As a follow on from the previous entry .... the smart operators that have been stymied by reforms to the NSW upper house voting arrangements are alive and well in Federal politics.
The average punter may be confused by the Senate counting system ...
However, Glenn Druery knows exactly how it works. He can calculate every permutation of preference distribution in his head. This skill, plus the ability to talk sweetly with other candidates, has Druery still in the hunt for the last NSW Senate seat.Not a bad result for someone who secured a paltry 17,979 primary votes - fewer even than the perpetual drop-outs, the Hemp Party - only 0.53 per cent of votes cast in NSW.
Druery has been associated with a variety of micro parties involved in preference harvesting. In this election he stood for Liberals For Forests.
The key to Druery's success - replicated by Family First in Victoria and Tasmania - is harvesting preferences from everyone else, while dealing with serious players on the basis of trading votes, not policies.
And don't expect Druery to apologise if he gets elected. "I wouldn't say it would be a travesty at all. I can't be an apologist for those who designed the system," he argues. "It was designed by the major parties to bolster their support and I don't think anyone has really come along before and said, 'Hey, this is how it works, let's take an entrepreneurial view of the system rather than the political hacks' view and see what can happen."
If Druery does make it, he'll have to wait till he retires to get his trotters in pollies superannuation trough, providing John Howard is true to his word about reforming the system.
Druery may think the Senate vote just a competition to get elected by whatever means possible. In my opinion, it would be a travesty if he got elected. The system needs to be changed to give the voters the power to distribute preferences as they, not the parties, see fit.
