Queensland Democrat Senator Andrew Bartlett has called for conscience votes to become a regular feature in Australia’s Parliaments. 

“The current debate on stem cell research in Queensland Parliament is a strong reminder that politicians put much more thought into their votes on legislation when they have the freedom – and the responsibility – to use their conscience,” Senator Bartlett said. 

“It is ridiculous that there are only one or two issues every few years where a politician is able to say ‘I cannot in conscience vote for this legislation’.” 

“We all know that politicians regularly vote for legislation they are personally opposed to – and vice versa.” “The absurdly rigid party discipline which applies in Australia’s Parliaments acts to reduce the diversity of ideas and encourages the short-term interests of political parties to take precedence over better quality laws.”  

“Nobody is suggesting we should have a Parliament where people vote all over the place on every single matter, but politicians should have the freedom, and responsibility, to vote differently to the party line whenever they have strongly held views to the contrary.” 

“A political system which virtually prohibits people from voting according to their conscience actually absolves politicians from individual responsibility for their actions,” Senator Bartlett concluded. 

Senator Bartlett was responsible for moving the amendment which prohibits the use of animal eggs in human cloning for stem cell research. He has voted differently from his Democrat Senate colleagues on a range of issues over his ten years in the Senate.