‘Laughable’ Greens motion to change the Group Working Ticket, receives no support in Upper House

Earlier this month the Leader of the Victorian Greens, Samantha Ratnam, put forward a motion to change the way that Victorian Parliament’s Legislative Council (aka Upper House) is elected.

The motion received only one vote in favour, by Dr Ratnam herself.

The Group Voting Ticket (GVT), as part of the 2006 reforms, makes it difficult for a single party to have control of the Upper House and diversifies the political party pool to better represent Victorians as a whole.

​“This means that if your chosen candidate does not get the numbers, your vote won’t end there. You can choose whom the vote goes to after that, or you can let the candidate decide for you,” says Rod Barton, Transport Matters Party Leader.

Mr Barton believes the Greens attempt to get rid of the GVT is not only hypocritical but also stems from pure self-interest.

“You need only look at this motion to see the Greens’ true priorities. Ms Ratnam can bring only two motions to parliament this year. She has chosen, that rather than uplift the vulnerable, free refugees or mitigate climate change, that she would rather waste a whole motion attempting to distort our democracy.”

“I wear my vote as a badge of honour,” says Rod. “The Group Voting Ticket is for the little guy, it is the check and balance that corrects the super-planners and bureaucrats, and I will continue to perform this role with pride, respect and humility.”

Mr Barton, along with other members of the crossbench, also pointed to the fact that when the Greens had five members elected to the Upper House in 2014, they did not think the system worth changing then.

It is not surprising that not one other member of the Upper House supported this motion. Even the government recognises the importance of the crossbench in providing robust debate and better policy outcomes.

Mr Barton will continue to fight for the little guy, hold the government to account, and it should be noted that 22.1% of Victorians did not vote for the major parties in Victoria in 2018.

More news in our May 2021 Edition here.