Australian Capital Territory general election, 2001
Encyclopedia
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 20 October 2001. The incumbent Liberal Party
, led by Gary Humphries
, was challenged by the Labor Party
, led by Jon Stanhope
. candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single transferable vote
method, known as the Hare-Clark system. The result was another hung parliament
. However Labor, with the largest representation in the 17-member unicameral Assembly
, formed Government with the support of the ACT Greens
and Democrats
. Stanhope was elected Chief Minister
at the first sitting of the fifth Assembly on 12 November 2001. The election was conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission
and was the first time in Australia's history that an electronic voting and counting system
was used for some, but not all, polling places.
Liberal Party of Australia
, led by Chief Minister Gary Humphries
, attempted to win election for a first time in his own right as Liberal leader, yet a third term after the Liberals had come to power in 1995
. They were challenged by the opposition centre-left
Australian Labor Party
, led by Jon Stanhope
, who assumed the Labor leadership in March 1998. A third party, the ACT Greens
, held one seat in the Assembly through sitting member, Kerrie Tucker
, as well as several minor parties that had been a feature of ACT politics up until this election.
The election saw all 17 members of the Assembly face re-election, with members being elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation
. The Assembly is divided into three electorates: five-member Brindabella
(including Tuggeranong
and parts of the Woden Valley
) and Ginninderra
(including Belconnen
and suburbs) and seven-member Molonglo
(including North Canberra
, South Canberra
, Gungahlin
, Weston Creek
, and the remainder of the Woden Valley
). Election dates are set in statute to occur once every four years; the government has no ability to set the election date.
Following the 1998 election
outcome, the Liberals held seven seats; the opposition Labor held six seats, the Osborne independents of Paul Osborne
and Dave Rugendyke
holding two seats; the Greens holding one seat; and Michael Moore
also holding one seat.
During 2000, Chief Minister, Kate Carnell, faced continual criticism over cost blowouts in the redevelopment of Bruce Stadium. Eventually, when faced with a vote of no confidence, Carnell resigned as Chief Minister in October 2000. Her deputy, Gary Humphries, was elected as her replacement. Carnell subsequently resigned from the Assembly on 17 October 2000 and was replaced by Jacqui Burke
on 13 January 2001.
The 2001 ACT Legislative Assembly election represented a major milestone in the conduct of elections in Australia with the first use of electronic voting at polling places for parliamentary elections. This election also saw the introduction of electronic counting of ballots for the first time in the ACT.
veteran Mal Meninga
, AM. On Monday, 24 September 2001, Meninga declared his candidancy for the ACT Legislative Assembly, running for the electorate of Molonglo
. Moments after announcing that he would run for election, Meninga pulled out mid-sentence: "And the thing about that is, I guess, I was a public figure and I was put on the podium where I was just a person out there . . . I'm buggered, I'm sorry, I have to resign." Subsequently, this incident led to the satirical
Chaser
team instituting the 'Mal Award' for their election television shows
, presented to politicians "for the greatest act of political suicide during an election campaign".
Brindabella
Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party
was defending two seats. The Liberal Party
was defending two seats (although Trevor Kaine
was contesting the election as a candidate for the United Canberra Party). The Paul Osborne Independent Group
was defending one seat.
Ginninderra
Five seats were up for election. The Labor Party
was defending two seats. The Liberal Party
was defending two seats. Independent
MLA Dave Rugendyke
, originally elected as an affiliate of Brindabella independent MLA Paul Osborne
, was defending one seat.
Molonglo
Seven seats were up for election. The Labor Party
was defending two seats. The Liberal Party
was defending three seats. The Australian Greens
were defending one seat. One seat had been held by Independent
MLA Michael Moore
.
, with Labor winning eight seats, the Liberals winning seven seats, and the Greens and Democrats winning one seat each. The ACT Electoral Commission determined and announced the election's final results on 5 November 2001. Labor, with a majority of seats in the Assembly, formed a minority government
, with the support of the Greens and Democrats.
In Brindabella
, Labor gained an additional one seat to take their tally to three seats. The Liberals retained its two seats. Labor's Bill Wood
and John Hargreaves
retained their seats. Labor's Karin MacDonald
defeated independent sitting member, Paul Osborne. For the Liberal Party, Government Minister Brendan Smyth
and backbencher Steve Pratt
were both re-elected.
Both Labor and Liberal retained its two seats in Ginninderra
. The Democrats won its first seat in the Assembly, with Roslyn Dundas
defeating independent Dave Rugendyke. Labor leader Jon Stanhope
and Labor veteran member, Wayne Berry
, were both re-elected. Bill Stefaniak
was re-elected, with Vicki Dunne
replacing the Liberal-truend-independent, Harold Hird
as the second Liberal member.
