Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Hansard source

The government will be opposing these amendments. The proposed amendment to enable individual candidates to have a square above the line is inconsistent with the intention of above-the-line voting. It relates to groups, not individuals. So the way it works and the way it has worked since 1984 is that, when voting above the line, you vote for parties or groups. When voting below the line, you vote for candidates.

The change that we are making will enable and empower people across Australia, when voting above the line for parties or groups, to determine where their preferences will go after they have indicated their primary preference for their first party of choice. That is a significant improvement to the current arrangement.

The amendments that Senator Muir is proposing would significantly increase the size of ballot papers, as every Independent or single-candidate party would seek to have a box above the line. These amendments are not consistent with any of the recommendations of the Joint standing Committee on Electoral Matters and the government will not support them.