A Victorian member of parliament, Evan Thornley, has suggested that parents should be able to vote on behalf of their (underage) children..
I can’t be the only person who is fed up with hearing the word “family” coming from politicians. The “family” is constantly used to justify everything from censorship, targetted tax-breaks, government handouts and plainly blatant discrimination. Premiers resign to spend “more time with their family” (it’s so nice that their generous superannuation allows them to do that), fringe religious extremists start political parties to push their beliefs onto society, using the family as a front, and both sides of politics harp endlessly about working families, as if the rest of us are merely layabouts. Now someone wants to give a weighted vote to those people who breed the most children?
It’s one thing to want to lower the age at which a person may vote, but it’s quite another to disenfranchise the childless.
This comment, however, amused me greatly:
Mr Thornley said last night: “Families are currently underrepresented in our democracy. They pay but don’t have a say.”
Umm, Mr Thornley, it’s not called the Singles Tax Benefit. I don’t mind that taxes go towards this (and, in fact, encourage it), if it is properly means-tested, but please, the money isn’t coming just from families.
Sadly, as a result of Steve Bracks’ resignation today, Mr Thornley is likely to be in the Victorian cabinet, at this time next week.
More on this at Larvatus Prodeo