In seven-member Molonglo
, the Liberals retained three seats; Labor picked up one additional seat, taking their representation from two seats to three; and the Greens retained one seat. Liberal leader, Gary Humphries and Speaker
Greg Cornwell
retained their seats. Helen Cross
defeated Liberal colleague Jacqui Burke
. For Labor, Ted Quinlan
and Simon Corbell
were re-elected. Katy Gallagher
won the additional seat, following the retirement of long-serving independent
member, Michael Moore
. The Greens sitting member, Kerrie Tucker
, was re-elected to the Assembly.
The electronic voting system used at the 2001 election was the first of its kind to be used for a parliamentary election in Australia. The system was based on the use of standard personal computers as voting terminals, with voters using a barcode to authenticate their votes. Voting terminals were linked to a server in each polling location using a secure local area network. No votes were taken or transmitted over a public network like the internet.
This was the first election which used electronic counting, which combines the counting of electronic votes and paper ballots. Votes were “captured” electronically in two ways: recorded directly by
electors through the electronic voting system, and recorded by data entry operators who entered electors’ preferences marked on paper ballots into a computer system. This data-entry method of converting handwritten ballot papers into computer-readable data was not an ACT first – similar systems have been used for recent elections for the Australian Senate
and the upper houses in New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia. However, adapting this system to the Robson rotation
method of printing variations of the ballot papers was an ACT innovation, used for the first time in
Australia at the 2001 election.
.
, a Liberal Party candidate in the electorate of Ginninderra, sought a recount of the votes in that electorate. Hird was 55 votes behind fellow Liberal Party candidate, Vicki Dunne
, at the point at which one of the two candidates had to be excluded. Hird’s request for a recount was rejected by both the Electoral Commissioner and, on appeal, the full Commission. In considering the request, the Commissioner and the full Commission had regard to the level of accuracy achieved by the data entry of paper ballots and the computer count. The Commission was satisfied that the level of accuracy was so high that a recount in any form could not have improved on the accuracy of the original count, and that there was no probability that the original count had indicated that the wrong candidates had been elected, given the margins between the winning and losing candidates.
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, led by Gary Humphries
Gary Humphries
Gary John Joseph Humphries has been a member of the Australian Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2003...
, was challenged by the Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, led by Jon Stanhope
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as...
. candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single transferable vote
Single transferable vote
The single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
method, known as the Hare-Clark system. The result was another hung parliament
Hung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
. However Labor, with the largest representation in the 17-member unicameral Assembly
Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
, formed Government with the support of the ACT Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
and Democrats
Australian Democrats
The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader...
. Stanhope was elected Chief Minister
Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory
The Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory is the head of government of the Australian Capital Territory. The leader of party with the largest representation of seats in the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly usually takes on the role...
at the first sitting of the fifth Assembly on 12 November 2001. The election was conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission
Australian Capital Territory Electoral Commission
The Australian Capital Territory Electoral Commission is the agency of the Government of the Australian Capital Territory with responsibility for the conduct of elections and referendums for the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly; the determination of electoral boundaries for the ACT; and the...
and was the first time in Australia's history that an electronic voting and counting system
Electronic voting
Electronic voting is a term encompassing several different types of voting, embracing both electronic means of casting a vote and electronic means of counting votes....
was used for some, but not all, polling places.
Key dates
- Party registration closed: 13 September 2001
- Pre-election period commenced and nominations opened: 14 September 2001
- Rolls closed: 21 September 2001
- Nominations closed: 26 September 2001
- Nominations declared and ballot paper order determined: 27 September 2001
- Pre-poll voting commenced: 2 October 2001
- Polling day: 20 October 2001
- Scrutiny completed: 1 November 2001
- Poll declared: 5 November 2001
- Legislative Assembly formed: 12 November 2001
Overview
The incumbent centre-rightCentre-right
The centre-right or center-right is a political term commonly used to describe or denote individuals, political parties, or organizations whose views stretch from the centre to the right on the left-right spectrum, excluding far right stances. Centre-right can also describe a coalition of centrist...
Liberal Party of Australia
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
, led by Chief Minister Gary Humphries
Gary Humphries
Gary John Joseph Humphries has been a member of the Australian Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2003...
, attempted to win election for a first time in his own right as Liberal leader, yet a third term after the Liberals had come to power in 1995
Australian Capital Territory general election, 1995
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 18 February 1995. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Rosemary Follett, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Kate Carnell. For the first time, candidates were elected to fill three multi-member...
. They were challenged by the opposition centre-left
Centre-left
Centre-left is a political term that describes individuals, political parties or organisations such as think tanks whose ideology lies between the centre and the left on the left-right spectrum...
