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

The government will be opposing these amendments as currently written. The first of these amendments would have the effect of removing the savings provisions for above-the-line voting by removing sections 269(1) and 269(1)(a) of the bill. This would render any vote with fewer than six sequentially numbered boxes informal, and that is completely contrary to the intent that the government are pursuing with our reforms. We do believe it is important, of course, to support the franchise and to err on the side of counting as many votes as possible where the voter intent is clear.