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How redistribution will impact the Federal Election

Every three years, the Australian Electoral Commission forces MPs into a game of musical chairs to keep their job.

As a result, there is usually at least one politician who is left standing when the music stops.

Such is the brutal but necessary reality of redistribution.

READ MORE: How to vote in this year's election

READ MORE: How COVID-19 could impact the election

Every electorate in the country is drawn to have a similar number of voters.

The lines are drawn by the Australian Electoral Commission, who operate independently of government or party influence.

But as people move around the country and the population grows and shrinks, it is necessary to redraw the lines to ensure everyone is represented fairly.

Every election an MP finds themselves drawn out of their seat by redistribution.

Because some states grow faster than others, often it means one electorate vanishes from one state in favour of a new electorate elsewhere.

READ MORE: Your guide to the key seats that could decide the Election

This year Western Australia is losing a seat, and Victoria is gaining one.

The new seat is the electorate of Hawke, named for the former prime minister, and will likely be safely held by Labor based on how people in the area voted last time.

What was once empty fields in Bacchus Marsh is now a busy residential development, and those homes have voters who need to be represented in Parliament.

READ MORE: Nervous wait for residents as Sydney's Nepean River breaks

Meanwhile, the seat of Sturt in northern Perth has been abolished, forcing sitting Liberal member Vince Connelly to run in the Labor-held seat of Cowan.

That means before the election begins, the Coalition are already down a seat on their already slim margin.

But the redistribution adds complications not just for the members in seats that are abolished.

Every electorate changes boundaries to account for population changes. Sometimes it can be a difference of a few blocks, or a few towns. Electorates with growing populations shrink, while electorates that are shrinking in population have to take on more territory.

As a result, long-established local members may find themselves campaigning to voters who have never heard of them, in suburbs they may have never had cause to visit.

You can see if you're in a different electorate to last time by clicking here for Victoria, or here for Western Australia.

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Business ordered to pay ex-beautician $150k after she was sexually harassed at work

A Melbourne beauty business has been ordered to pay a former employee $150,000 after she was sexually harassed by a co-worker while working at its salon.

The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) decision has given the victim validation that her employer should taken more action about how she was treated, while her lawyer hopes it will send a clear message that employers need to actively prevent sexual harassment at work.

Devorah Oliver was working as a beauty therapist at Melbourne male grooming business Man Oh Man on Chapel Street in Windsor when she was sexually harassed by her colleague, Federico Catalfamo, on November 30, 2018.

READ MORE: 'Everyone was drawn to him': What brought thousands to farewell Warne at the MCG

On that day, her eyes were closed as her hair was being washed in a basin when he tried to put her fingers in her mouth.

While her hair was still being washed, he then put his face between her breasts and moved his head from side to side.

The incident led to Ms Oliver quitting her job, telling her boss via text: "This has made me feel really upset and uncomfortable…This isn't right and things like this shouldn't happen in the workplace."

The incidents at the basin were caught on the business' CCTV camera and led to police charges, in relation to which Catalfamo was penalised with a fine – but no conviction – by a magistrates court.

Ms Oliver said Catalfamo had been sexually harassing her since January 2018.

She said his actions included making suggestive comments and sex noises towards her, slapping her bottom, deliberately brushing past her, putting his leg between her legs and requesting sex with her at work.

Ms Oliver complained about Catalfamo's actions to her manager once in either April or May 2018 and again in July or August 2018.

VCAT Presiding Member Ian Scott found the only action the business took following the complaints was to make a handbook available electronically and to discuss it at one staff meeting.

The member found there were not "reasonable precautions to prevent the sexual harassment complained of by the Applicant".

The member suggested the business could have instead taken the reasonable precautions of investigating Ms Oliver's sexual harassment complaint, warning and threatening to discipline Catalfamo, providing training to him regarding sexual harassment and ensuring he accessed, read and understood its Anti-Discrimination and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy in the handbook.

