Changes to the way senators are elected will put power back into the hands of voters and end backroom preference deals, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says. The government is rushing legislation into parliament on Monday that will allow voters to cast preferences above the line on Senate ballot papers. Voters now can only validly put a "1" in a box, with preferences flowing via a group voting ticket lodged by a candidate or party. These preference flows are determined by deals done between parties and, in more recent times, so-called preference whisperers working with micro-parties.
Changes to the way senators are elected will put power back into the hands of voters and end backroom preference deals, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull says. The government is rushing legislation into parliament on Monday that will allow voters to cast preferences above the line on Senate ballot papers. Voters now can only validly put a "1" in a box, with preferences flowing via a group voting ticket lodged by a candidate or party. These preference flows are determined by deals done between parties and, in more recent times, so-called preference whisperers working with micro-parties.
