Controversial group voting ticket system needs reform, Northern Victoria Region MPs say

The Nationals' Gaelle Broad and Liberal Wendy Lovell have both signalled they believe action is needed on the group voting ticket (GVT) system, particularly after revelations contained in a secret recording of "preference whisperer" Glenn Druery released in the lead-up to the November election.

In the video Mr Druery promised to help potential clients get elected for a fee of $55,000 and bragged that his "fingerprints" were on most of the minor parties who have held the balance of power in the state over nearly 25 years.

He also claimed Labor was in favour of keeping the controversial system because it kept the Greens at bay.

ABC commentator Antony Green has expressed strong criticism of the "discredited" group voting tickets, which have been "abolished in every [other] state and for the Senate because they can be manipulated to elect parties with only a tiny percentage of the vote, a result that distorts the intended proportionality of the chamber's electoral system".

Ironically, the Animal Justice Party's Georgie Purcell, who was elected as a result of preference manipulations under the GVT system, appears to be one of its most vocal critics.

Ms Purcell, who emphasises she was unaware ahead of time that her party's election manager planned to turn the tables on Mr Druery and exploit his deal-making, acknowledges the move worked very much in her favour.

The former political staffer and union official was elected to Northern Victoria Region with just 1.53 per cent of first preference votes, whereas The Greens' Cate Sinclair won 6.6 per cent but was unsuccessful.

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However, Ms Purcell said her party's policy was to advocate for a move to a statewide proportional representation system similar to those recently adopted in NSW and Western Australia.

"That move ... would allow minor parties like ours that have a decent backing and supporter base ... to still get our candidates elected but it shuts out these preference arrangements where people who get less than 1 per cent of the vote can get up through preference flows," she said.

New Nationals' MP Ms Broad described the system as "terrible".

"I think Victoria is the only state with this group ticketing system with preference deals being done," she said.

"I hope the government looks to amend that. To have an individual able to benefit financially from deals is terrible and then we've seen some parties on a very low percentage of votes obtain a seat."

Her Coalition partner Ms Lovell echoed that view.

"I think the leaking of the video that featured Glenn Druery explaining how he intended to influence the outcome of the elected representation by harvesting votes in favour of people who paid him to participate in his scheme has shown the need for reform," she said.

Ms Lovell, who is returning for a sixth-term, said it was standard procedure for the parliament's Electoral Matters Committee to conduct a post-election review, which anyone could make a submission to, and she expected various submissions on the voting system.

But while former Liberal leader Matthew Guy promised to change it, in the wake of the Coalition's defeat the Liberals have no policy on the issue.

"We haven't had that discussion as a party room," Ms Lovell said. "So at the moment it's [just] individuals' thoughts on it."

Ultimately, Ms Lovell said, it would "come down to the desire of the government to effect that change".

Member for Bendigo West and Speaker of the parliament Maree Edwards said the Premier has made a commitment to look at changing the system if the Electoral Matters Committee recommended it.

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