Only one in five voters were aware the Senate voting system had changed ahead of the 2016 federal election being called.  The Australian Electoral Commission research was revealed in its annual report tabled in parliament this week.  Changes to the Senate voting system passed parliament in March, compelling voters to cast up to six preferences "above the line" or at least 12 "below the line", and abolishing group voting tickets.  Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull then called a double-dissolution election on May 8.  The AEC report said that while there was a high awareness of the July 2 election, there was a much lower awareness of the range of voting options and "limited understanding about how to vote correctly".  Having identified the problem, the AEC then spent $50 million on a campaign under the theme "Your vote will help shape Australia".  By the end of the education campaign, understanding of the new "above the line" system had risen to 90 per cent and "below the line" voting to 76 per cent.  AEC commissioner Tom Rogers said in the report there had been a "significant workload" to implement the changes "in a very tight timeframe".  During the debate on the legislation in March, Labor argued the rush in making the changes would hugely increase the informal vote.  The informal vote in the 2016 Senate election was 3.94 per cent nationally - the highest since 1987.  Shadow special minister of state Don Farrell said the report proved the folly and cost of the government and Greens rushing the legislation through parliament.  "The coalition and the Greens placed a $50 million taxpayer funded gamble on these changes, and both lost out," Senator Farrell told AAP.  "After a $50 million advertising campaign to sell these changes, there was still an increase in informal Senate votes."  He said it was a "rushed, desperate and misguided attempt to grab power from the minor parties".
Taxpayers forked out $50 million after the Turnbull government decided to change the Senate voting system before the election.