A Victorian government-led inquiry has recommended scrapping the state's group voting ticket system for the Legislative Council, labelling it 'undemocratic' and prone to manipulation. The electoral matters committee, chaired by Labor MP Luba Grigorovitch, said the system enables 'preference whispering' and should be replaced to align Victoria with all other Australian jurisdictions.
Victoria is the only Australian parliament still using group voting tickets, where voters who choose one party above the line have their preferences allocated by the party. Only 9.4% of voters opted to vote below the line at the 2022 election, where they could list their own preferences. The committee argued that the system can result in votes being distributed in ways voters do not expect, leading to distrust.
The report highlighted the 2018 election, where candidates such as Rod Barton of the Transport Matters party and Clifford Hayes of Sustainable Australia won upper house seats with less than 1.3% of first-preference votes, aided by preference whisperer Glenn Druery. Druery's deals also helped elect Shooters, Fishers and Farmers MP Jeff Bourman and benefited Animal Justice party candidate Georgie Purcell.
During the 2022 campaign, leaked videos showed Druery claiming Labor had avoided reforming the system because he could help 'keep the Greens at bay'. Druery later denied any deals with Labor. The Greens integrity spokesperson, Tim Read, welcomed the recommendation, saying group voting 'tricks voters into electing parties they haven’t heard of'.
The committee recommended moving to a system similar to the federal Senate, where voters can indicate multiple preferences above the line, but said any reform should be subject to a separate inquiry.
