Minor Party Alliance
The Minor Party Alliance (MPA) is a collaborative undertaking of small Australian political parties, created by Glenn Druery's "Independent Liaison" business, which assists in organising preference meetings and negotiating preference flows between minor parties (often referred to as micro-parties) in Australia.[1][2] The aim of the Alliance is the election of Alliance candidates to Australian upper houses based upon the accumulation of their primary votes and the registered "above-the-line" party preferences to reach an electoral quota. For the Australian Senate, the quota for a half-Senate election in each State is normally 14.3%. The MPA effectively aims to "game the electoral system", an act it believes to be justified, based upon their perception that the Australian electoral system is unfair and heavily biased against minor parties.
Known as the preference whisperer of Australian politics,[3][1] Druery's Minor Party Alliance was behind the 2013 federal election preference deal successes which resulted in Wayne Dropulich of the Sports Party being elected in Western Australia on a primary vote of 0.2%, Ricky Muir of the Motoring Enthusiasts Party being elected in Victoria on a primary vote of 0.5% and Bob Day of the Family First Party being elected on a primary vote of 3.8% in South Australia.[4][5] However, the Western Australian result was later declared void (for unrelated reasons), necessitating a further election at which the Sports Party candidate was unsuccessful. The fifth Senators in the other States were Dio Wang in Western Australia, Glenn Lazarus in Queensland and Jacqui Lambie in Tasmania, all from the Palmer United Party, and David Leyonhjelm of the Liberal Democratic Party elected with a primary vote of 9.5% in New South Wales.
Muir's primary vote was 0.5% and achieved the 14.3% quota from 23 "above the line" party preferences: Bank Reform Party, Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party, HEMP Party, Shooters and Fishers, Australian Stable Population Party, Senator Online, Building Australia Party, Family First Party, Bullet Train For Australia, Rise Up Australia Party, No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics, Citizens Electoral Council, Palmer United Party, Democratic Labour Party, Katter's Australian Party, Socialist Equality Party, Australian Sex Party, Australian Voice Party, Wikileaks Party, Drug Law Reform, Stop CSG, Animal Justice Party, and the Australian Independents Party.[6][7]
Day's primary vote was 3.8% (down 0.3% since the previous election),[8] and achieved the 14.3% quota from 19 "above the line" party preferences: Australian Independents Party, Australian Stable Population Party, Liberal Democratic Party, Smokers' Rights Party, No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics, Building Australia Party, Rise Up Australia Party, Katter's Australian Party, One Nation, Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party, Australian Christians, Shooters and Fishers, Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party, Democratic Labour Party, Animal Justice Party, Australian Greens, Palmer United Party, HEMP Party, Australian Labor Party.[9]
Druery also helped the Shooters and Fishers Party, Family First Party and the Fishing and Lifestyle Party. After the 2013 federal election Druery was hired by the newly elected Motor Enthusiast Party Senator Ricky Muir as Chief of Staff, but later parted company with Muir.[10]
The success of the Alliance in getting a number of minor party candidates elected at the 2013 federal election led to changes in time for the 2016 federal election in the voting system for the Senate designed to prevent a repeat of the 2013 preference deals.
Druery initiated the MPA at the New South Wales state election, 1999 and his then untested theories elected three people: Peter Wong from Unity, Peter Breen from Reform the Legal System and Malcolm Jones from the Outdoor Recreation Party.[11][12]
Members
The Minor Party Alliance has involved more than 30 minor parties:[2][13]
- Animal Justice Party
- Australia First Party
- Australian Christians
- Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party
- Australian Sex Party
- Australian Stable Population Party
- Bullet Train For Australia
- Christian Democratic Party
- Drug Law Reform Australia
- Family First Party
- HEMP Party
- Natural Medicine Party
- Non-Custodial Parents Party
- One Nation
- Rise Up Australia Party
- Senator Online
- Shooters and Fishers Party
- Stop CSG Party
- Voluntary Euthanasia Party
Former parties
- The Wikileaks Party
- Australian Sports Party
- Australian Democrats
- Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party
- Australian Independents
- Australian Protectionist Party
- Australian Voice Party
- Building Australia Party
- Mutual Party
- No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics
- Uniting Australia Party
References
- 1 2 Preference whisperer goes fishin’ in SA: InDaily 21 February 2014
- 1 2 Bitter dispute erupts over Senate preferences in Queensland: ABC 5 September 2013
- ↑ Federal Election 2013: issues, dynamics, outcomes: APH 22 January 2014
- ↑ South Australia 2013 Senate results and preference flows: ABC
- ↑ Micro-manager behind independents: SMH 10 September 2013
- ↑ Victorian 2013 Senate results and preference flows: ABC
- ↑ The Preference Deals behind the Strange Election of Ricky Muir and Wayne Dropulich: Antony Green ABC 13 September 2013
- ↑ 2013 SA Senate results: AEC
- ↑ 2013 SA Senate results and preference flows: ABC
- ↑ Senator Ricky Muir sacks chief of staff Glenn Druery
- ↑ Senate voting inquiry prompted by Glenn Druery's election tactics could put end to preference trading: ABC 31 March 2014
- ↑ Promoting people power or gaming the system? Meet 'the preference whisperer': ABC 31 March 2014
- ↑ Alliance of micro parties boosts odds for likes of One Nation or Shooters and Fishers gaining Senate spot through preferences: Daily Telegraph 5 September 2013