Minor Party Alliance | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation |
|
| Founder | Glenn Druery |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Victorian Legislative Council | 2 / 40
|
The Minor Party Alliance (MPA), also known simply as the Alliance, is an alliance of small Australian political parties, currently active in Victorian state politics.[1][2] It was created by Glenn Druery's "Independent Liaison" business, which assists in organising preference meetings and negotiating preference flows between minor parties (also referred to as micro-parties).[3][4]
The aim of the MPA is the election of its candidates to Australian upper houses, based upon the accumulation of their primary votes and the registered "above-the-line" (or "group voting ticket") party preferences to reach an electoral quota.[5] The MPA effectively aims to "game" the electoral system, an act it believes to be justified, based upon their perception that the Australian electoral system is unfair and heavily biased against minor parties.[6][7]
Since 2016, group voting tickets are no longer used in Senate elections.[8] As of 2025, the Victorian Legislative Council is the only state parliamentary chamber that uses the system, and two parties with seats in the Legislative Council are members of the Alliance.[9][10]
- ^ Wood, Alicia (5 September 2013). "Alliance of micro parties boosts odds for likes of One Nation or Shooters and Fishers gaining Senate spot through preferences". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 14 June 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ Purtill, James (7 March 2016). "Inside the meeting of minor parties facing annihilation and plotting revenge". abc.net.au. Hack. Archived from the original on 16 April 2022.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
indailywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Bormann, Trevor (6 September 2013). "Bitter dispute erupts over Senate preferences in Queensland". ABC News. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 20 February 2025.
- ^ "Senate reform: Electoral laws passed after marathon Parliament sitting". abc.net.au. 18 March 2016. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
- ^ Millar, Royce (7 November 2018). "Preference whisperer Glenn Druery faces police probe". The Age. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ Millar, Royce (24 October 2018). "Derryn Hinch's preference whisperer faces cash-for-votes complaint". The Age. Retrieved 11 November 2018.
- ^ Raue, Ben (14 November 2022). "Group voting tickets released – a story of three blocs". The Tally Room. Archived from the original on 18 January 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ "Group Ticket Voting in the Victorian State Election – Whose Preference is it?". University of Melbourne Student Union. 20 November 2022. Archived from the original on 24 July 2024. Retrieved 19 February 2025.
- ^ Bonham, Kevin (19 June 2023). "Submission to the Victorian Electoral Matters Committee Inquiry into the 2022 Victorian State Election" (PDF). Parliament of Victoria. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2025. Retrieved 19 February 2025.