Let's keep MMP & make it even better.

August 21, 2010

If all the predictions are right, over one million people's votes for third parties in Australia will not count in today's election, Campaign for MMP said today.

One in ten Australians are likely to cast their votes for either Family First or the Greens today. Yet their votes won't help determine the final shape of the parliament.

"That is a remarkable statistic.  When third parties like Family First and the Australian Greens struggle to get a place in parliament despite having over one million votes between them we know that the system is deeply unfair," says Sandra Grey, spokesperson for the Campaign for MMP.

Australia uses a majority electoral system and the results mirror the 'winner takes all' approach New Zealanders rejected in favour of MMP.

The Australian preferential voting system is one of the non-proportional choices that will be offered to New Zealand voters in next year's referendum on MMP.

"Why would New Zealanders want to go back to a system where a large number of votes don't count in determining the parliament?"

People were bemused by the outcome of the British General Election which was seen as a nail in the coffin of the 'first past the post' system, she says.

"We will watch with interest tonight because what is on trial is not Gillard vs. Abbott but an unfair electoral system which dulls the voice of voters," says Sandra Grey.

The ABC is currently predicting that of the 150 seats in Australia's House of Representatives, only 3 will go to someone other than Coalition and Labor.

Sandra Grey says the predictions don't even look good when you add in the votes for the National Party in Australia who are likely to win around 10 seats as part of the Coalition.

"What we are likely to see then is 15% of voters putting their weight behind three significant third parties in Australia - the National Party, the Greens, and Family First - but being rewarded with only 8% of the seats in parliament," Sandra Grey says.