Nauru slashes huge fee for election candidates

Transcript

The Nauru Government has back pedalled on the prohibitive fees it had put in place for prospective election candidates.

The government had hiked the fee from AU$100 to $2000 but after a legal challenge by people wanting to stand in the election expected next month this has dropped to $500 dollars.

A former justice minister Mathew Batsiua, who is one of five suspended Opposition MPs, says the government has been forced into an embarrassing retreat.

MATHEW BATSIUA: The government backpedalled. In parliament, they amended the electoral act to revise down the fee from 2,000 to 500 [Australian] dollars. So it's a small victory, but it was a very determined effort on our part and the part of those who are fighting for fairness in Nauru because the fee was astonishingly high and many people would have been disadvantaged. So it was a great win, but more importantly a great day for democracy in Nauru. 

DON WISEMAN: Is there any way in which the government's tried to justify what it's been doing? 

MB: Look, when they introduced the $2,000 they were something they raised in parliament saying it's a justifiable fee just based on cost and what-have-you. But yesterday, when they backpedalled, they admitted that they did a review and the elecotral commission recommended that the cost that they introduced back in March was way too high and so the electoral commission came up with a more realistic amount of $500 and the government had to swallow a bitter pill and face the music yesterday and admit to the public that the fee that they initially introduced -- $2,000 -- despite what they said during the debate when they introduced that bill, was not comprehensive. It was done in a rushed fashion and it was not justified and so that caused us to move the lawsuit, to challenge the $2,000 fee and the outcome justified exactly what we were saying. 

DW: There was one prospective candidate who lost his job because he had spoken out about this and he says he should get his job back. That seems fair? 

MB: That's very fair. I mean, the grounds that he was terminated was because he was involved in this lawsuit and as we've seen over the past couple of years under this government, any sorts of dissent is quickly crushed. And so when he was found that he was filing this lawsuit and he spoke to the media about the lawsuit and why he was doing it he was quickly punished. So his position and his fight to challenge these unfair fees seems to have been vindicated, so he's got a very strong case and I think he's well justified to ask that the government apologise and reinstate him. 

DW: Having this reduction, what impact is that going to have on the numbers prepared to stand in the election? 

MB: Well I've already heard from people that it will encourage others to stand. They've spoken to more potential candidates who are now willing to stand because it's more affordable. So I wouldn't be surprised if there's an increase of candidates standing and challenging the government and putting up their hand to contest the elections as a direct result of the outcome.