microparty

{{Short description|Term for a small political party}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

Microparty, micro-party, or micro party is a term, sometimes pejorative, for a small political party that does not attract enough votes to be elected to a legislature in its own right.{{Citation|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-09/possible-senators-played-by-the-rules/4947022|title=Micro party Senate hopefuls defend their legitimacy amid electoral reform push|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|date=2013-09-09|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2017-03-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170323133944/http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-09/possible-senators-played-by-the-rules/4947022|url-status=live}}{{Citation|url=https://www.sbs.com.au/news/anti-muslim-anti-vaxxers-and-pro-men-your-guide-to-the-new-micro-parties|title=Anti-Muslim, anti-vaxxers and pro-men: Your guide to the new micro parties|author=Rosemary Bolger|publisher=Special Broadcasting Service|date=2019-04-29|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2020-08-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200812214230/https://www.sbs.com.au/news/anti-muslim-anti-vaxxers-and-pro-men-your-guide-to-the-new-micro-parties|url-status=live}}{{Citation|url=https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-does-the-senate-voting-system-work-17768|publisher=The Conversation|author=Stephen Morey|title=Explainer: How does the Senate voting system work?|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2021-03-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210303100905/https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-does-the-senate-voting-system-work-17768|url-status=live}} The term is most commonly used in Australia where the combination of single transferable vote (also known as preferential or alternative voting) and group voting tickets enabled microparties to direct preferences to each other, so that one of them could well be elected even when each party individually attracted very few primary votes.{{Citation|url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/why-you-should-vote-below-the-line-today-20181123-p50i0a.html|publisher=The Age|date=2018-11-24|title=Why You Should Vote Below the Line Today|access-date=2021-03-06|archive-date=2020-11-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108220103/https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/why-you-should-vote-below-the-line-today-20181123-p50i0a.html|url-status=live}}

History and background

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}}

= Group voting tickets =

{{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.

= Minor Party Alliance =

{{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}}

List of successful microparty candidates

{{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%.

class="wikitable sortable"
Name

! Party

! Year

! Legislature

! Primary vote

Malcolm JonesOutdoor Recreation Party1999NSW0.19%
Peter BreenReform the Legal System1999NSW1.00%
Steve FieldingFamily First2004Senate1.9%
Wayne Dropulich{{Efn|Although Dropulich was elected upon a recount of ballots, the Western Australian Senate election results were declared void and re-run in 2014. Dropulich did not win a seat.}}Australian Sports Party2013Senate0.02%
Ricky MuirAustralian Motoring Enthusiast Party2013Senate0.51%
James PurcellVote 1 Local Jobs2014Victoria1.26%
Rod BartonTransport Matters Party2018Victoria0.62%
Clifford HayesSustainable Australia2018Victoria1.26%
David LimbrickLiberal Democratic Party2018Victoria0.84%{{cite web |title=2018 State election results |url=https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/results/state-election-results/2018-state-election |website=Victorian Electoral Commission |access-date=2022-06-04}}
Wilson Tucker

|Daylight Saving Party

|2021

|WA

|0.18%

Notes

{{Notelist}}

References

{{Reflist}}

{{Australian political parties}}

Category:Political parties in Australia