Member for Mount Gambier Troy Bell yesterday threw his support behind a push to recall State Parliament before the March 19 State Election.

The Independent MP joined 25 Lower House Labor and fellow Independent MPs in parliament to support the passing of the Electoral (Assisted Voting) Bill 2022 through the Upper House. 

Mr Bell said “public interest” legislation was at the heart of his support of the Upper House push to recall State Parliament before the election.  

The Bill allows any person subject to a direction under the Emergency Management Act 2004 the right to vote by telephone, potentially affecting thousands of South Australians isolating due to COVID-19 or close contact requirements. 

Mr Bell said he fully supported the Bill as it affected the rights of South Australians to vote.  

“People should not be denied the right to vote due to party politics over the pandemic and a police commissioner should never have the powers to exclude people from their democratic right to vote,” he said. 

“The Bill just expands the current process which is already used for vision impaired people, who are able to vote by telephone, so the mechanisms are already in place.  

“Even South Australians working on Antarctica can vote by telephone so why should not people forced into isolation have the same right?” 

However, the Bill cannot pass both Houses and become law as State Premier Steven Marshall has refused calls for the Lower House to sit before the election. 

Mr Bell said party politics should not come into play on such an important issue. 

“This Bill will only assist these people who are in isolation during the final 72 hours before the closing of the polls,” he said.  

“It would come into effect after postal voting closed at 6pm on Wednesday before polling day and is limited to those people in mandatory isolation due to a positive COVID result or deemed a close contact, which would prevent them leaving their house to vote. 

“The Bill also sets limits on who can access the service and is restricted to those that would not otherwise be able to vote in the upcoming election.”