WATCH: How Avi Yemini FORCED Labor to change the rigged voting system in Victoria
For years Labor stalled any reform of the rigged group voting ticket system because it worked in their favour. Then I made no secret of my plan to use their own rules against them. The result was a rushed bill, last-minute briefings, panicked denials, and the end of group voting tickets.
After years of backroom deals, stitch-ups and shameless stonewalling, Victoria’s group voting ticket system is finally dead. Labor, the party that protected this rotten setup for decades, has been dragged, kicking and screaming, into getting rid of it. Not because they suddenly cared about democracy, but because the rort they loved was about to be used against them.
Last night, after a six-hour debate, the Upper House passed the bill to scrap group voting tickets. This was the system that let minor parties win seats they never earned, all through preference deals done behind closed doors. For years the major parties, especially Labor, used it to keep One Nation out.
They always said reform was 'on the agenda.' Nothing ever happened. Labor knew the system was a joke. They just liked the result.
What finally forced them to act was the threat of their own system being turned against them. That’s why I registered the Free Palestine Party. The plan was simple: pick up progressive votes in the Upper House and preference them straight to One Nation.
I made no secret of what we were doing. It showed exactly how rigged and fragile the whole thing was. Labor’s preference deals suddenly looked a lot less clever.
Former Premier Jacinta Allan was put on the back foot. Faced with the risk of her own voters’ preferences going to One Nation, she rushed out an announcement that Labor would finally scrap the system. The timing was no accident. Weeks after my plan hit the news, Labor suddenly discovered a love for “democratic reform.”
When they had to explain the U-turn, the ministers rolled out the usual lines. They claimed Labor had always been the party pushing for democratic change. One of them even said this was just another example of Labor improving the way the Upper House works, as if no one remembered who had blocked reform for years.
The truth is simple. Labor only moved when it suited them. The idea of a new party using their own system to help One Nation was too much. Suddenly the undemocratic farce became an urgent problem.
They even denied the Free Palestine Party had anything to do with it. When asked straight up whether the registration of the party affected their decision, the answer was no. They claimed the final decision was made on 27 July and had nothing to do with us. Instead they pointed to old Electoral Matters Committee reports that had been sitting there for years, including from the previous term. Those reports had been around for a long time. The government could have acted on them whenever it wanted. The timing was entirely up to them.
WATCH: ABC throws a TANTRUM over 'Free Palestine' party as Avi Yemini beats the left at its own game
The crossbench saw exactly what was happening. They were briefed at the last minute. The bill did not follow the normal process. Some of them said it felt rushed and that they had been blindsided. One even admitted that when they first heard it was being pushed through urgently, they thought it was a conspiracy theory. Everyone could see the real reason Labor finally moved.
This was never about principle. It was about power.
This change will reshape Victorian politics. The days of micro-parties surviving on preference deals are over. Legalised Cannabis, Animal Justice, the Libertarians, Shooters and Farmers. A lot of them lived off these deals. Sure, some of those parties did good work, but if you asked any member of the public whether a system that allowed shady backroom preference deals was representative of democracy, they would say no. Plenty of the “number twos” from both major parties are now in real trouble. One Nation’s primary vote is already strong enough to make them a real force. They could end up holding the balance of power. If I was a number two in either major party, I’d be worried.
Labor and the other big parties will tighten their grip. The Greens might do better under a cleaner system. Don’t expect any of them to admit how long they played along with the rort. The crocodile tears are already out.
For people who pushed for this reform and got ignored or attacked for years, this is a win. But it’s a win that only happened because Labor got scared of losing control. At least now the votes people actually cast will count for more.
🚨 BREAKING: WE DID IT! Victoria’s rigged Group Voting Ticket system has officially been ABOLISHED
— Avi Yemini (@OzraeliAvi) August 11, 2026
They defended this preference racket for years, until our Free Palestine Party threatened to use it against them.
So they killed it.
No more backroom preference deals. No more…
I have to share the credit. Morgan Jonas came up with the idea. Monica Smith did a lot of the hard work. And the people who backed the campaign at SaveVictoria.com made it possible. Without them, Labor would have just kept going as usual. The Free Palestine Party is already being deregistered. It did what it set out to do, and that makes it one of the shortest-lived parties in Australian history. The campaign still cost real money, so if you want to help cover the costs of beating them at their own game, go to SaveVictoria.com.
This is worth celebrating. Just don’t let Labor rewrite the story of how it happened.
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Avi Yemini
Chief Australian Correspondent
Avi Yemini is the Australia Bureau Chief for Rebel News. He's a former Israeli Defence Force marksman turned citizen journalist. Avi's most known for getting amongst the action and asking the tough questions in a way that brings a smile to your face.
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