New South Wales, and that engagement with vulnerable individuals, marginalised individuals and/or individuals who experience disproportionate barriers to voting (including people with disability, First Nations people and culturally and linguistically diverse people) is fundamental to a well-functioning democracy.

(3)That this House calls on the Government to commit to fully fund the NSW Electoral Commission in order for it to fulfill its essential functions and adequately engage with vulnerable members of the community.

Motion agreed to.

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

NSW is missing out on tens of billions of dollars. By introducing a progressive coal royalty structure similar to the one in Queensland, we would have raised an extra $20 billion last year.

The NSW Government owns and controls, on behalf of the people of this state, the rights to the minerals and materials that naturally occur in NSW land.

Huge fossil fuel companies are only able to extract and sell these commodities with the consent of the State. It’s time they paid a fair price for that privilege.

The fossil fuel industry has made hundreds of billions of dollars out of their cosy relationship with governments. Granted permission to extract and sell coal, these large multinational fossil fuel corporations pay just over 7% in royalties back to the people of NSW – keeping the rest as mega-profits for themselves. These companies have a track record of taking more than their fair share and leaving communities suffering and stranded with poisoned groundwater, devastated landscapes and a stranded workforce when it suits their business models.

Globally, the hyper-inflation of fossil fuel prices driven by price-gouging opportunism and war profiteering from Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has delivered record windfall profits to these already obscenely wealthy corporations. In the last year, NSW coal exports totaled over $70 billion dollars, but the people of NSW will only see about 7 cents in every dollar, or about $6 billion dollars of that amount.

Rather than going toward schools, hospitals and public infrastructure, billions of dollars went into the pockets of multinational mining corporations. The Greens believe there should be more money for schools and hospitals and less for mining billionaires.

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

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Greens motion calls for government to properly fund NSW electoral commission

TAX SUPERPROFITS TO PAY WORKERS MORE

Sign our petition calling on the NSW Labor Government to increase coal royalties to invest in communities.

Will you sign?

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