With pre-polling centres opening today, we have started to get an insight into how the parties are directing their preferences, especially in the Senate, where voters must now number at least six boxes above the line (in the past only one was required). Accordingly, parties are now including five other parties on their how-to-vote cards, but some are using the opportunity to completely ignore other rivals.

In Victoria, the Labor party is directing its preferences to the Sex Party, followed by Derryn Hinch’s Justice Party, the Renewable Energy Party, the Greens and the “Science Party/Australian Cyclists Party”. Labor’s candidate for the seat of Melbourne, Sophie Ismail, was challenged on Facebook on why the party was preferencing Derryn Hinch’s party so highly in the Senate, to which she said: “I’m seeking election to the Lower House — I’ve had no input into the Senate preferences. Sophie”

In NSW, Labor is preferencing the Greens, the Renewable Energy Party, Animal Justice Party, the Australian Sex Party and then the Liberal Democrats. Also in NSW, the Liberals are preferencing Fred Nile’s Christian Democratic Party second, followed by the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers, Family First, Liberal Democrats and the Motoring Enthusiast Party. In Queensland the LNP is preferencing Family First, the Christian Democratic Party, the Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party, Katter’s Australian Party and the Australian Christians. The full list of Liberal Senate how-to-vote cards is here.

Seen any other how-to-vote cards? Send them to us here.