I spoke with Monica Smit as a new push emerges to harness Victoria’s controversial voting system ahead of the next state election, a strategy that could reshape the balance of power.

Following a strong conservative showing in South Australia and rising national support for Pauline Hanson’s One Nation, organisers are now turning their focus to Victoria’s unique group voting ticket system. Unlike other states, voters only mark a single “1” above the line, leaving parties to decide how preferences flow.

“It is the only state in Australia where you only put a one next to the party that you like and you do not control the rest of your preferences at all,” Smit told me. “A lot of people are uneducated about this so they don’t know.”

Critics have long argued the system is vulnerable to manipulation. The so-called “preference whisperer” Glenn Druery has openly described his influence over preference deals, boasting in past footage: “What I’ve been doing to One Nation … is my hand on their electoral throat, squeezing the preferential life out of them.”

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Recordings involving Heston Russell previously shed light on alleged financial arrangements tied to preference negotiations, fuelling concerns about backroom dealings and the power of microparties.

Smit argues the system has enabled outcomes that defy voter intent. “Someone can get 2,000 votes… and still get elected because they do all these deals with each other,” she said, describing it as “undemocratic.”

Now, she is attempting to turn that same mechanism to conservative advantage by launching the “Save the Environment Party,” a name she admits is strategically designed to attract votes from left-leaning voters.

“I do care about the environment,” she said, outlining policies including increased backburning, protection of forests from large renewable projects, and support for grazing in certain areas. “The way that I care about the environment is probably different than the traditional lefty greeny.”

The plan is not necessarily to win seats outright, but to accumulate enough votes to direct preferences toward aligned parties like One Nation.

“The likelihood of us getting somebody elected is very, very slim,” Smit conceded. “But what is likely is that we will get a couple of thousand votes… and then we can do deals with good conservative parties.”

She insists the approach is entirely lawful. “What we’re doing is completely legal… we’re going to play by their rules.”

For now, Smit is focused on meeting the threshold to officially register the party. “All I need is 250 more members,” she said.

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Anyone interested can sign up for free and be one of those 250 members that make this happen. Go to www.SaveTheEnvironmentParty.com.