Voters chasing fix

Locking in four-year terms on agenda

ONLY one in five Australians support the current system of governments calling elections amid growing momentum for fixed four-year federal parliamentary terms.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull is set to hold talks with Bill Shorten about the Opposition Leader’s push to fix the date of the federal election after the pair spoke briefly at the weekend.

A poll of 1228 Australians, conducted in March, found 22 per cent of voters would prefer fixed four-year terms. It was the most popular option in the JWS Research survey – 20 per cent back the current system of three-year terms with the date set by the government.

About 16 per cent of people did not have a preference for how long parliamentary terms lasted. Voters were also happy to stand by their choice of fixed four-year terms for MPs even if Senate terms were extended to eight years.

The political rivals spoke on Sunday after Mr Shorten said the current system – in which the average life of a government is 2½ years – was “out of whack” and “so short-term”.

News Corp understands Mr Turnbull showed a willingness to back the change, but stopped short of offering bipartisan support.

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister said the Labor leader had told Mr Turnbull his suggestion was a reference to “existing Labor policy”.

“The two agreed to discuss the matter further when they next meet,” the spokeswoman said.

Creating fixed four-year terms – which is already standard in every state – would require a referendum.

Both sides of politics have said they would need to work together for it to succeed.

Treasurer Scott Morrison played partisan politics, insisting it’s not a top priority for the Coalition.

“I don’t think Bill Shorten should be given three years let alone four,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce, previously a senator, is open to the idea, which he says has been knocking around for a while.

Asked whether an eightyear term in the upper house would be too long, he told reporters in Canberra: “I was there for eight years, seven months and a day. What do you reckon?”