Healthwatcher - I agree, and I've held that view for a long time. It would resolve a lot of problems and save the constituency a lot of money.

this is another chat about belling the cat. ozzies talk endlessly about what pollies 'ought' to do. but never investigate the equally important subject of how to make it happen. natural enough, since they are without power to initiate legislation.

you have to wonder why they bother, although most do not. there's a good reason most ozzies are utterly uninterested in politics- like the weather,it's just something that happens to them.

The proposition that a politician should pay for the by election costs is probably one of the most inane that I have ever heard.

Firstly: politicians' salaries compared to their counterparts in business are low and their job security is at best tenuous. The cost of a by election is probably greater than the politician could earn in 10 years.

Secondly: As they are not obliged to resign such a huge penalty would ensure that they continue until the end of their term or an act of parliament removes them.

If the pressure to resign was for misconduct, they would simply remain in office until the end of their term as only criminal action is cause for parliamentry action.

If the reason is personal, the member could simply not appear for work, as he is not obliged to.

Therefore, if the MP wishes to resign it is counter productive to place any impediment in his way. The cost of the by election is simply an operating cost of democracy.

Finally: any penalty to enforce someone to continue working in his position has been so thoroughly trashed in the courts that the only legal response would be gales of laughter.

Shadow Minister,

You can't stop a member from resigning or force him to work, but you could avoid the expense of a by-election by giving the seat of a resigning politician, except where his reasons are legitimate, to whoever came second when he was elected. If that person no longer wants the seat, it can be passed down the list of candidates. It might be tough on a politician's electorate if he stays, but refuses to do any work, but Parliament can still function.

What about those cases (in NSW Local Government) where the Electoral Commissioner has allowed ineligible candidates to be elected and then the citizens having to wait for other candidates to go the the expense of overturning the election result (with no help or deliberate hinderance from the Electoral Commissioner! ! !) and then seeing an expensive by-election.

Shouldn't the Electoral Commissioner pay for their errors, and, perhaps tighten up the enrollment procedures to prevent it happening again?