Victoria is the only state in Australia where, if you vote above the line, like over 90% of Victorians do, you don’t get to choose your own preferences in the upper house – political parties decide for you.
Some particularly bad actors manipulate this system, charging want-to-be-politicians and major parties up to $55 thousand dollars to make micro-parties and arrange preference deals, getting their clients elected on as little as 0.6% of the vote.
This corrupt system has been abolished everywhere else in Australia, and multiple Victorian inquiries have said it’s bad for democracy and should be reformed.
We have an election in Victoria next year, and the Greens want to see every Victorian have full control of their vote. That’s why we introduced a Bill to parliament, getting rid of this outdated system, and giving you your vote back.
But Labor voted against our Bill, choosing instead to maintain control of your preference votes, and dictate the makeup of our next Parliament.
Victoria’s voting system needs to be updated before the next election. The Greens won’t sit back and let another election go by with this corrupt system.
Ahead of the 2018 and 2022 state elections, Glenn Druery, known as the Preference Whisperer, arranged microparties into preference-swapping cartels, in exchange for money. Successful candidates paid him 50-60 thousand dollars.
Labor must commit to electoral reform now so that we don’t see a repeat of the seats for cash scandal, which has put people into the upper house on as little as 0.6% of the vote.
The undemocratic system leaves many Victorians completely unaware of who they’re voting for in the Upper House and must be reformed before people go to the polls in 2026.
Group voting tricks voters into electing parties they haven’t heard of and may not support, ahead of candidates with a larger vote, leaving Victoria with an unrepresentative upper house. Before this system was scrapped in the WA, a candidate was elected to Parliament with just 98 votes!
Upper house politicians elected by group voting are more accountable to the backroom preference dealer who took their money than they are to voters.
Our Parliament should reflect and authentically represent the people of Victoria, not be a reflection of backroom deals between parties.