Australian Labor Party
Australian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
, led by Jon Stanhope
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as...
, who assumed the Labor leadership in March 1998. A third party, the ACT Greens
ACT Greens
The ACT Greens is a green political party located in the Australian Capital Territory, and a member of the federation of the Australian Greens....
, held one seat in the Assembly through sitting member, Kerrie Tucker
Kerrie Tucker
Kerrie Robyn Tucker , former Australian politician, environmental and human rights activist, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the multi-member electorate of Molonglo for the ACT Greens between 1995 and 2001...
, as well as several minor parties that had been a feature of ACT politics up until this election.
The election saw all 17 members of the Assembly face re-election, with members being elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The Assembly is divided into three electorates: five-member Brindabella
Brindabella electorate
The Brindabella electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the largest of the electorates in geographic area.-History:...
(including Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong
Tuggeranong is the southernmost town centre of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. It comprises 19 suburbs with a total of 31,819 dwellings, housing 87,119 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory . The district occupies 117 square kilometres to the east of the...
and parts of the Woden Valley
Woden Valley
Woden Valley is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Its name is taken from the name of a nearby homestead owned by Dr James Murray who named the homestead after the Old English god Woden in October 1837. He named it this as he was to spend his life in the pursuit of wisdom and...
) and Ginninderra
Ginninderra electorate
The Ginninderra electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the smallest of the electorates in geographic area.-History:...
(including Belconnen
Belconnen
Belconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
and suburbs) and seven-member Molonglo
Molonglo electorate
The Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
(including North Canberra
North Canberra
North Canberra, also known as the Inner North, is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 14 suburbs with 19,115 dwellings housing 42,113 people of the 324,034 people in the Australian Capital Territory...
, South Canberra
South Canberra
South Canberra or the Inner South is a central district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia.South Canberra is located to the south of Canberra's city centre, on the south bank of Lake Burley Griffin....
, Gungahlin
Gungahlin
Gungahlin is a name of a district and the northernmost town centre of Canberra, Australia. Gungahlin is situated 10 km north of Canberra's city centre and is one of five satellites of Canberra including Woden, Tuggeranong, Weston Creek and Belconnen. Currently Gungahlin comprises 11 suburbs,...
, Weston Creek
Weston Creek
Weston Creek is a residential district of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia, situated to the west of the Woden Valley district and approximately 13 km southwest of the Canberra city centre...
, and the remainder of the Woden Valley
Woden Valley
Woden Valley is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia. Its name is taken from the name of a nearby homestead owned by Dr James Murray who named the homestead after the Old English god Woden in October 1837. He named it this as he was to spend his life in the pursuit of wisdom and...
). Election dates are set in statute to occur once every four years; the government has no ability to set the election date.
Following the 1998 election
Australian Capital Territory general election, 1998
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 21 February 1998. The incumbent Liberal Party, led by Kate Carnell, was challenged by the Labor Party, led by Wayne Berry. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
outcome, the Liberals held seven seats; the opposition Labor held six seats, the Osborne independents of Paul Osborne
Paul Osborne
Paul Osborne is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, administrator and politician. He played first-grade rugby league for the St George Dragons and Canberra Raiders before serving as a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1995 until 2001...
and Dave Rugendyke
Dave Rugendyke
David Ross "Dave" Rugendyke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly elected to the multi-member of Ginninderra for the Osborne Independent Group. Rugendyke was elected on the Osborne Independents ticket at the 1998 general election but...
holding two seats; the Greens holding one seat; and Michael Moore
Michael Moore (Australian politician)
Michael John Moore , former Australian politician and socially progressive health academic, was the first independent Member of any Australian Parliament to be appointed as a Minister to a Government Executive; serving as Minister of Health and Community Care from 1998 to 2001 in the Liberal...
also holding one seat.
During 2000, Chief Minister, Kate Carnell, faced continual criticism over cost blowouts in the redevelopment of Bruce Stadium. Eventually, when faced with a vote of no confidence, Carnell resigned as Chief Minister in October 2000. Her deputy, Gary Humphries, was elected as her replacement. Carnell subsequently resigned from the Assembly on 17 October 2000 and was replaced by Jacqui Burke
Jacqui Burke
Jacqui Burke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo for the Australian Liberal Party...
on 13 January 2001.
The 2001 ACT Legislative Assembly election represented a major milestone in the conduct of elections in Australia with the first use of electronic voting at polling places for parliamentary elections. This election also saw the introduction of electronic counting of ballots for the first time in the ACT.
