Greens disappointed by Kim Rubenstein, David Pocock over preferences in Senate for 2022 federal election

The party has accused them of playing "right into the Liberals' strategy" and acting to help Senator Seselja get re-elected. The party believes its candidate, Tjanara Goreng Goreng, is best placed to win the second Senate seat.

The Greens are encouraging a second preference for Professor Rubenstein's party Kim for Canberra, a third for Mr Pocock and are putting the ALP fifth.

But this suggestion to voters has not been returned to the Greens with the two independents encouraging a change to the status quo in Canberra through placing themselves in the "one" position on the Senate ballot and the other party at "two". Professor Rubenstein has told The Canberra Times she is also encouraging voters to consider other like-minded candidates, but neither independent is currently going beyond a second preference recommendation.

This has left the Greens, which traditionally has a strong vote in the ACT both federally and in territory elections, disappointed.

"Both of these candidates are running on a platform of climate action, political integrity, gender equality and First Nations equality. These are all issues the Greens have been leading on for decades," an ACT Greens spokesperson said in a statement.

"It boggles the mind that people with that platform would not actively encourage voters away from the incumbent conservative Zed Seselja, who has taken the opposite position on these issues throughout his entire political career.

"This has played right into the Liberals' strategy. Zed has been deliberately running a misinformation and scare campaign to try and ensure that the independents run an open ticket, as he knows that this is the best way for him to get re-elected."

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After Senate voting reform in 2016 in which group voting tickets were abolished and optional preferential voting was introduced, these preferences are suggestions not directions by the candidates. However, what is being printed on candidate how to vote cards may still be crucial to the final vote.

Labor has decided to preference Mr Pocock second in the ACT Senate race, the Greens third, Kim for Canberra fourth, Australian Progressives fifth and the Animal Justice Party sixth. In the 2019 election, Labor put the Greens second on its how-to-vote cards.

If Labor voters follow through with giving Mr Pocock their second preference it could be enough to keep him in the race.

In the House of Representatives, Labor is encouraging a second preference to the Greens.

Meantime, the Liberal party with lead ACT Senate candidate Senator Seselja is taking the unusual step in 2022 of not advising voter preferences for any other candidate in the territory.

"In the Senate and the House, we are asking Canberrans to vote 1 Liberal and then to complete a formal ballot in the order of their choice," a Canberra Liberals spokesperson said.

"This is the most important election in a generation. The most dangerous party on the ballot paper at this election is the Greens, who have a deliberate policy to put our national security at risk with their policy to cut defence spending in half. Any party or candidate who preferences the Greens is putting our national security at risk."

The Greens are also reminding voters that voting is their own choice.

"The great thing about our electoral system is that voters can allocate preferences on the basis of their values," Dr Goreng Goreng said.

The preference guidance for the ACT - to be printed on various how-to-vote cards - comes as part of wider preference arrangements being announced after being sorted out between the campaigns of parties and candidates.

For the 2022 Senate ballot, voters are instructed to complete at least six preferences above the line or at least 12 below the line.