Stop Victoria's fake party rort
Imagine voting for a party called "Refugees Are Welcome Here" – and finding out your vote went to Pauline Hanson.
That's not a hypothetical. It's happening right now. A network of rightwing activists have registered four fake parties in Victoria – "Refugees Are Welcome Here", "Muslim Votes Matter", "Free Palestine" and "Save the Environment" – designed to look like progressive movements. They're not. They're vote traps, built to secretly redirect your preferences to One Nation and other conservative parties through backroom deals you never see and never agreed to.
The people behind them haven't even tried to hide it. They've posted videos explaining the strategy. Cybersecurity researchers found all four fake parties running off identical infrastructure – same servers, same templates, same operator.
Victoria is the last state in Australia where this is still legal. A bill to fix it has support from every party in parliament. Two inquiries chaired by Labor MPs have recommended it. The Victorian Electoral Commission says the government has until August to act before it's too late for November's election. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has the power to pass it – and GetUp members are calling on her to do exactly that.
If you're in Victoria, your vote is directly at risk. For all of us, this is about the kind of democracy we want – one where votes can't be bought, communities can't be impersonated, and every person knows exactly who they're voting for.
Sign now and tell Jacinta Allan to act.
That's not a hypothetical. It's happening right now. A network of rightwing activists have registered four fake parties in Victoria – "Refugees Are Welcome Here", "Muslim Votes Matter", "Free Palestine" and "Save the Environment" – designed to look like progressive movements. They're not. They're vote traps, built to secretly redirect your preferences to One Nation and other conservative parties through backroom deals you never see and never agreed to.
The people behind them haven't even tried to hide it. They've posted videos explaining the strategy. Cybersecurity researchers found all four fake parties running off identical infrastructure – same servers, same templates, same operator.
Victoria is the last state in Australia where this is still legal. A bill to fix it has support from every party in parliament. Two inquiries chaired by Labor MPs have recommended it. The Victorian Electoral Commission says the government has until August to act before it's too late for November's election. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan has the power to pass it – and GetUp members are calling on her to do exactly that.
If you're in Victoria, your vote is directly at risk. For all of us, this is about the kind of democracy we want – one where votes can't be bought, communities can't be impersonated, and every person knows exactly who they're voting for.
Sign now and tell Jacinta Allan to act.
When you vote above the line in a Victorian upper house election, you mark a single box for your preferred party.
Under the current Group Voting Ticket system, everything that happens to your vote after that is decided not by you – but by backroom deals between party operators and so-called "preference whisperers."
These preference whisperers are paid consultants who negotiate preference flows between micro-parties before the election. Voters never see these deals.
For as little as $55,000, a candidate with just 1 per cent of the primary vote can buy their way into a seat in Victoria's parliament – a seat that should have gone to a candidate who received many more actual votes.
In 2018, at least eight MPs – 20 per cent of the upper house – won their seats as a direct result of these backroom preference deals. Victoria is the last state in Australia still using this system. Every other state, and the federal Senate, has already ended it.
Under the current Group Voting Ticket system, everything that happens to your vote after that is decided not by you – but by backroom deals between party operators and so-called "preference whisperers."
These preference whisperers are paid consultants who negotiate preference flows between micro-parties before the election. Voters never see these deals.
For as little as $55,000, a candidate with just 1 per cent of the primary vote can buy their way into a seat in Victoria's parliament – a seat that should have gone to a candidate who received many more actual votes.
In 2018, at least eight MPs – 20 per cent of the upper house – won their seats as a direct result of these backroom preference deals. Victoria is the last state in Australia still using this system. Every other state, and the federal Senate, has already ended it.
The Electoral Amendment (Group Voting and Vote Counting) Bill 2026, introduced by Greens MP Aiv Puglielli, does two things.
First, it abolishes Group Voting Tickets and replaces them with optional preferential voting above the line – the same system used in federal Senate elections since 2016.
Voters can number as many or as few parties as they like above the line, with preferences flowing in the order they choose. Your vote goes where you direct it. No backroom deals. No preference whisperers.
Second, it adopts the Weighted Inclusive Gregory method of vote counting, which more accurately reflects voters' intentions as preferences are distributed through successive counting rounds.
Importantly, this reform doesn't disadvantage legitimate minor parties or independents. Micro-parties can still win – they just have to earn votes from actual supporters rather than purchasing preference flows. It's a fairer system for everyone.
First, it abolishes Group Voting Tickets and replaces them with optional preferential voting above the line – the same system used in federal Senate elections since 2016.
Voters can number as many or as few parties as they like above the line, with preferences flowing in the order they choose. Your vote goes where you direct it. No backroom deals. No preference whisperers.
Second, it adopts the Weighted Inclusive Gregory method of vote counting, which more accurately reflects voters' intentions as preferences are distributed through successive counting rounds.
Importantly, this reform doesn't disadvantage legitimate minor parties or independents. Micro-parties can still win – they just have to earn votes from actual supporters rather than purchasing preference flows. It's a fairer system for everyone.
What's happening in Victoria isn't just a local electoral administration issue – it's a warning about what organised far-right movements do when democratic systems have exploitable gaps.
They register fake progressive parties. They impersonate real community organisations. They target communities they openly oppose, cynically using their names and causes to harvest votes. And they do it at scale, without apology, because the system allows it.
A democracy where voters can be deceived about who they're actually voting for isn't a democracy worth the name. GetUp members across Australia have always stood for elections that are fair, transparent, and honest. Stopping this in Victoria protects that principle everywhere.
They register fake progressive parties. They impersonate real community organisations. They target communities they openly oppose, cynically using their names and causes to harvest votes. And they do it at scale, without apology, because the system allows it.
A democracy where voters can be deceived about who they're actually voting for isn't a democracy worth the name. GetUp members across Australia have always stood for elections that are fair, transparent, and honest. Stopping this in Victoria protects that principle everywhere.
ADD YOUR NAME
To Premier Jacinta Allan and the Victorian Government:
We call on you to pass the Electoral Amendment (Group Voting and Vote Counting) Bill 2026 before Victoria's August deadline – ending Group Voting Tickets and giving Victorian voters back control of their own preferences in time for the November 2026 election.
Victorians deserve elections where they know who they're voting for, where preferences are transparent, and where political operatives cannot deceive communities to harvest their votes.
The bill is written. The deadline is August. It's time to act.
21,884 signatures
In taking action, I agree to GetUp's Privacy Policy.