Meninga candidacy
The 2001 campaign is perhaps best remembered for the short-lived candidacy of rugby leagueRugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
veteran Mal Meninga
Mal Meninga
Malcolm Norman Meninga AM is an Australian former rugby league test captain and current coach of Queensland's State of Origin team. As a player he was a legendary goal-kicking centre, counted amongst the finest footballers of the 20th century...
, AM. On Monday, 24 September 2001, Meninga declared his candidancy for the ACT Legislative Assembly, running for the electorate of Molonglo
Molonglo electorate
The Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
. Moments after announcing that he would run for election, Meninga pulled out mid-sentence: "And the thing about that is, I guess, I was a public figure and I was put on the podium where I was just a person out there . . . I'm buggered, I'm sorry, I have to resign." Subsequently, this incident led to the satirical
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
Chaser
The Chaser
The Chaser are an Australian satirical comedian group, known for their television programmes on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation channel. The group take their name from their production of satirical newspaper, a publication known to challenge conventions of taste...
team instituting the 'Mal Award' for their election television shows
The Chaser Decides
The Chaser Decides is a Logie Award-winning Australian political satire based comedy program produced by The Chaser. The show provides commentary on Australian federal elections and has been broadcast in 2001, 2004 and 2007 on ABC TV...
, presented to politicians "for the greatest act of political suicide during an election campaign".
Candidates
Sitting members at the time of the election are in bold. Tickets that elected at least one MLA are highlighted in the relevant colour. Successful candidates are indicated by an asterisk (*).Independent
- Michael MooreMichael Moore (Australian politician)Michael John Moore , former Australian politician and socially progressive health academic, was the first independent Member of any Australian Parliament to be appointed as a Minister to a Government Executive; serving as Minister of Health and Community Care from 1998 to 2001 in the Liberal...
(MolongloMolonglo electorateThe Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
)
BrindabellaBrindabella electorateThe Brindabella electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the largest of the electorates in geographic area.-History:...
Five seats were up for election. The Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
was defending two seats. The Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
was defending two seats (although Trevor Kaine
Trevor Kaine
Trevor Thomas Kaine , an Australian politician, was Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 1989 to 1991, and was elected a multi-member single electorate first unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, from 1989 to 2001, initially as a member of the Liberal...
was contesting the election as a candidate for the United Canberra Party). The Paul Osborne Independent Group
Paul Osborne
Paul Osborne is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, administrator and politician. He played first-grade rugby league for the St George Dragons and Canberra Raiders before serving as a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1995 until 2001...
was defending one seat.
| Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... Candidates |
Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... Candidates |
Greens Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which... Candidates |
Democrats Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader... Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
John Hargreaves John Hargreaves John Hargreaves is the founder and chairman of the large UK out-of-town discount clothing and homeware chain Matalan. He went into the retail business when he was only 16, and opened the first Matalan store in Preston in 1985... * Karin MacDonald Karin MacDonald Karin MacDonald is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Brindabella for the Australian Labor Party. MacDonald was elected at the 2001 ACT general election and retired at the 2008 ACT general... * Trevor Santi Athol Williams Bill Wood Bill Wood (politician) Bill Wood is an Australian politician who was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and later the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Queensland Parliament as the Labor member for Cook in 1969, transferring in 1972 to the new seat of Barron River. He... * |
Steve Doszpot Steve Doszpot Steve Doszpot is an Australian politician with the Liberal Party of Australia, elected to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly in the Brindabella electorate at the 2008 election.... Megan O'Connor Steve Pratt Steve Pratt Stephen George "Steve" Pratt is a former Australian military officer, aid worker and Liberal politician in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Brindabella.- Early career :... * Winnifred Rosser Brendan Smyth Brendan Smyth (politician) Brendan Michael Smyth is a Liberal Party of Australia politician. From 2002 to 2006 he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Capital Territory. He retains his shadow previous portfolios of Health, Ageing, Business and Tourism at present. He represents the electorate of... * |
Sue Ellerman Kathryn Kelly |
Jeannette Jolley Domenic Mico Mike Welch |
| Osborne Paul Osborne Paul Osborne is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, administrator and politician. He played first-grade rugby league for the St George Dragons and Canberra Raiders before serving as a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1995 until 2001... Candidates |
UCP Trevor Kaine Trevor Thomas Kaine , an Australian politician, was Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 1989 to 1991, and was elected a multi-member single electorate first unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, from 1989 to 2001, initially as a member of the Liberal... Candidates |
LDP Liberal Democratic Party (Australia) The Liberal Democratic Party is a classical liberal Australian political party founded in 2001.-Party name:In 2007 the party tried to register federally under the name "Liberal Democratic Party" but this was opposed the by the Liberal Party, so the party chose to register as the "Liberty and... Candidates |
Ungrouped |
Donna Bush Paul Osborne Paul Osborne Paul Osborne is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, administrator and politician. He played first-grade rugby league for the St George Dragons and Canberra Raiders before serving as a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1995 until 2001... |
Sandie Brooke Trevor Kaine Trevor Kaine Trevor Thomas Kaine , an Australian politician, was Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 1989 to 1991, and was elected a multi-member single electorate first unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, from 1989 to 2001, initially as a member of the Liberal... |
Bradley Brown Darren Kennedy |
Danny Alameddine (Ind) Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... May Levantis Bob Mackenzie Len Munday (Ind) Bruce Sutherland (Ind) Maria Trudinger (Nurses) |
GinninderraGinninderra electorateThe Ginninderra electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the smallest of the electorates in geographic area.-History:...
