The electoral system here in Queensland is almost what the ALP wanted. We used to have preferential voting. The Beattie ALP government changed it to optional preferential. Hence the sad state of affairs when so many people only 'vote 1'. After bringing in that change it was the ALP that pushed really hard with the constant slogan 'just vote 1'.
Prior to making changes there had been a major inquiry with public hearings into electoral systems. I was present at the Cairns meeting and spoke (in favour of the Hare Clark system with Robson rotation).
Also there was a Labor man (who later was a Minister). He spoke strongly for First Past the Post. When the ALP failed to get their prefence-first past the post, they did the next best thing in their view and made the preferencing optional. Lots of people can reasonably complain about the landslide result a week ago. But one group cannot - the ALP. They wanted the system; they fixed it to get the system. Blame them.
On the issue of no upper house that has been a bother to me for decades - especially in the Jo BP days of yore! If we had an Upper house with a different voting system then we would be - perhaps - better off.
But who killed the upper house in Queensland? the ALP. So blame them for that as well.

Eyejaw, optional preferential is the best voting system. Vastly better than the disgusting antidemocratic compulsory preferential system that we have at the federal level, which forces you to declare preferences and can consequently make your vote count where you have no intention of it counting.

And it gives a better indication of a voter’s wishes than first-past-the-post.

It is one of the few good aspects in our terribly flawed ‘democratic’ system.

The point that has not been made is that in each electorate we vote
for an individual in each seat.
Now, if the voters in each seat vote, by a small majority, for one
party then that can give the result of which you complain.

Well, tough, thats the way the voters wanted it.
Live with it !

We do not have representative government since the wishes of the party room takes precedence over the wishes of the constituents. If party discipline were restricted to matters explicit in the electoral campaign and relaxed in other matters we would then have representative democracy. Since the executive is at present chosen by the parliamentarians there is no way to prevent the prime minister or premier from representing a minority.

We can dump the Westminster system and elect the executive directly. Montesquieu advocated separation of powers with the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government independent of each other. The executive would than be free to choose cabinet officers without a need for them to be parliamentarians. The chief executive would then be representative of the entire country, and the legislators would be representative of their districts.

If you want to complain about democracy look at the ridiculous amount of influence the Greens have had over Julia. Many people see Bob Brown with his mad faith as the defacto PM. This is a far greater assault on democracy than QLD.

Ludwig. I agree with you on most things, in particular on the population issue (I put a letter in to the Oz yesterday talking the numerical facts about population in Mali, Chad and Niger.Not published of course.) However re electoral matters I disagree. I cannot comprehend the idea - that you seemingly have - that if my prefered candidate loses I see all the rest as equally bad.
I live in Mulgrave electorate. Candidates were ALP, NLP, Green and Katterists. Let us assume for arguments sake that I want to vote Green. The candidate loses. Are you really telling me that you cannot see any difference at all between ALP and Katter ON ENVIRONMENTAL grounds? Or between ALP and NLP? Think Wild Rivers for example.
Interestingly enough I had exactly this argumemnt with my sister the last time I was in UK. She is rusted on Conservative. When I talked of preferential voting she climbed up the wall (to my amusement!) because the mere idea that she might have to choose to vote Labour even against Dracula, Stalin, Hitler or Pol Pot was incendiary.
I am astonished to find you, Ludwig, adopting the same approach as she does/did.