Unsuccessful one-nation candidate George Christensen may have sacrificed several Senate seats, admitting the lack of coordination between “freedom-supporting” parties in recent federal elections. expensive.
Comments were made after the left-wing Australian Greens secured record seats in the elections and their preferential voting contributed to the victory of the opposition Labor Party with so-called “Teal” independents.
Christensen, who resigned from the coalition and joined One Nation, had “a bit of a predicament” during the anti-delegation political movements that supported freedom, including parties such as One Nation, the US Australian Party, and the Liberal Democratic Party. Said that. Medical Options Party, Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance, and Australian Values Party.
“It’s a shame that personality gets in the way and people forget the big picture. Overall, nationally, if you add up all the votes of these free supporters, minors, or Conservatives, in the House of Representatives That’s 12%, probably higher in the Senate, “he told The Epoch Times.
“If it was consistent and voters had enough discipline to prefer their opponents, it would have meant that there were new senators in every state from the party supporting freedom. It doesn’t happen.
“All these stakeholders need to come together further. Whether this is a merger or a collaborative campaign, we prioritize each other and allow volunteers in the field to inform voters. This is in the future. It is necessary to consider it in a targeted manner. “
Kristensen said the results of One Nation looked promising with the prospect of right-wing parties securing Senate seats in Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia, and perhaps Tasmania.
Australia’s priority voting system, unlike the “simple single-seat constituency system” in the United States and the United Kingdom, allows you to select a second, third, or fourth priority candidate on a ballot.
This means that votes can be redistributed among the parties that may change the outcome. For example, a candidate who wins 40% of the votes can lose to the candidate with only 30% of the votes, even if the “preference” flows to him or her.
In fact, the next Albany-led Labor government won the election with only 32.8% of the votes, the worst result since 1910. As of May 23, the next coalition government has won 35.8%.
Former coalition prime minister Tony Abbott warned that left-wing parties tend to be more disciplined in their preference allocations than right-wing voters.
“Green preferences always return to Labor at a rate of about 80-85 percent. Conservative debris group preferences tend to return to the (Liberal-National) Union at a rate of around 60 percent,” he said.
“The evidence on the ground is that right-wing debris eliminates centre-right governments and favors left-wing governments, and anyone who thinks the Liberal Party’s status quo doesn’t suit their tastes really is a green left-wing government. I don’t want. “
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Daniel Y. Teng is based in Sydney. He focuses on national politics, including federal politics, COVID-19 response, and relations between Australia and China. Do you have a hint? Contact him at [email protected]