New Voting Requirements and Ballot Grouping for Council Elections
Electoral Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill 2026
Legislative Assembly
Legislative Council
Assent
Introduced by: The Hon Anthony Carbines MP (ALP); The Hon Ingrid Stitt MLC (ALP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
James Newbury LIB
“I rise to speak on the Electoral Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill 2026. I do note the importance of the bill and the importance of fixing a problem in our electoral system with speed, and that is why I will make a few comments, not use the full time for comments.”
Evan Mulholland LIB
“I rise to speak on the Electoral Amendment(MiscellaneousMatters)Bill 2026.ThisbillhasbeenalongtimecomingandIthinkcalls for some celebration. It is an important bill.”
Mathew Hilakari ALP
“I rise to support this bill, and I am glad that the oppositionhasspokeninsupportofthisbillaswell.Foraprocessthatbeganbyattemptingtoincrease formality in thefederal Senate, it has turned into, in my view, a deeply undemocratic process. I might agreewithwherethe memberforBrighton endedup,butI disagreewithsomeofhis commentaryand how he got there.”
Rikkie-Lee Tyrrell One N
“I rise to speak on this important bill and confirm that One Nation Victoria will be supporting the Electoral Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill2026. For years Victoria has been the only jurisdiction in Australia to retain the use of groupvotingtickets.”
Emma Kealy NAT
“I rise today to speak on the Electoral Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill 2026. This matter will eliminate group voting tickets. For me this is an enormously important piece of legislation to pass through this house.”
Sonja Terpstra ALP
“I rise to make a contribution on the ElectoralAmendment(MiscellaneousMatters)Bill 2026,andIamverypleasedtobedoingso.These are very important reforms. As previous speakers have highlighted, it is important for voters to know where their preferences go and to decide who gets elected, not faceless people in backroomdeals.”
David Davis LIB
“I want to make a contribution to this electoral reform bill. I want to reiterate or support the points made by the deputy leader here in the chamber earlier. This is a bill that the Liberal Party has always supported.”
Dylan Wight ALP
“It gives me a great deal of pleasure to rise this afternoon and makeacontributioninfavouroftheamendmentstotheElectoralAct2002whichwearedebatingthis afternoon, chief amongst them the abolition of group voting tickets, as well as some other consequential amendments, which I will touch on briefly.”
Tim Read GRN
“I rise to give enthusiastic support to this long-needed reform to our democracy. By myquickcountthis is the16th time in two terms in Parliamentthat I have spoken about the need to abolish group voting tickets.”
Jeff Bourman Shoot
“Mr Davis should be very, very thankful he has got parliamentary privilege for some of the absolute rubbish and aspersions he cast. I think he should try themoutsidethechamberandseehowlongittakesforaconcernsnoticetolandinhisinbox.Anyway, there is no interest like self-interest, as we are all finding out today. Yes, I want to keep this because of the self-interest.”
Will Fowles IND
“It is my honour, frankly, to follow the contribution of the member for Brunswick. I know we will be hearing from him a little bit later today, but he has been a tireless advocate around this issue and a tireless advocate on a great many issues in this place. He has made a magnificent contribution to public life in Victoria. He is a man of great decency and great integrity.”
Ryan Batchelor ALP
“I am very pleased to rise to speak on this bill, because Mr Davis and Mr Mulholland in their contributions tried to somehow suggest that it is the Liberal Party that is the champion of democratic reform in the Victorian Legislative Council. Frankly, nothing could be further from the truth.”
“I move: Thatthedebate benowadjourned. Motion agreed to and debate adjourned. Ordered that debate be adjourned until later this day.”
“I rise to speak on this particular bill, given that it does affect me directly. The Liberals and Nationals back the removal of the group voting tickets and are open to engaging constructively with the government to ensure regional representation is preserved and to achieve a representative upper house that benefits all Victorians.”
Georgie Purcell AJP
“I rise to speak on this bill, and much like many of mycolleagues on thecrossbench I willbevotingagainstit.I wanttospeakto whatIthinkhasbeen a bit of a consistent theme in this debate about the idea of so-called self-interest in doing that and makingthatdecision. It would beveryeasytobeperceived thatway, and of coursealotof us do very much want to be back here in the next Parliament.”
David Ettershank LCV
“I rise to make a contribution to the Electoral Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill 2026. The bill makes a range of administrative and campaign finance amendments to the Electoral Act 2002 and some consequential changes to the Planning Amendment (Better Decisions Made Faster) Act 2026.”
David Limbrick Liber
“I did not like the voting system in Victoria before I was involved in politics. I did not like it when I ran for election in 2014 and 2018, I Tuesday11 August 2026 LegislativeCouncil 2995 did not like it after I was elected, and I do not like it now. Nonetheless I did not make the system; I dealt with the system that we have.”
Rachel Payne LCV
“I rise to make a contribution to the Electoral Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill 2026. Democracy should never be taken for granted. Our democracy belongs to Victorians; it does not belong to political parties, governments or politicians. It belongs to every Victorian who takes the time to enrol, cast their vote and place their trust in this Parliament to act in the public interest.”
Moira Deeming Famil
“I rise to speak on the Electoral Amendment (Miscellaneous Matters) Bill 2026.”
Ingrid Stitt ALP
“I move: Thatthereport benowadopted. Motion agreed to. Report adopted. Third reading”