Re-elected Xenophon urges Senate voting changes

Source: ABCNews

Re-elected independent Senator Nick Xenophon said changes to the Senate voting system were needed so the public could better understand preference flows.

Senator Xenophon outpolled Labor on first votes for the upper house, with the ALP expected to secure only one South Australian Senate position from the weekend ballot.

Three new micro-parties could have Senators in the new parliament.

Senator Xenophon said such parties secured a tiny portion of first-preference votes but benefited from complex preference deals.

“I think we actually need to look at whether the system can be made more transparent, whether the public can be better educated in terms of the way preferences work.

Clearly there is some scope for reform,” he said.

“But let’s not have any reform that’s tailored towards the major parties or even the big minor parties. I think we need to have a fair system in place that encourages diversity and democracy.”