Multiple reports say the Allan government is moving to overhaul Victoria’s upper-house election rules by abolishing the controversial “preference-whispering” system. The change is expected to affect how preference votes are handled and could reshape the balance of power in the Legislative Council after the November election. Outlets agree that the proposed reform would make it harder for parties outside the major blocs—often described as crossbenchers—to benefit from preference deals under the previous system. The articles also contend that the likely effect of the abolition is to advantage One Nation, a party that has benefited from preference flows in past outcomes. The sources describe the coming Legislative Council composition as “vastly different” from the current arrangement, linking that expectation directly to the rule change. All reporting frames the reform as part of the government’s election-law changes ahead of November, with the key anticipated consequences being altered preferential voting dynamics and a different parliament makeup, particularly in how smaller parties perform.