Five seats were up for election. The Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
was defending two seats. The Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
was defending two seats. Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
MLA Dave Rugendyke
Dave Rugendyke
David Ross "Dave" Rugendyke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly elected to the multi-member of Ginninderra for the Osborne Independent Group. Rugendyke was elected on the Osborne Independents ticket at the 1998 general election but...
, originally elected as an affiliate of Brindabella independent MLA Paul Osborne
Paul Osborne
Paul Osborne is an Australian former professional rugby league footballer, administrator and politician. He played first-grade rugby league for the St George Dragons and Canberra Raiders before serving as a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1995 until 2001...
, was defending one seat.
| Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... Candidates |
Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... Candidates |
Greens Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which... Candidates |
Democrats Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader... Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|
Wayne Berry Wayne Berry Wayne Bruce Berry , former Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1989 to 2008, representing the electorate of Ginninderra for the Australian Labor Party... * John Downey Susan McCarthy Vic Rebikoff Jon Stanhope Jon Stanhope Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as... * |
Vicki Dunne Vicki Dunne Vicki Ann Dunne , an Australian politician, is a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, since 2001, representing the electoral district of Ginninderra for the Liberal Party.... * Ilona Fraser Harold Hird Harold Hird Harold James Hird , an Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Ginninderra for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1995 to 2001... Andrew Sarri Bill Stefaniak Bill Stefaniak William George "Bill" Stefaniak is an Australian Liberal Party politician. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Capital Territory after succeeding in a leadership challenge against former leader Brendan Smyth on 16 May 2006. He is a former Major in the Australian Army Reserve and... * |
Shane Rattenbury Shane Rattenbury Shane Rattenbury , Australian politician and Speaker of the ACT Legislative Assembly, is a member of the multi-member unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo for the ACT Greens since 2008... Patricia Woodcroft-Lee |
Anthony David Roslyn Dundas Roslyn Dundas Roslyn Dundas is an Australian politician. She was an Australian Democrats member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2004, when she was defeated in a bid for re-election... * Dan McMillan |
| Rugendyke Dave Rugendyke David Ross "Dave" Rugendyke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly elected to the multi-member of Ginninderra for the Osborne Independent Group. Rugendyke was elected on the Osborne Independents ticket at the 1998 general election but... Candidates |
LDP Liberal Democratic Party (Australia) The Liberal Democratic Party is a classical liberal Australian political party founded in 2001.-Party name:In 2007 the party tried to register federally under the name "Liberal Democratic Party" but this was opposed the by the Liberal Party, so the party chose to register as the "Liberty and... Candidates |
Gungahlin Candidates | Ungrouped |
Ian Brown Dave Rugendyke Dave Rugendyke David Ross "Dave" Rugendyke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly elected to the multi-member of Ginninderra for the Osborne Independent Group. Rugendyke was elected on the Osborne Independents ticket at the 1998 general election but... |
John Humphreys Susan Morrissey |
Gail Jones John Simsons |
Geoff Clarke Chris Garvie (Ind) Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do... Shaun Good (Ind) Darcy Henry Rhonda James (Nurses) |
MolongloMolonglo electorateThe Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
Seven seats were up for election. The Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
was defending two seats. The Liberal Party
Liberal Party of Australia
The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office...
was defending three seats. The Australian Greens
Australian Greens
The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which...
were defending one seat. One seat had been held by Independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
MLA Michael Moore
Michael Moore (Australian politician)
Michael John Moore , former Australian politician and socially progressive health academic, was the first independent Member of any Australian Parliament to be appointed as a Minister to a Government Executive; serving as Minister of Health and Community Care from 1998 to 2001 in the Liberal...
