Lessons from Australia: in conversation with Georgie Purcell

October 11, 2024

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Lessons from Australia: in conversation with Georgie Purcell

Over the past few hundred years, our society and democracy have developed and changed beyond recognition. However, our voting system has failed to keep pace. We believe that First Past the Post has no place in a modern democracy, and should be replaced by a system of Proportional Representation. If you agree, sign the petition. If you want to know why, read on:

Minority rule

The idea of a minority ruling over the majority goes against our most basic ideas about democracy. But with First Past the Post, it's the norm. For about 90% of the time since 1935 we've had single-party 'majority' governments, but not one of them had the support of a majority of voters. The Conservatives currently hold a majority of seats with just 43.6% of the votes. In the 2019 election they gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2% of the vote share. Almost since the first general election, politicians who most of us didn't vote for and don't agree with have had the power to govern the UK however they like.

Proportional Representation means majority rule, not minority rule. With PR, any government must have a majority of votes behind it - so in order to govern, a party needs to either work collaboratively with other parties, or persuade most of us to vote for it.

Demand Real Democracy

The idea of a minority ruling over the majority goes against our most basic ideas about democracy. But with First Past the Post, it’s the norm. For about 90% of the time since 1935 we’ve had single-party ‘majority’ governments, but not one of them had the support of a majority of voters. The Conservatives currently hold a majority of seats with just 43.6% of the votes. In the 2019 election they gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2% of the vote share. Almost since the first general election, politicians who most of us didn’t vote for and don’t agree with have had the power to govern the UK however they like.The idea of a minority ruling over the majority goes against our most basic ideas about democracy. But with First Past the Post, it’s the norm. For about 90% of the time since 1935 we’ve had single-party ‘majority’ governments, but not one of them had the support of a majority of voters. The Conservatives currently hold a majority of seats with just 43.6% of the votes. In the 2019 election they gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2% of the vote share. Almost since the first general election, politicians who most of us didn’t vote for and don’t agree with have had the power to govern the UK however they like.The idea of a minority ruling over the majority goes against our most basic ideas about democracy. But with First Past the Post, it’s the norm. For about 90% of the time since 1935 we’ve had single-party ‘majority’ governments, but not one of them had the support of a majority of voters. The Conservatives currently hold a majority of seats with just 43.6% of the votes. In the 2019 election they gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2% of the vote share. Almost since the first general election, politicians who most of us didn’t vote for and don’t agree with have had the power to govern the UK however they like.The idea of a minority ruling over the majority goes against our most basic ideas about democracy. But with First Past the Post, it’s the norm. For about 90% of the time since 1935 we’ve had single-party ‘majority’ governments, but not one of them had the support of a majority of voters. The Conservatives currently hold a majority of seats with just 43.6% of the votes. In the 2019 election they gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2% of the vote share. Almost since the first general election, politicians who most of us didn’t vote for and don’t agree with have had the power to govern the UK however they like.The idea of a minority ruling over the majority goes against our most basic ideas about democracy. But with First Past the Post, it’s the norm. For about 90% of the time since 1935 we’ve had single-party ‘majority’ governments, but not one of them had the support of a majority of voters. The Conservatives currently hold a majority of seats with just 43.6% of the votes. In the 2019 election they gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2% of the vote share. Almost since the first general election, politicians who most of us didn’t vote for and don’t agree with have had the power to govern the UK however they like.The idea of a minority ruling over the majority goes against our most basic ideas about democracy. But with First Past the Post, it’s the norm. For about 90% of the time since 1935 we’ve had single-party ‘majority’ governments, but not one of them had the support of a majority of voters. The Conservatives currently hold a majority of seats with just 43.6% of the votes. In the 2019 election they gained an extra 48 seats despite an increase of only 1.2% of the vote share. Almost since the first general election, politicians who most of us didn’t vote for and don’t agree with have had the power to govern the UK however they like.

By Ella Eagle Davies, research volunteer with MVM. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Make Votes Matter.

Eight months ago, I made a significant decision to move to the city of Sydney. One surprising but welcome outcome of that decision was my first foray into Australian politics, as I witnessed a local council election play out in the Sutherland Shire, a luscious, sunny suburb to the south of Sydney. When I think back to my time in comparatively dreary and overcast England, the local elections never seem to reach the same level of buzz and excitement that I felt as I watched campaign volunteers draw people into the polling station. However, one simple fact easily explains this disparity: local elections in New South Wales elect councillors through the Single Transferable Vote (STV), a proportional system that often results in multi-candidate constituencies unmarked by one-party dominance across Sydney’s voting districts.

Australia’s multi-level federal system has always proved to be a compelling case study for those sympathetic to the cause of electoral reform. As a federacy, Australia’s states and territories differ in terms of the electoral systems they employ to elect legislators and councillors. Four states use STV to elect their upper houses and two states have also chosen to use it for their lower house elections.

