Proportional Representation Society of Australia

Victorian Branch

Hare-Clark Proportional Representation Analysis of Victorian Legislative Council Polls 1999

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Details of Votes & Seats in each of 2 Hare-Clark Multi-member Provinces versus the Existing 22 Single-vacancy Provinces

Graph of Seats versus Votes Overall, for Existing 'Winner-take-all' Single-member Districts & for Hare-Clark PR Districts

The graph shows, using the final voting figures produced by the Victorian Electoral Commission, that under the present single-vacancy Province system, the National Party has gained 13.6% of the long-term Legislative Council seats even though the voters gave them only 7.3% of the first preference votes cast in Victoria.

This unfair windfall of seats has let the Coalition gain 63.6% of the long-term seats (well above an absolute majority). That has been at the expense of Australian Democrat voters who, with 6.8% of the vote, would gain 4.5% of those seats under Hare-Clark, bringing the Nationals back to 9.1% of long-term seats - a result more commensurate with their 7.3% of the vote.

With Hare-Clark the Coalition would gain 50% of the 1999-2007 seats, which is a generous return for its 46.9% of the vote.