Non-existent voter fraud, voters inconveniencing political parties, and an insufficient number of politicians are apparently the biggest problems facing democracy in Australia.
Failed Boris Johnson adviser James McGrath has had a less-than-stellar career since entering politics back in Australia, and for the last few years has wallowed in Senate obscurity. But his latest effort reveals just how he views democracy — and it’s not pleasant.
The joint standing committee on electoral matters, chaired by McGrath, yesterday published its report on the 2019 election and McGrath, continuing a campaign by the Liberal Party after recent elections, recommends that voters have to present a “form of acceptable identification” before they vote.
A requirement for voter ID is straight from the Republican playbook in the United States, where, as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has demonstrated, over 20 million voters could be excluded by ID requirements, which are disproportionately targeted at minority communities.