Federal elections are also similarly split. The House of Representatives, roughly equivalent to the UK House of Commons, elects representatives through a preferential voting system called the Alternative Vote (AV), whereas the Senate, which is the upper house, operates using the STV system.¹ With such variation in voting systems, the political landscape of Australia has always been incredibly absorbing. Ostensibly, it has been dominated by two major forces: the left-leaning Labor Party and the Liberal-National Coalition. However, below the surface, electoral reforms throughout the years have allowed various political bodies across the country to achieve impressive levels of minor party representation and voter satisfaction, with 70% of the Australian public satisfied with the state of democracy in their country, compared to only 52% of Brits.²

I talked to Georgie Purcell MP, an inspiring young politician and a member of the minor Animal Justice Party (AJP), about her triumphs and struggles representing her home state of Victoria. With nearly two hundred thousand Instagram followers to her name, Georgie is a role model to many and tirelessly campaigns for animal rights alongside a variety of issues including women’s rights and green politics. The AJP was the first political party in Australia formed with the sole aim of promoting animal welfare issues, and currently has five politicians elected to state and local political bodies.

Minor parties, major impact

Let’s focus in on Victoria, the state in which the famous and thriving city of Melbourne is located. The state parliament contains the Legislative Assembly (the lower house), which has 88 members in total, elected from single-member electorates under a preferential voting system. In comparison, the Legislative Council (the upper house) consists of 40 members, with five members elected from each of the eight regions that encompass Victoria using a proportional voting system. Georgie Purcell was first elected to the Legislative Council in 2022, and is currently the only member of the AJP elected in Victoria.

The Single Transferable Vote, used in the upper house, is a form of Proportional Representation created in the UK and currently used in Northern Ireland and Scotland for some of their elections. Larger constituencies elect multiple representatives, in comparison to majoritarian systems such as AV, which elect only one person representing a smaller area. This means, under STV, these representatives better reflect the diversity of opinions and issues in the constituency. Voters must number a list of candidates in terms of their preference, and to get elected, a candidate must achieve a set number of votes, otherwise known as the quota.

In comparison to the Alternative Vote, which elects only one candidate, the Single Transferable Vote system allows voters to choose between candidates from different parties as well as independents. This has had a huge impact on politics at both the state and federal level in Australia. The use of STV for federal elections to the Senate has allowed voters for minor parties to avoid wasted votes and get fair representation, producing much greater competition. Most notably, the Green party has significantly challenged the Labor party in inner-city districts. The Senate holds significant power when it comes to transforming and passing legislation, and the rarity of a single-party majority there means governments have to put forward policies that have broad appeal across both houses.

Georgie Purcell explains that smaller parties play a crucial role in the Victorian parliament. “We are effectively a check on the government’s power,” she explains, “keeping them accountable to the diverse interests of our state.” Rival politicians must put aside differences and work together. “The strength in small parties is our ability to be malleable to the public’s interest,” Georgie continues, “We are not burdened by partisan tensions.” She makes it clear that smaller parties reinforce that link between major parties and local opinions, made possible by the proportional system she was elected under.

Bigger constituencies, bigger heart

In electing multiple representatives, voters have the agency denied them by FPTP, and not just on election day. Unlike the situation in the UK, plagued by safe seats in which those who do not vote for the winner effectively have no representation, constituents in Victoria have wider access to institutional avenues and greater choice on who to approach with their concerns.

I also believe that under Proportional Representation, politicians will have stronger ties to local community activists and organisations, who are invaluable tools of civic participation in modern democracies. Georgie talks of her personal admiration for the “tireless work” of community leaders and activists in her constituency. And as a prolific activist, and the youngest woman in the Victorian parliament, she is well poised to engage with her community as their representative. “I see it as my role to embolden and amplify their voices,” she explains, pointing to her social media account as an effective avenue for galvanising those especially younger voters participating in online activism. “Community leaders and activists are particularly fundamental to the parliamentary process of inquiries…my team and I are talking to community leaders, activists, and organisations every single day.”

As for the future?

From her engagement with young followers online, to her rejection of archaic dress codes in Victorian parliament, and her candid and proud reclamation of her past in sex work, Georgie Purcell is the type of politician we need to be visible on behalf on voters often unheard in political circles. However, there are still many struggles she faces as a minor party member working alongside a parliament that relies on a majoritarian system to elect legislators. “As a small party, it is easy to be isolated by others,” she describes. The pressure she feels as a result of this is immense: not only does she represent the largest electorate in the state and chair a parliamentary committee, she does so without the backing of larger party offices that support the major parties. An electoral system that ensures voters for smaller parties get parliamentary representation is essential if we want to ensure all voices in our democracies are heard. Under First Past the Post and the Alternative Vote, that is simply not the case. Constituents lose out on meaningful voting and smaller party representatives must be incredibly strategic if they are to be heard.

Important lessons can be learnt from our friends in Australia. With such an array of electoral results on display from the local to the federal level, we should look to the successes and failures of the Australian system to help shape our democracy in the UK. The advantages of the proportional Single Transferable Vote system are undeniable and they are on full show across Australia’s states and territories. I strongly encourage that we look to install STV in local and national elections. It’s time to bring some sense back into British politics.

Australian Electoral Commission, https://www.aec.gov.au/learn/preferential-voting.htm ↩︎
Australian National University, Results from the Australian Election Study 2022 ↩︎

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