Major parties team up to kill micro-parties in bid to make federal election voting fairer

FINALLY, there’s something the Liberals, Labor and the Greens can agree on — and it is likely to affect the outcome of future elections.

THE days of grappling with a metre-long ballot paper appear to be over, with the Coalition, Labor and the Greens agreeing to change voting rules to kill off the micro-parties once and for all.

The major parties and the Greens have joined forces to call for new laws to overhaul the senate voting system, which are likely to eliminate the plethora of wacky parties that usually fill up the ballot paper, such as Bullet Train for Australia, the Climate Sceptics and the Communist Alliance.

Although they have cross-party support, the measures could become a headache for Prime Minister Tony Abbott, with the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party threatening to hold the government to ransom over the issue.

Bit of a stretch … Electoral reforms could spell the end of the metre-long ballot paper.

WHAT ARE THE CHANGES?

A parliamentary committee has recommended three major reforms: making it more difficult to register a political party, prohibiting group ticket votes that enable parties to direct preferences, and allowing optional preferential voting.

Under the existing system, voters must put a “1” in only one box above the line, or fill in every box below the line. Only the keenest electors vote below the line due to the overwhelming number of candidates. The NSW senate paper at last year’s federal election, for example, had 110 in total.

The suggested changes would allow voters to cast preferences above the line and number up to six preferences below the line for a usual half-senate election.

The number of members needed to register a political party would rise from 500 to 1500.

The committee’s chairman, Liberal MP Tony Smith, said the changes would end the distortion in the voting system.

“This has been corroding democracy for a while,” he said.

WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?

At last year’s federal election, quirks in the electoral system meant small parties — including the Democratic Labor Party, Liberal Democratic Party and Family First — were able to secure seats by exploiting the flow of preferences.

Ricky Muir from the Australian Motorist Enthusiasts, for example, won a seat after securing only 0.51 per cent of the primary vote. The political novice is best known for a YouTube video that shows him throwing kangaroo poo at his brother.

Party spokesman Keith Littler defended the election of Mr Muir, whose support the government will rely on to pass bills from July 1.

“A quarter of voting Australians elected not to vote for a major party (at the last election) because they no longer trust or believe them,” Mr Littler said.

“The only reason they are making an effort to change it is because for the first time (the system) has really turned around and worked against them.”

RELATED: Australian Motoring Enthusiast hopeful Ricky Muir says he is ready for life as a politician in Canberra

Mr Littler said the changes were “very un-Australian and undemocratic”.

“Our position would be that if the government is so determined to gag the everyday Australian and to not represent them, we would have to consider very carefully how much support we give to the government,” Mr Little told news.com.au.

The changes are also likely to dent the influence of Australia’s newest political force, Clive Palmer’s Palmer United Party.

Reforms welcomed … ABC elections expert Antony Green. Picture: Jim Trifyllis

IS THIS A GOOD THING?

ABC election analyst Antony Green welcomed the proposed reforms and said they would be more representative.

“Under the existing system, parties with no support can receive preferences and deliver preferences,” he said.

Mr Green said voters would be unlikely to see the same array of micro-parties at the next election.

“They can all stand again but it’s a complete waste of time because none of them can get elected,” Mr Green said.

“It will reward parties that campaign for votes.”

He said it would likely see the Liberal Party claim three out of the six senate seats up for grabs in each state per election, with Labor and the Greens picking up the rest.

Originally published as Major parties team up to kill micro-parties in bid to make federal election voting fairer