Peter Kaye  -  Independent Candidate for Bass

If elected, I'll immediately set up a database that will be capable of handling every registered elector in the seat of Bass.

Any voter who is registered on the Bass Electoral Roll will then be able to express their interest in being involved in our online polls and thereby determining how I, as your representative, should vote on those "big" Bills coming before Parliament.

You will be able to do this simply by sending me an e-mail asking for an individual password so you can participate. There will be a special section on this web site which will enable you to do this quite easily.

All information provided will be managed by us strictly according to the Privacy Act.

It will also be possible to register by phone if that is your preference.

Your unique password will then be sent out to you by post to your home address. Why post? For security purposes so we know it is you.

Then, when the "big" issues arise, you will be able to log on to the website using your password, and be able to vote "yes" or "no".

OR you will be able to phone the electorate office, quote your ID and your vote for or against will be registered and recorded.

The cut off time for all votes will be 5pm on the day before the Bill goes to the vote (this is almost always known in advance) and, as in all great democratic processes, the majority will rule as far as the way I vote in Parliament is concerned.

There will be a tally of votes on each issue publicly shown on the website on any particular issue so the whole process is absolutely transparent.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

Q1. Won't the political parties get their members to sign up and corrupt the vote?
Yes, probably, but I believe that they will be greatly outnumbered by non Party members who have a genuine interest in the way Tasmania is governed. Apart from which, they will simply counter balance each other in the long run. It also gives those Party members the opportunity to vote against what the Party machine people are trying to dictate to them, and that can't be a bad thing either.

Q2. What if the way the public thinks and votes on an issue is completely opposite to what I believe?
It is irrelevant what I think. In my view, my job as a representative of the people would be to vote in the way that they have instructed me to vote. A majority of one vote (highly unlikely) would be sufficient - in the event of a tied public vote (even more highly unlikely) I would then exercise my casting vote (as an elector in Bass).

Q3. What if I do vote on an issue and then change my mind?
You will be able to change that vote right the way up until the 5pm deadline as often as you like, provided you log in with your unique password.

Q4. How will we know for sure what the vote was?
The running total of votes for all questions will be continually updated on this website for all to see.

Q5. Do you intend to make this option available for all votes?
Of course that would be impractical as a lot of Bills that pass through Parliament are very much just procedural Bills. It is a matter of assessing through observation and listening to the public to determine exactly which Bills have a high public interest and therefore demand a public input via an online poll, e.g. pulp mill, council amalgamation, gay marriage, etc, etc. If enough people feel strongly about something I am sure they would be demanding a public vote on a particular issue as they have in the past via calls for referenda.

Written and authorised: Peter Kaye, Trevallyn, Launceston. 7250