Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens will not be supporting these amendments. I just want to comment on a couple of aspects of them. They do try to repeal the formal vote savings provisions for below-the-line voting. Savings provisions are a very essential part of these reforms, and we need to retain them as they are set out.

With regard to some of the comments from Senator Collins, again she is misrepresenting how this bill would work. It is not optional preferential voting that would result in a first-past-the-post system. There will be clear instructions—and this has been set out and explained many times when Senator Collins has been in the chamber—that voters will be required, and the instructions will be there on the ballot paper that they fill out, to fill out a minimum of one to six boxes above the line and one to 12 below the line. This is where Labor has done such a disservice to the crossbenchers and to the debate overall. Six boxes have to be filled in. There are not six major parties, so people filling them in will be voting for minor parties. We are directing preferences. The essence of the Senate voting reform legislation we are considering now will direct preferences to minor parties. Even if people vote for Labor, Liberal or the Nationals, there are three more boxes to fill in there. By saying this is a first-past-the-post system, Senator Collins is doing a huge disservice to the debate. Considering how often this is repeated, one has to think it is intentional. The amendments cannot be supported, but it would also be useful if Senator Collins started to be accurate when she speaks on these matters.