Senator Bob Day says he remains confident in his high-stakes challenge to new Senate voting laws, as the High Court begins deliberations on a case that could disrupt the Turnbull government’s plans for a July election. The Family First senator is arguing the new laws, passed after a marathon sitting of parliament in March, are unconstitutional, and will effectively disenfranchise millions of voters who don’t want to support major parties. The new voting system threatens to wipe out micro-parties, like Senator Day’s, which have traditionally relied on preferences to get them into the upper house, despite attracting only a fraction of the primary vote. The High Court challenge wrapped up just before midday on Tuesday, and the judges are expected to hand down a decision in coming weeks. The case comes at a critical time. If Senator Day manages to successfully argue new system is unconstitutional, it could jeopardise Malcolm Turnbull’s plans for a July 2 election.
Previously, voters could simply vote for one party above the line, and their preferences would flow according to preference deals made by that party. Voters could select individual candidates below the line to better control where their vote went, but, in doing so, they needed to number every single box on the ballot paper.
That usually meant numbering more than 100 boxes in many states, and statistics from the most recent South Australian election suggest voters could rarely be bothered. The new voting system tells voters to select at least six parties above the line. Below the line, voters are told to select at least their top 12 candidates.
Full Article: High Court hears Bob Day’s constitutional challenge to senate voting reforms.