The Labor powerbroker Sam Dastyari has spoken publicly on the split within the party over changes to how the Senate is elected that would lock out some minor parties.
Dastyari, leader of the right faction and former secretary of the New South Wales branch of the ALP, has told the Australian newspaper that the measures would result in a more conservative upper house.
“It would be complete madness for Labor to support any proposal that would risk forever preventing a progressive Senate. I can’t see Labor doing that,” Dastyari said. “Frankly I can’t find a single Labor senator that supports any of this.”
The government has started informal consultations on the changes, which would scrap group ticket voting and introduce optional preferential above the line voting for the Senate. The measures could wipe out micro-parties that have members elected to the upper house following preference deals.
A cross-party parliamentary group recommended the changes in an interim report issued last year. Labor and the Greens backed the findings.
“Combined with pliable and porous party registration rules, the system of voting for a single party above the line and delegating the distribution of preferences to that party, delivered in some cases, outcomes that distorted the will of the voter,” committee chair Tony Smith said.
“The Australian Motoring Enthusiast party received just 0.51% of the primary vote, but their candidate was elected to the Senate through ‘gaming’ the system. Clearly, given the circumstances, this election did not represent the genuine will of the voters.
“It is critically important that the parliament considers these recommendations for reform – and legislation to enshrine them into electoral law – as a very high priority,” Smith said.
Some key Labor figures in the House of Representatives remain staunchly committed to the reforms.
“It would be a travesty for Australian democracy if these careful and thought-through reforms were not in place in time for the next federal election,” said the shadow resources minister, Gary Gray.
“These reforms will significantly strengthen our democratic process by reducing the capacity for manipulation and increasing transparency in our electoral system, which, despite these concerns, still remains among the most stable and effective in the world.”
But Labor Senate leaders, including Dastyari, the Senate opposition leader, Penny Wong, and the deputy leader, Stephen Conroy, are opposed to the changes.
Dastyari said the Greens should also reconsider its support of the changes.
“If the Greens want to sign their own suicide note and do a deal with the Liberals, good luck to them,” Dastyari said. “Let’s see them explain to their supporters why they are prepared to give up control of the Senate for their own jobs.”
Other crossbenchers have indicated they will revolt if the Coalition pushes ahead with the changes, with six of the eight planning to co-sign a letter urging both major parties to reveal the extent of the changes.
The Liberal Democrat David Leyonhjelm told Guardian Australia that the crossbenchers may consider pulling support for government legislation if the proposed changes go ahead.
“If we see the government proceeding with laws to make it impossible for us to win any more seats then all cooperation is likely to cease,” Leyonhjelm said.
