My State Election Experience

Written by Melanie Hawkes – PDA WA Director

Please note these comments are my personal opinion as a woman with a physical disability. 

As a wheelchair user, I find it difficult to vote in person. We just had a state election on Saturday 8 March, and had to complete two ballot papers: one for the Legislative Council and one for the Legislative Assembly. 

I have no problem with the Legislative Assembly paper, as it’s about A5 size. And we only had 5 candidates this time. I can write with a pen in my hand, but it’s easier with the pen in my mouth instead. 

So this small size paper is easy. The Legislative Council ballot paper, on the other hand, is one A4 sheet tall and over 3 A4 sheets wide (in portrait mode)! There is no way I can fit this giant sheet on my wheelchair tray, or reach any of the boxes above the line.

It’s my preference to vote below the line anyway. But its size made it difficult. For this reason I always opt for a postal vote, so I can do it in the comfort and privacy of my own home. I spread it out on my computer desk so I can see all the candidates. 

But who do I choose? There were 13 boxes above the line (for groups and parties – some I’d never heard of) and 146 below the line. 20 was the minimum number of boxes you were allowed to number if voting below the line. So I set about searching for the policies these parties had and what some of these people stood for. I wanted to make sure my vote aligned to my beliefs and wishes for an accessible and equitable society. 

I scrolled through every website of the political parties listed, looking for their policies and information on the candidates. Where there were policies, I searched for keywords like ‘disability’, ‘access’ and ‘disabled’. Only two websites mentioned disability! Just two!

To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. I was appalled. I’m a well-educated, computer-literate woman and I couldn’t find basic information like policies. The major parties were the worst. On my ballot paper, it listed 37 candidates for the WA Labor Party, yet only eight were listed on their website! What about the other 29? And not a single piece of information about who they are, what they stand for, or their ambitions if elected. Don’t people check who or what they’re voting for?

They say there’s 5.5 million people with disabilities in Australia, or 20% of the population. That’s a lot of people. And a lot of votes. Do we see disability represented in our parliament? No. Why not? 

Maybe we need to form our own political party. I mean if the Shooters and Fishers can represent themselves, and the Legalise Cannabis party can push their own agenda, we should too. Our issues are important, and not a political football for the government to throw around. 

I really hope it’s better for the upcoming federal election.