Full preferential voting reintroduced for Queensland elections

Parliament passed legislation tonight to reintroduce full preferential voting for Queensland State elections and increase the size of the Parliament from 89 to 93 seats.

Attorney-General and Minister for Justice Yvette D’Ath said while the Government opposed the increase to the number of politicians moved by the Liberal National Party, the Government moved to reintroduce full preferential voting as required in every Federal election.

“Full preferential voting allows voters to indicate their preference for all candidates listed on the ballot paper for a Queensland State election by consecutively numbering the ballot paper in order of preference,” she said. 

“No longer will Queenslanders elect their Federal and State MPs via different methods. The votes of all Queenslanders will be counted in the election of the Member of Parliament to represent them.”

Mrs D’Ath said the process to undertake a required redistribution of Queensland’s electoral boundaries – the first since 2008 - will now proceed for 93 electorates.