The short version
- Victoria’s parliament voted 33 to four to eliminate group voting tickets for the upcoming November state election, requiring voters to manually rank at least five parties above the line.
- Microparty legislators who opposed the change argue it unfairly targets their electoral viability and should have been paired with a referendum on replacing regional districts with a single statewide electorate.
- Electoral analysts predict the reform will reduce the influence of backroom preference deals, potentially altering seat distributions for major parties while leaving One Nation’s strong primary vote largely unaffected.
Victoria has moved to eliminate the final vestige of group voting tickets in Australian upper houses, a legislative change that fundamentally alters how voters assign preferences in the state’s November election. The Victorian Legislative Council passed the electoral amendment bill with a decisive 33-to-4 vote, ending a system that allowed political parties to control the distribution of voter preferences once their primary candidates were eliminated from contention. Under the new rules, electors must manually number at least five parties above the line on the ballot paper in order of preference, shifting control of these critical votes from party officials back to individual citizens.
The reform targets a mechanism that has drawn sustained criticism from electoral experts for facilitating backroom negotiations between parties and enabling candidates with minimal primary support to secure seats. Analysts have long argued that the previous system distorted democratic representation by allowing small groups to leverage preference flows rather than broad voter appeal. In the decade preceding this change, approximately twenty candidates were elected with less than six percent of the primary vote, some securing positions with as little as one percent support. These outcomes were achieved through strategic preference deals that defeated candidates who garnered significantly more direct votes from the electorate.
The four legislators who voted against the measure represent parties that historically benefited from the group voting ticket system. Georgie Purcell of the Animal Justice Party, Rachel Payne of Legalise Cannabis, David Limbrick of the Libertarian Party, and Jeff Bourman of Shooters, Fishers and Farmers all opposed the bill. Their dissent highlights the immediate political stakes for minor party representatives who have relied on preference flows to maintain their parliamentary presence. Ben Raue, an electoral analyst, noted that these members will face significant challenges in retaining their seats under a system where voters dictate preference allocations rather than party agreements.
Despite the structural headwinds, several microparty members remain committed to contesting the upcoming election. Purcell acknowledged that the reforms significantly reduce her prospects for re-election but emphasized that her team remains dedicated to running a competitive campaign. Limbrick described his party as perennial underdogs, pointing to past electoral successes where they quadrupled their vote share despite being written off by observers. Payne and Limbrick both indicated they would support the abolition of group voting tickets only if it were accompanied by broader structural reforms, specifically the replacement of Victoria’s eight upper-house regions with a single statewide electorate.
The proposed alternative structure would lower the electoral quota substantially, from 16.7 percent to approximately 2.4 percent for four-year terms or 4.8 percent for eight-year terms. Such a shift would require a referendum, which the current government has not pursued. A parliamentary inquiry conducted last year recommended abolishing group voting tickets for the 2026 election while suggesting that broader structural reforms be put to a vote in 2028 or 2030. Critics of the current approach argue that the government waited until the eleventh hour to implement changes that silence diverse voices without addressing the underlying regional disparities in representation.
Payne characterized the reform as self-serving, arguing that it primarily benefits major political parties rather than strengthening democratic institutions. Limbrick echoed this sentiment, claiming the timing of the legislation was designed to disadvantage minor parties before they could adapt to a new electoral landscape. The opposition from these members underscores a broader tension in Australian politics regarding the balance between preventing preference manipulation and ensuring fair representation for smaller ideological groups. Without the safety net of controlled preferences, microparties must now compete directly for primary votes or secure explicit voter mandates for their preference allocations.
Electoral modeling suggests the new system will reshape the composition of the Legislative Council. Analysts project that the Coalition could win two seats in each region, while Labor’s performance may vary between one and two seats per region depending on local dynamics. The Greens are expected to secure up to six seats, potentially winning one in every metropolitan region and possibly one in regional areas. These projections indicate a more fragmented upper house where no single party is likely to command an outright majority, necessitating cross-bench negotiations regardless of which major party forms the government.
One Nation appears poised to maintain its strong position under the new rules, with analysts predicting eight or nine seats based on current polling levels around 20 percent of the primary vote. This resilience suggests that parties with substantial direct voter support will remain competitive even without the ability to manipulate preference flows. The abolition of group voting tickets marks a significant shift toward a system where electoral success is more directly tied to primary vote share and explicit voter preferences, reducing the leverage of minor parties in backroom deals while increasing the importance of broad-based campaigning.
Sources behind this briefing
Go to the original reporting
- The Guardian World↗Victorian microparty MPs including Georgie Purcell to face re-election struggle after group voting tickets abolished
