Senator the Hon Mathias Cormann

The Government welcomes the High Court’s decision to confirm the constitutional validity of our Senate voting reforms.

Our Senate voting reforms empower voters to determine what happens to their preferences when voting for the Senate above or below the line and as such help ensure that the Senate result reflects the will of voters.

Indeed, our Senate voting reforms brought to an end the days of political parties controlling preference flows for voters voting for the Senate above the line.

As a result of our reforms individual voters now have complete control of how their preferences are allocated.

The Australian Electoral Commission is currently running a public information campaign to ensure the changed Senate voting arrangements are well understood by voters.

Australians are entitled to expect that the Senate election result reflects their intentions as expressed at the ballot box. Our Senate voting reforms ensure that happens.