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Democrats seek Ridgeway backing

29 August 2004 - The Australian Democrats have made a plea to voters to retain the country's only indigenous MP.

Democrats senator Aden Ridgeway, who leads the party's senate ticket in NSW, is the only Aborigine in the federal parliament.

Senator Ridgeway said he was confident voters would want a parliament that was as representative as possible.

"At a time when elected national indigenous representation is being disassembled by the Howard Government now more than ever we need indigenous voices at a federal level," Senator Ridgeway said.

Senator Ridgeway entered the Senate in July 1999 and became the first indigenous politician to hold a federal political leadership position as Democrats deputy leader in April 2001.

He was honoured as Indigenous Person of the Year this year.

Source: ANTaR NSW

NSW Voters are The Key to National Elected Indigenous Representation - Senator Ridgeway

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AUSTRALIAN DEMOCRATS

29 August 2004 - The people of NSW will be crucial in deciding whether the Federal parliament retains its only Indigenous representative, say the Australian Democrats.

Democrats Senator for NSW, Aden Ridgeway, is the only Indigenous representative in the Federal Parliament and will lead the Democrats NSW Senate Team into the election.

"I am confident the people of NSW understand the importance of our parliament being as representative as possible," said Senator Ridgeway.

"At a time when elected national Indigenous representation is being disassembled by the Howard Government now more than ever we need Indigenous voices at a Federal level.

"While advocating for the interests of Indigenous Australians is a priority for me I have also represented a much broader group of Australians during my time in the Senate and through my current portfolio areas Arts & Sport; Consumer Affairs; Forestry; Indigenous Affairs; Industry, Small Business & Tourism and Trade & Overseas Development.

"I actively campaigned against the Australia-US Free Trade Agreement after spending much time weighing up the costs and benefits of the agreement and participating in two Senate Inquiries.

"By returning me to the Senate, the people of NSW have an opportunity to not only contribute to the future of their State but also to the future of their whole country," concluded Senator Ridgeway.

Aden Ridgeway was elected to the Senate as Australia's only Indigenous Federal politician in July 1999 and became the first Indigenous politician to hold a Federal political leadership position as Democrats' Deputy Leader in April 2001.

He was honoured in this year's national NAIDOC awards as Indigenous Person of the Year in recognition of his work for Indigenous people at a Federal level.

Source: Australian Democrats

Battle to save lone indigenous voice

By Tony Stephens

August 30, 2004 - The Australian Democrats will campaign on the claim that the voters' choice for the Senate is as important as their choice for prime minister.

The other main plank in their campaign in NSW will be to save the seat of Aden Ridgeway, the only Aboriginal MP.

Admitting yesterday that Ridgeway's seat was at "serious risk", the Democrats leader, Senator Andrew Bartlett, said: "People need to think strongly about whether or not they want to lose the only indigenous voice in Federal Parliament."

Ridgeway said he was confident voters would want a parliament as representative as possible, adding: "At a time when elected national indigenous representation is being disassembled by the Howard Government, now more than ever we need indigenous voices at a federal level."

Bartlett said that although Howard had said the election was about trust, neither the Prime Minister nor the Opposition Leader, Mark Latham, could be trusted.

"The overarching issue is to get more honesty, more credibility and more reliability in politics," he said. "That's the key role of the Senate, and that's the key skill of the Democrats.

"We offer the only protection in the Senate against extreme control of power by the government of the day, against bad laws and against dishonesty."

Recent opinion polls have put support for the Democrats at between 1 and 4 per cent, but Bartlett said the polls reflected voting intentions for the House of Representatives, not the Senate.

Electoral support for the Democrats has waned from 10.82 per cent in 1996 to 7.25 per cent at the Senate election in 2001. The Democrats held the balance of power in the Senate after the 1998 election with nine members, but they now have only seven, and the balance is shared with Senator Meg Lees, the Democrat who defected to form the Australian Progressive Alliance, and three other independents.

"I want to win every seat we contest, but I recognise we're at risk of not winning any if it doesn't go well for us," Bartlett said.

Other Democrats up for re-election are John Cherry in Queensland and Brian Greig in Western Australia. The party also wants to capture the seats held by Lees and One Nation's Len Harris.

Bartlett said the Democrats would push for fairness in industrial relations and on economic issues and to protect people's freedoms.

The party's campaign slogan is "The Lie Detectors".

Source: Sydney Morning Herald

Further information: election 2004

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