.
| Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... Candidates |
Liberal Liberal Party of Australia The Liberal Party of Australia is an Australian political party.Founded a year after the 1943 federal election to replace the United Australia Party, the centre-right Liberal Party typically competes with the centre-left Australian Labor Party for political office... Candidates |
Greens Australian Greens The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is an Australian green political party.The party was formed in 1992; however, its origins can be traced to the early environmental movement in Australia and the formation of the United Tasmania Group , the first Green party in the world, which... Candidates |
Democrats Australian Democrats The Australian Democrats is an Australian political party espousing a socially liberal ideology. It was formed in 1977, by a merger of the Australia Party and the New LM, after principals of those minor parties secured the commitment of former Liberal minister Don Chipp, as a high profile leader... Candidates |
Kaine Trevor Kaine Trevor Thomas Kaine , an Australian politician, was Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 1989 to 1991, and was elected a multi-member single electorate first unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, from 1989 to 2001, initially as a member of the Liberal... Candidates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Simon Corbell Simon Corbell Simon Corbell is an Australian politician in the Australian Capital Territory, and is one of the seven members of the Legislative Assembly electorate of Molonglo, representing the Australian Labor Party... * Katy Gallagher Katy Gallagher Katy Gallagher , an Australian politician, is the sixth and current Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory and a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2001, representing the electorate of Molonglo for the Australian Labor Party... * Fred Leftwich John O'Keefe Ted Quinlan Ted Quinlan Edward Andrew John "Ted" Quinlan is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2006, representing the district of Molonglo.... * Marion Reilly Marion Reilly Marion Reilly is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the multi-member single electorate of Molonglo for the Labor Party. Reilly was elected following a recount of ballot papers to fill a casual vacancy resulting from the... Christina Ryan |
Jacqui Burke Jacqui Burke Jacqui Burke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo for the Australian Liberal Party... Greg Cornwell Greg Cornwell Gregory Gane "Greg" Cornwell , former Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly elected to the multi-member single constituency Assembly and later elected to represent the multi-member electorate of Molonglo for the Liberal... * Helen Cross Helen Cross Helen Cross is an English author. She was raised in East Yorkshire and educated at the University of East Anglia.Cross's first novel, My Summer of Love, was published in 2001 and was the winner of a Betty Trask Award in 2002. It was made into an acclaimed film directed by Paweł Pawlikowski and... * Gary Humphries Gary Humphries Gary John Joseph Humphries has been a member of the Australian Senate representing the Australian Capital Territory for the Liberal Party of Australia since 2003... * Amalia Matheson Mark Spill Manuel Xyrakis |
Deb Foskey Deb Foskey Deb Foskey is a former Australian politician with the ACT Greens. She was elected to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly in the 2004 election for the electorate of Molonglo, in which she served until her retirement in 2008.-Early life:Foskey was born in rural East Gippsland,... Michael Nolan Kerrie Tucker Kerrie Tucker Kerrie Robyn Tucker , former Australian politician, environmental and human rights activist, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the multi-member electorate of Molonglo for the ACT Greens between 1995 and 2001... * Victoria Young |
Eric Bray Jane Errey Stella Jones Isabel Walters |
Colin Cartwright Alan Parker |
| Canberra 1st Candidates | LDP Liberal Democratic Party (Australia) The Liberal Democratic Party is a classical liberal Australian political party founded in 2001.-Party name:In 2007 the party tried to register federally under the name "Liberal Democratic Party" but this was opposed the by the Liberal Party, so the party chose to register as the "Liberty and... Candidates |
Gungahlin Candidates | Nurses Candidates | Ungrouped |
Claire James Nancy McCullough Joel Pasternak Lucinda Spier |
Brett Graham John Purnell-Webb Duncan Spender |
Jonathon Reynolds Ian Ruecroft |
Phillip Hickox Robyn Staniforth |
Pamela Ayson Hilary Back Ian Black Ian Black (politician) Ian Howard Black is a former Australian politician. He was an independent member of the Australian Capital Territory House of Assembly from 1975 to 1979.-References:... Marnie Black Tania Gelonesi Melanie Marshall |
Results
Following a full count and distribution of preferences, Labor had obtained 41.7 per cent of the vote across the ACT, with the Liberals at 31.6 per cent, the Greens at 9.1 per cent, and the Democrats at 8.0 per cent. Swings were recorded towards Labor (+4.3 per cent) and the Democrats (+2.9 per cent); the Greens vote remained unchanged in percentage terms, and a strong swing against the Liberals (-6.1 per cent). With the retirement of Michael Moore and poor polling by both Paul Osborne and Dave Rugendyke, support for independent candidates collapsed. Following distribution of all preferences, the resultant outcome was a hung parliamentHung parliament
In a two-party parliamentary system of government, a hung parliament occurs when neither major political party has an absolute majority of seats in the parliament . It is also less commonly known as a balanced parliament or a legislature under no overall control...
