Victoria ends group voting tickets, handing preference control to voters

Victoria's upper house voted 33–4 on 11 August 2026 to scrap group voting tickets — a system where parties directed voters' lower preferences. Voters must now number at least five parties themselves. Analyst Antony Green says the old rules let roughly 20 candidates win seats in a decade with under 6% of the vote. The change applies to November's state election.