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The Age reports that the Vic govt is planning to abolish group voting tickets, at essentially the last minute before the election. Vic is the last place in the country still using this system in its upper house.

group voting tickets put significant power over who wins election in the hands of backroom operators and party negotiators They encourage games that are ultimately designed to deceive voters.  And we’ve see a flood of new parties trying to join the fray in this election

There’s the ‘Climate Action Now’ party, launched by Monica Smit, the founder of anti-vaccine and anti-lockdown group Reignite Democracy Australia.    Her brother Daniel Smit leads the “I’m Voting To Avoid The Fine” party Both want to send preferences to parties like One Nation

The Fusion Party – with its platform of “confronting the climate emergency and reversing global warming” – has applied for registration and wants to use the name of Monica Smit’s group “Reignite Democracy” on November’s ballot

There’s an application for “The Republican Make Australia Great Again” party. Several parties are changing their ballot name: the Freedom Party wants to be called “Safety Victoria - Violent Crime Prevention”, the New Democrats want “Put Australia First, Save the Environment”

The party “End Mass Immigration – Reform AU”, which last year was called the “Companion and Pets Party”, now wants to be displayed on the ballot as the “Christian Alliance Party”.