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

The government will not be supporting these amendments. They are, in fact, inconsistent with amendments that the Senate has already passed earlier during this debate. With these amendments Senator Muir seeks to introduce optional preferential voting below the line with at least 15 boxes to be numbered, while removing savings provisions without replacing them with new savings provisions. These amendments also have inconsistencies with sheets 7878 and 7874. This sheet may be superseded by either or both of them.

The reason the government has decided to introduce optional preferential voting below the line, with guidance to voters to number at least 12 boxes 1 to 12, responding to the relevant recommendation of the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters, is because a Senate group which is entitled to have a box above the line must have at least two candidates. To mark votes in at least six boxes above the line equates to marking at least 12 candidates below the line. That is the reason that the government has chosen 12 for the number of boxes to be marked below the line.