Both major parties suffer from branch stacking and it’s always the innocent electors suffer from it. In events across the nation this week, both major parties were involved in controversies over their party machines.

In Victoria, the ALP Premier Dan Andrews sacked one minister over “industrial scale” branch stacking. Another two ministers resigned in disgrace, and the State branch of the ALP had to be taken over by its federal executive. In NSW, one ALP member of State parliament has resigned, also over branch stacking.

In Queensland, a 2010 scandal over branch stacking led to one ALP Member being sacked, and others reprimanded. One member involved later became principal advisor to Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, and is now a highly-paid consultant to her.

And the LNP is mired in controversy over its backroom State President’s involvement in trying to oust Parliamentary Leader Deb Frecklington, while employed by Palmer United Australia Party leader, Clive Palmer.

When an unrepresentative rump of power-hungry manipulators sideline their parties into doing things, it takes all power away from the people and concentrates that power into the hands of a couple of elitists with the right connections.

That is far from democracy and the more Australia’s major parties enable and tolerate such behaviour, the further we drift away from being a democratic country.