Wiseman, John James; Application for an inquiry into an election for Offices in the Professional Radio & Electronics Institute of Australia

[1978] FCA 110

> 'J,

- -78 Wl5.

O R D F R

. .

This i s an illqult-y pursuant t o P a r t IY. of t h e

Conc?.li:\Ljorl - anc! A T P L L C Z ~ I 011 AcL 1904 ( t h e Act) I n r e spec t

of an e l e c t i o n !:hlzh 1;3.c, concluded i n F e b r u r y 1978 i n the

ProfFssional R-dio 2nd E l e c t r o n i c s I n s t i t u t e of Aus tralazL::, an

organlzat ion of employees r eg i s t e red unddr t he Act, i n r c s p c c t of

t h e p o s i t l o m of thrce Vi.ce-Fresldents a d s i x mt.n~Sers of wh?t

is known 2s t h e Govc!rnln& Ccuncll (Znrinc C3uncIllcre).

As a rcsul-l; of t h c e l c c t i o n for P res idcn t , Mr. E l l i s xas

e lec ted , and as a r e s u l t of the e lecTlon f o r Senlor Vice-E'residcct

Mr. W i t c was e l cc t ed .

Mr. Ainsuorth	192
Mr. Kenny	100

Mr. Rogers 95

Mr. Wisemnn	I	58
Inf o r m l	79

Mr. Ainswortil 71 1

Mr. I<enn?;l 746

Mr. Hogers	733
Mr. Wlsenan	364

Tota l : 2554

The va l id1 Ly of the zethod zdop l?? by t h e P p I L t y P.c!tLxLnt;

Of f l cc r 1s challenged on behalf of h . Wisman. Its correct;r.tss

depecds upon the ru l e s o f t he Union In p a r i l c u l a r r.61 t:hlch 1s

in the fo l lo l r inG term: :-

I th ink t ha t such a €oundztion i s t o be fouvd I n the

.

C o r i s i d e r a t l o n t h a t m l e s s t h i s 1 s donc it 1:3y v c l l be t h a r the

1

same p,erson o r persons may be e l e c t c d P1*.-si&l:t o r S e n l o r 'ILce-

Presidcnt end a l s o Vlc(?-Prusidm:nt o r

An cxaminetion of t h e lu1c.s

person may n o t be both President and

r.30). It 1s c l e a r a l s o t h a t a P r e s i d m t , Senlor VLce-Pm:;ider,t

o r a Vice-Presidnnt should n o t bte e l e c t e d 2 Karinp Couscil lor

because such a person 1s a m e n h r o f the Xarlne Cou:lcll by

v i r t u e o f h i s o f f i c e . (See r.35 ( c ) ) . In edtii t lon i s

reasonable to imply, by v i r tue mi re ly o f t h c r e l a t i v e seniority

of' i ne o f i l c c s the m b J e c t 01 t h e r e l e v m t c l e c t l o n , t h a t it 1s

t h e intention o f t h e r u l e s t h a t t h e d u t i e s o f the Retvmlng

Off icer i n the e lec t icn should be cal--.led out In an c rder rc f i (2c t lng

t h e s e n i o r i t y of the off lccs concerned (see also rr. 52 and 53).

Accordingly, it i s my mew t h a t no i r r e p l a r l t l ; h= been

shown	in the conduct	o f	the e l lec t lons coxer f ied .
l I -
l

of r.61. It i s t o be observed that r.61 ( c ) p rov ides t ha t 1;hcre there

a re seve ra l vacanc le s t he nei::ber ~ 5hlll vote f o r " the exac t

nurnSer required" snd shall 1nd1.cate 111s prcfcrfince by 1nser.tlnG

the numcrals 'l , 2 ,3 e t c . i n the squares OppOClte the names of t h e

candidatzs i n the o rder of hls prefercncc. It 1s t o be observed

a l s o tha t a l thouzh the rule r zqu i r e s t he vo te r t o vo tc l l f a r t he

exac t number requl rcd"1t a l s o r e q i u r e s h l n t o c a s t F r e f c r m c e

votes i n r e spec t of all t h e c m d l d i t c s no m<? t t e r ho:r ~na:~y t h e r e

a x . It follows t h a t , i n a case In r h i c h , s ~ y , t h r e e c m d l d d t e s

a r e t o be e l ec t ed , t he vo te r has vo-lcd 2nd expressed 111s preft;-cnc;.,

perhaps d o m t o 1 0 t h o r 20th) he must be ccnsidercd as havlng

voted f o r th2 exact number r e q u l r e d m t h l n t h e meanmg of r . 6 1 ( c ) .

The only way he can be s o considered 1s by treating hls f i rs t

t h r e e p r e f e r e n c e s a s v o t e s f o r t h e c z n d i d a t e s f c r .,/horn they were

c a s t . It 1s i n e v i t a b l e t h a t t h e r u l e be read 2s though It s a i d

t h a t t h e v o t e s c a s t on each bz l lo t paper exprezsing an order of

preference wi th respec t t o a l l candidatcs should be effective vcltes

f o r the th ree candida tes who, accordJ.ng t o t h e o r d e r of preTercme

expressed on t h e b a l l o t p a p e r , r x k e d i l i g h e r t h m the o thc r

candidates . So understood t h e r e 1s a r a t lona l s ense i n which

those votes f o r each of thos? three candldatcs a re flprl:!!alyll

vo tes wi th in the meanlng of r.61 (d).