Yeah this is the illustration how a preferential voting system, which "on paper" looks awfully democratic, often is just ... awful.

Not that I actually searched much, but I never saw an explanation of what the Wikileaks people were thinking with their silly preferences -- unless it really was a mere clerical error (or several clerical errors). Net result of their participation : they seem to have contributed to depriving the Greens of a possible extra seat.

The flowering of "silly party" senators, off very low first-preference votes, is an illustration of the perversity of the system.

On balance, I think a straightforward proportional vote by state would give a more reasonable result, in terms of democracy.

_{It is rightly acknowledged that people of faith have no monopoly of virtue - Queen Elizabeth II}