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Turnbull Announces Senate Voting Reforms; Group Voting Tickets Abolished

Feb 22, 2016

Senate group voting tickets are to be abolished and optional preferential above the line voting is to be introduced, in electoral reforms announced today by Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

The reforms are the result of an agreement with the Australian Greens and independent Senator Nick Xenophon. The agreement guarantees 44 Senate votes to pass the legislation.

The key change is the abolition of Senate group voting tickets. This will mean that political parties will no longer control the direction of preferences cast by electors who vote above the line in the Senate. This eliminates the preference harvesting that has resulted in candidates with tiny first preference support being elected as the result of complex preference swaps. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2016 Federal Election, Audio, Electoral Reform, Electoral System, Greens, Liberal Party, Turnbull, Video Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Victorian Liberals Put The Greens Last As Labor Stitches Up A Deal

Nov 15, 2010

The Liberal Party in Victoria has decided to preference the ALP ahead of the Greens in all lower house seats in the November 27 election.

The decision dramatically reduces the chances of the Greens winning any of the inner-Melbourne electorates it had been favoured to capture. Without Liberal preferences, the Greens will struggle to capture Richmond, Brunswick or Northcote, although it may still be in with a good chance in Melbourne.

A minority government following the election is now much less likely.

The Labor Party has chosen to preference the Greens in all Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council districts. The Greens have agreed to give preferences to Labor in most of the key marginal seats. [Read more…]

Filed Under: A.L.P., Elections, Greens, Liberal Party, Political Parties, The Nationals, VIC Tagged With: , , ,