, with Labor winning eight seats, the Liberals winning seven seats, and the Greens and Democrats winning one seat each. The ACT Electoral Commission determined and announced the election's final results on 5 November 2001. Labor, with a majority of seats in the Assembly, formed a minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
, with the support of the Greens and Democrats.
In Brindabella
Brindabella electorate
The Brindabella electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the largest of the electorates in geographic area.-History:...
, Labor gained an additional one seat to take their tally to three seats. The Liberals retained its two seats. Labor's Bill Wood
Bill Wood (politician)
Bill Wood is an Australian politician who was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly and later the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Queensland Parliament as the Labor member for Cook in 1969, transferring in 1972 to the new seat of Barron River. He...
and John Hargreaves
John Hargreaves (politician)
John Leo Hargreaves is an Australian politician. He has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 1998...
retained their seats. Labor's Karin MacDonald
Karin MacDonald
Karin MacDonald is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Brindabella for the Australian Labor Party. MacDonald was elected at the 2001 ACT general election and retired at the 2008 ACT general...
defeated independent sitting member, Paul Osborne. For the Liberal Party, Government Minister Brendan Smyth
Brendan Smyth (politician)
Brendan Michael Smyth is a Liberal Party of Australia politician. From 2002 to 2006 he was the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Capital Territory. He retains his shadow previous portfolios of Health, Ageing, Business and Tourism at present. He represents the electorate of...
and backbencher Steve Pratt
Steve Pratt
Stephen George "Steve" Pratt is a former Australian military officer, aid worker and Liberal politician in the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly for the electorate of Brindabella.- Early career :...
were both re-elected.
Both Labor and Liberal retained its two seats in Ginninderra
Ginninderra electorate
The Ginninderra electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has five seats, and is the smallest of the electorates in geographic area.-History:...
. The Democrats won its first seat in the Assembly, with Roslyn Dundas
Roslyn Dundas
Roslyn Dundas is an Australian politician. She was an Australian Democrats member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2004, when she was defeated in a bid for re-election...
defeating independent Dave Rugendyke. Labor leader Jon Stanhope
Jon Stanhope
Jonathan Ronald Stanhope is a former Australian politician who was Labor Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory from 2001 to 2011. Stanhope represented the Ginninderra electorate in the ACT Legislative Assembly from 1998 until 2011. He resigned as Chief Minister on 12 May 2011 and as...
and Labor veteran member, Wayne Berry
Wayne Berry
Wayne Bruce Berry , former Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1989 to 2008, representing the electorate of Ginninderra for the Australian Labor Party...
, were both re-elected. Bill Stefaniak
Bill Stefaniak
William George "Bill" Stefaniak is an Australian Liberal Party politician. He was the Leader of the Opposition in the Australian Capital Territory after succeeding in a leadership challenge against former leader Brendan Smyth on 16 May 2006. He is a former Major in the Australian Army Reserve and...
was re-elected, with Vicki Dunne
Vicki Dunne
Vicki Ann Dunne , an Australian politician, is a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, since 2001, representing the electoral district of Ginninderra for the Liberal Party....
replacing the Liberal-truend-independent, Harold Hird
Harold Hird
Harold James Hird , an Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Ginninderra for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1995 to 2001...
as the second Liberal member.
In seven-member Molonglo
Molonglo electorate
The Molonglo electorate is one of the three electorates for the unicameral 17-member Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly. It has seven seats, and is the largest of the electorates in terms of population.-History:...
, the Liberals retained three seats; Labor picked up one additional seat, taking their representation from two seats to three; and the Greens retained one seat. Liberal leader, Gary Humphries and Speaker
Speaker of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory....
Greg Cornwell
Greg Cornwell
Gregory Gane "Greg" Cornwell , former Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly elected to the multi-member single constituency Assembly and later elected to represent the multi-member electorate of Molonglo for the Liberal...
retained their seats. Helen Cross
Helen Cross (politician)
Helen Cross is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo, initially for the Liberal Party of Australia, and then later as an Independent. Cross was elected to the ACT Legislative Assembly at the 2001...
defeated Liberal colleague Jacqui Burke
Jacqui Burke
Jacqui Burke is an Australian politician and was a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Molonglo for the Australian Liberal Party...
. For Labor, Ted Quinlan
Ted Quinlan
Edward Andrew John "Ted" Quinlan is an Australian politician. He was an Australian Labor Party member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 1998 to 2006, representing the district of Molonglo....
and Simon Corbell
Simon Corbell
Simon Corbell is an Australian politician in the Australian Capital Territory, and is one of the seven members of the Legislative Assembly electorate of Molonglo, representing the Australian Labor Party...
were re-elected. Katy Gallagher
Katy Gallagher
Katy Gallagher , an Australian politician, is the sixth and current Chief Minister of the Australian Capital Territory and a member of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly since 2001, representing the electorate of Molonglo for the Australian Labor Party...
won the additional seat, following the retirement of long-serving independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
member, Michael Moore
Michael Moore (Australian politician)
Michael John Moore , former Australian politician and socially progressive health academic, was the first independent Member of any Australian Parliament to be appointed as a Minister to a Government Executive; serving as Minister of Health and Community Care from 1998 to 2001 in the Liberal...
