microparty

Australian voters have historically elected independents and candidates from smaller parties to the Australian Senate and the upper houses of Australian states and territories.{{Citation|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/pops/Papers_on_Parliament_68/Small_Parties_Big_Changes_The_Evolution_of_Minor_Parties_Elected_to_the_Australian_Senate|title=Small Parties, Big Changes: The Evolution of Minor Parties Elected to the Australian Senate|author=Zareh Ghazarian|series=Papers On Parliament no. 68|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2019-05-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190519081021/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/pops/Papers_on_Parliament_68/Small_Parties_Big_Changes_The_Evolution_of_Minor_Parties_Elected_to_the_Australian_Senate|url-status=live}} For example, Brian Harradine was an independent Senator for Tasmania for thirty years from 1975 to 2005.{{Citation|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=6H4|title=Former Senator Brian Harradine|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2019-05-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190523225809/https://www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members/Parliamentarian?MPID=6H4|url-status=live}}

{{main|Group voting ticket}}

Upper house elections have attracted a large number of candidates, and until the 1980s voters had to number every box in sequence on a large ballot paper. It was difficult to complete successfully, and informal votes were commonly around ten percent.{{Citation|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-10/by-accident-rather-than-design---a-brief-history-of-the-senates-/9388610|title=By Accident Rather than Design - a Brief History of the Senate's Electoral System|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=2015-06-10|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2020-12-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201220090035/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-10/by-accident-rather-than-design---a-brief-history-of-the-senates-/9388610|url-status=live}}

The Hawke government introduced group voting tickets (GVTs) for the Senate 1984 election. Political parties submitted a complete ticket before the election, and voters simply wrote a 1 above the line to select that party's ticket.{{Citation|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-23/the-origin-of-senate-group-ticket-voting-and-it-didnt-come-from-/9388658|title=The Origin of Senate Group Ticket Voting, and it didn't come from the Major Parties|author=Antony Green|date=2015-09-23|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2021-02-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224224830/https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-23/the-origin-of-senate-group-ticket-voting-and-it-didnt-come-from-/9388658|url-status=live}} Once "above the line" voting was introduced, the vast majority of voters used it – usually around 95 percent.{{cite web |url=http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/glossary.htm |title=Glossary of Election Terms - Federal Election 2007 |publisher=ABC |access-date=2021-03-06 |archive-date=2021-03-06 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306034515/http://www.abc.net.au/elections/federal/2007/guide/glossary.htm |url-status=live }}{{Citation|url=https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/emc/2018_Election/Submissions/103._Antony_Green.pdf|author=Antony Green|title=Submission to the Victorian Parliament's Electoral Matters Committee Inquiry into the Conduct of the 2018 Victorian State Election}}{{Citation|url=http://www.prsa.org.au/history.htm#gvt|title=The growth and success of Proportional Representation using the Single Transferable Vote (PR-STV)|publisher=Proportional Representation Society of Australia|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2021-02-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210214040926/http://prsa.org.au/history.htm#gvt|url-status=live}}

Group voting meant political parties chose preferences, and not voters. The effect was to amplify the effectiveness of preference deals between parties. Instead of just giving guidance to their supporters in a how-to-vote card, they could control the allocation of preferences.

GVTs encouraged the formation of single-issue microparties, who harvested votes and then distributed preferences, often to destinations their voters might not have expected. As the number of microparties increased, the ballot paper got bigger and more daunting, increasing the likelihood that a voter would vote above the line.

{{See also|Minor Party Alliance}}

If all microparties preference each other despite policy differences, it becomes possible one of them will be elected, although which one can be hard to predict.

Glenn Druery, known as the "preference whisperer", organised the Minor Party Alliance, a network of microparties that agreed to preference each other. The alliance first operated in the 1999 New South Wales state election.{{Citation|url=https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/meeting-minor-parties-facing-annihilation-plotting-revenge/7224978|title=Inside the meeting of minor parties facing annihilation and plotting revenge|author=James Purtill|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=2016-03-07|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2020-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108100332/https://www.abc.net.au/triplej/programs/hack/meeting-minor-parties-facing-annihilation-plotting-revenge/7224978|url-status=live}}{{Citation|url=https://www.upstart.net.au/minor-party-alliance-far-from-united/|publisher=Upstart magazine|author=Matthew Elmas|title=Minor Party Alliance – far from united|date=2016-05-07|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2020-10-30|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030163252/https://www.upstart.net.au/minor-party-alliance-far-from-united/|url-status=live}} Wilson Tucker was elected in 2021 with 98 primary votes as a result of one of Druery's deals: it is believed to be the lowest primary vote for any candidate elected to an Australian parliament.{{Cite web|last=Ramsey|first=Michael|date=2021-04-30|title=Regions targeted in WA electoral reform|url=https://7news.com.au/politics/regions-targeted-in-wa-electoral-reform-c-2723189|access-date=2021-05-03|website=7NEWS.com.au|language=en}}

David Leyonhjelm was elected to the Australian Senate in 2014 as a candidate of the Liberal Democrats. He benefited from preferences from the Smokers' Rights Party, Outdoor Recreation Party and Republican Party of Australia; he was an official or adviser to all three.{{Citation|url=https://www.crikey.com.au/2013/08/22/revealed-the-libertarian-rights-micro-party-links/|title=Revealed: the libertarian Right's micro-party links|date=2013-08-22|publisher=Crikey|access-date=2021-03-08|archive-date=2020-11-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201117174315/https://www.crikey.com.au/2013/08/22/revealed-the-libertarian-rights-micro-party-links/|url-status=live}}{{Citation|url=https://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2013/12/12/micro-party-alliance-ailing-amid-tit-tat-infighting/|title=How a faulty fax machine threatens the micro-party alliance|author=Jackson Stiles|date=2013-12-12|publisher=The New Daily}}{{Citation|url=https://indaily.com.au/news/2013/12/03/accusations-fly-in-micro-party-stoush/|date=2013-12-03|author=Liam Mannix|title=Accusations Fly in Micro-party Stoush|publisher=IN Daily|access-date=2021-03-08|archive-date=2017-09-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170913184637/https://indaily.com.au/news/2013/12/03/accusations-fly-in-micro-party-stoush/|url-status=live}}

{{Hatnote|Minor Party Alliance contains a list of associated microparties.}}{{Incomplete list|date=March 2021}}

The following candidates have been elected to Australian legislatures from primary votes under 2%.

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Australian political parties}}

Category:Political parties in Australia