Muslim Votes Matter (MVM) has lodged a complaint with the Victorian Electoral Commission (VEC) over an anonymous bid to register a political party under the same name ahead of the state election, accusing the move of deliberately misleading voters. Ghaith Krayem, MVM's national spokesperson, confirmed the complaint was filed on Thursday.
Background of the Dispute
MVM was established before the 2025 federal election as a grassroots advocacy and lobbying movement, addressing concerns about the lack of political representation for Muslim and minority groups in Australia. While MVM is not a registered political party, it endorsed candidates and distributed how-to-vote cards at the federal election and plans to do the same for Victoria's November poll.
Last week, rightwing provocateur Avi Yemini posted a YouTube video claiming an unnamed associate had planned to register a political party using the name Muslim Votes Matter. This follows Yemini's earlier plan to register a "Free Palestine party" to funnel votes to conservative parties, inspired by anti-lockdown activist Monica Smit's announcement in February to register a "Save the Environment party" for similar purposes.
Group Voting Ticket System Concerns
Yemini and Smit's plans rely on Victoria's upper house still using the group voting ticket system (GVTs), where voters can only choose one party above the line on the ballot paper. Preferences are then allocated by the party if it is eliminated during counting. This system has enabled backroom deals, with some candidates elected with very few primary votes.
In his video, Yemini stated that Muslim Votes Matter was seeking members to register with the VEC, requiring at least 500 eligible members. He said the party would ultimately direct preferences to One Nation. "This party is designed to capture voters being pushed to divide this country and redirect those preferences straight back to the people who want to unite this country under one flag," Yemini said. He claimed the three groups would target different voting blocs but direct preferences to One Nation and other conservatives.
MVM's Response
Krayem condemned the attempt to register a party under an identical name as a deliberate strategy to mislead voters. "There should be stronger rules around the registration of these political parties where there is clear evidence that they are intending to mislead people," he said. He called for a robust vetting process to prevent confusion at the ballot box.
MVM also raised concerns about a website collecting personal information without a clear privacy policy. "We have asked the AEC and the VEC to investigate whether the website breaches electoral laws, privacy obligations, and requirements around electoral authorisation," Krayem added.
VEC Response
A VEC spokesperson declined to confirm receipt of the complaint, citing privacy reasons. They noted that the VEC cannot process new party applications until the writ for the Nepean byelection is returned on or before 23 May. The spokesperson reiterated that applications are assessed according to legislative requirements, and objections can be submitted on grounds such as incorrect application, obscene name, or disallowed name or logo. However, objections cannot be raised based on a party's name not reflecting its true character or objectionable policies.
Guardian Australia attempted to contact the new Muslim Votes Matter group, but the email on its website bounced, and no other contact details were available. One Nation, the Coalition, the Greens, and two Labor-led parliamentary inquiries have called for scrapping GVTs.