. The Greens sitting member, Kerrie Tucker
Kerrie Tucker
Kerrie Robyn Tucker , former Australian politician, environmental and human rights activist, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the multi-member electorate of Molonglo for the ACT Greens between 1995 and 2001...
, was re-elected to the Assembly.
Overview
The 2001 ACT election was a major milestone in the conduct of elections in Australia with the first use of electronic voting at polling places for parliamentary elections. This election also saw the introduction of electronic counting of all ballots for the first time in the ACT. Electronic voting and counting was introduced following the passing of the ACT Electoral Amendment Bill 2000 (No 2). This Bill allowed for electronic ballot papers, electronic capture of ballot information, electronic counting of ballots. Also covered were provisions allowing for the security of electronic voting and voting counting processes, handling of disputes, offences, publication of electronic voting statistics.The electronic voting system used at the 2001 election was the first of its kind to be used for a parliamentary election in Australia. The system was based on the use of standard personal computers as voting terminals, with voters using a barcode to authenticate their votes. Voting terminals were linked to a server in each polling location using a secure local area network. No votes were taken or transmitted over a public network like the internet.
This was the first election which used electronic counting, which combines the counting of electronic votes and paper ballots. Votes were “captured” electronically in two ways: recorded directly by
electors through the electronic voting system, and recorded by data entry operators who entered electors’ preferences marked on paper ballots into a computer system. This data-entry method of converting handwritten ballot papers into computer-readable data was not an ACT first – similar systems have been used for recent elections for the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
and the upper houses in New South Wales, Western Australia and South Australia. However, adapting this system to the Robson rotation
Robson Rotation
Robson Rotation is the method of printing multiple ballots for single transferable vote elections, with each having the candidates listed in a different order....
method of printing variations of the ballot papers was an ACT innovation, used for the first time in
Australia at the 2001 election.
2001 statistics
A total of 16,559 electronic votes were recorded at four pre-poll centres across the Territory. On polling day, another four voting cetres were equipped with electronic voting facilities. The proportion of electronic votes in relation to all votes counted increased was 8.3 per cent. The ACT Electoral Commission claims that interim results for 16,559 votes using the electronic voting system were available through the Commission's website by 7:15pm, 75 minutes after the close of polls on polling night. In a review of the electronic voting and counting system, following the 2001 election, the Commission recommended an expansion of the system for the 2004 ACT general electionAustralian Capital Territory general election, 2004
Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly were held on Saturday, 16 October 2004. The incumbent Labor Party, led by Jon Stanhope, was challenged by the Liberal Party, led by Brendan Smyth. Candidates were elected to fill three multi-member electorates using a single...
.
Claim for recount
Following the announcement of the election result in 2001, Harold HirdHarold Hird
Harold James Hird , an Australian politician, was a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly representing the electorate of Ginninderra for the Liberal Party of Australia from 1995 to 2001...
, a Liberal Party candidate in the electorate of Ginninderra, sought a recount of the votes in that electorate. Hird was 55 votes behind fellow Liberal Party candidate, Vicki Dunne
Vicki Dunne
Vicki Ann Dunne , an Australian politician, is a member of the unicameral Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, since 2001, representing the electoral district of Ginninderra for the Liberal Party....
, at the point at which one of the two candidates had to be excluded. Hird’s request for a recount was rejected by both the Electoral Commissioner and, on appeal, the full Commission. In considering the request, the Commissioner and the full Commission had regard to the level of accuracy achieved by the data entry of paper ballots and the computer count. The Commission was satisfied that the level of accuracy was so high that a recount in any form could not have improved on the accuracy of the original count, and that there was no probability that the original count had indicated that the wrong candidates had been elected, given the margins between the winning and losing candidates.
See also
- Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 2001-2004Members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly, 2001-2004This is a list of members of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly from 2001 to 2004.-See also:*Australian Capital Territory general election, 2001...
- First Stanhope MinistryFirst Stanhope MinistryThe First Stanhope Ministry was the seventh ministry of the Government of the Australian Capital Territory, and was led by Labor Chief Minister Jon Stanhope and his deputy Ted Quinlan. It was sworn in on November 13, 2001 after the Labor victory at the 2001 election. It had only one remaining one...