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Labor backs Lib call for electoral reform

The Senate voting system could be changed in future, with Labor backing a Liberal party call for change.

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Source: AAP


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Labor has backed a call by the Liberal Party to examine changes to the way the Senate is elected.

The parliament's joint standing committee on electoral matters has been asked by Special Minister of State Michael Ronaldson to review the operation of the 2013 federal election.

It is almost three decades since the last major change to the Senate voting system.

Liberal federal director Brian Loughnane last week called for a fresh look at the system because of the "confusion" caused by the growing number of candidates, the size of Senate ballot papers, similarly-named political parties and the rise of micro parties doing "commercial" deals to secure preferences.

Mr Loughnane said laws governing enrolment and voter identification should also be looked at.

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Labor national secretary George Wright said on Tuesday he supported the committee's review of the election and especially the Senate voting system.

"I think even some of the (micro party) senators who were elected would find it hard to argue that that was the express intention of voters," Mr Wright said.

"In terms of bipartisanship about that issue ... I absolutely support that."

The Senate ballot paper for NSW was over a metre wide and included the names of 110 candidates.


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