Should local government be granted constitutional recognition ,when councillors rely on foreigners to get elected?

 by Ganesh Sahathevan 

In June 2019 Government News reported: 

Australia’s councils have voted to demand a referendum giving local government constitutional recognition.

The motion, calling for the government to initiate a referendum “at the earliest opportunity”, was carried 201 votes to three at the National General Assembly of the Australian Local Government Association (ALGA) in Canberra on Monday.

“Local Government presently depends on the continued will of the various State legislatures to empower local government to exist and perform various functions,” the motion put forward by Toowoomba Regional Council states.

“It seems preferable that the Commonwealth entrench the right for councils to exist and perform certain roles.” 

Left unsaid is the fact that at least some local councillors have begun to rely on foreigners, non-Australian citizens, to get themselves elected.

Constitutional recognition may well have the consequence of entrenching what seems to be a means of allowing foreigners an at least indirect say in state and Commonwealth governments. 

As it stands it is unclear on what basis foreigners have been allowed to vote in local elections and even if it is legal for them to do so, whether Australian citizens have been made sufficiently aware of the practise so that they can decide if the right to vote ought to be extended to non-citizens. 

TO BE READ WITH 

Saturday, September 19, 2020

Melbourne City Councillor Philip Le Liu has encouraged foreign students from China to register as voters : Consequences for Melbourne City Council elections as well as state and Federal elections

 by Ganesh Sahathevan

The above is from a website that has been taken down. Its contents have however been copied and translated by China analyst Geoff Wade. The translation of the Chinese characters above (which have been checked) says: 

Melbourne Mayoral election is nearing: Can non-Australia citizens also vote? Melbourne City Councillor Philip Le Liu says that this is indeed a vote that foreign students can participate in. The precondition is that they register before a fixed date.

Liu's statement is interesting  Voting in any election in Australia is restricted to citizens. 

Liu is running in the coming Melbourne Council Elections, on an unofficial Liberal ticket. 

The presence of Chinese foreign students on the electoral rolls will have consequences for the results of past local council, state and federal elections. 

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