Faith, Conscience and Legislation (Australia‪)‬

I INTRODUCTION Conscience votes are, depending upon whom one talks to, either an example of our democratic processes at their best or a blight on our liberal democratic polity. Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, David Lange, held the latter point of view. Lange described the outcome of conscience votes as 'a shambles, a kind of legislative lottery in which consistency is the first casualty'. (1) One can understand why politicians in Westminster democracies, being concerned first and foremost with their ability to implement their party platforms when in office, would take this attitude. One can also understand why some in the wider community, believing that they voted for a candidate on the basis of that candidate's identification with a particular party platform, object to conscience votes on the basis that a legislator is free to bring religious and other personal convictions to bear upon the matter before Parliament.