The business was therefore found "vicariously liable for Mr Catalfamo's unlawful conduct".

Ms Oliver sought compensation for the distress she suffered due to the sexual harassment, explaining she had needed psychological support since 2019.

The member agreed Ms Oliver deserved compensation, ordering this week that the employer pay her $150,000, adding the figure was "far from excessive".

"I find that, in consequence of the sexual harassment to which the Applicant was subjected, the Applicant has suffered and continues to suffer distress, hurt and humiliation and the exacerbation of her pre-existing mental health conditions, being anxiety, depression and PTSD which I consider to be a form of compensable non-economic loss and damage," the ruling read.

Ms Oliver told 9news.com.au she was "happy" with the outcome of the hearing.

"Finally I feel like after all I've been through, this is some recognition that this actually happened to me, that it wasn't all in my head and that it was serious," she said.

"I want people to know that sexual harassment is not ok.

"This was a traumatic and humiliating experience for me, and my employer treated it like it was a light thing, like a joke."

Ms Oliver's lawyer, Kali Wischmann, said her firm was seeing sexual harassment prevalent across a range of industries.

"What happened to Devorah should have never happened," she said.

"We hope that this judgment sends a clear message that all employers have a responsibility to take reasonable precautions to prevent sexual harassment.

"And where they fail to do so, they will be liable for the very severe consequences this behaviour has on victim survivors."

If you or someone you know is impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 or visit 1800RESPECT.org.au. In an emergency, call 000.

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Explainer: How is the Australian government elected?

The Australian Parliament is made up of two houses – the House of Representatives and the Senate.

In order to win government in its own right, a party needs to hold the majority of seats in the House of Reps, which is the lower house.

There are 151 elected members, one representing each of Australia's electorates. So the magic number is 76.

READ MORE: How to vote in this year's election

READ MORE: How COVID-19 could impact the election

How is the Australian Prime Minister elected?

The leader of the party with the most seats in the House of Reps becomes the PM.

You need to get to the magical number of 76 in the House of Representatives to get across the finishing line.

The Australian Federal Election process

A federal election is held about every three years.

It's compulsory for Australians aged 18 and over to vote and you need to be enrolled to do so.

Voters turn out to decide on members of the House of Reps and The Senate.

You will be voting on who you want to represent your local electorate in the House of Reps.

You'll also vote for who you want to represent your state or territory in the Senate.

This is a key difference between the House of Reps and the Senate.

MPs in the House of Reps represent their local electorates, while senators represent their state or territory.

READ MORE: Your guide to the key seats that could decide the Election

What are the other key differences between the House of Representatives and the Senate?

In the House of Representatives, MPs speak about issues important to people in their electorate.

Most bills that are turned into laws are introduced in the lower house.

In the upper house, senators usually debate and make amendments or bills that originated in the lower house.

The upper house is also smaller – there are only 76 senators and they have six-year terms.

Australia preferential voting system is a majority system.

How does our voting system work in Australia?

Australia has a preferential voting system.

For the House of Reps, you'll be asked to rank candidates in order of preference until all the boxes are numbered.

If a candidate gains an absolute majority of first preference votes they win the seat.

If no candidate receives an absolute majority, the candidate with the least number of votes is knocked out of the race and their votes are redistributed according to second preferences until one candidate receives more than 50 percent of the vote.

What about the Senate?

The Senate is a bit different.

You can either vote above the line on the ballot paper, numbering your preferred parties or groups from at least 1 to 6.

If you vote below the line, voters are required to number at least 12 boxes for individual candidates.

There's a much more complicated system for counting Senate votes – it usually takes a number of weeks.

But because the government is formed in the lower house, you don't need to know the senate results in order to declare an overall winner.

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Triple Zero system upgrade yet to begin amid Victoria's ambulance crisis

It has been revealed Victoria's Triple Zero call service was due for upgrades months ago and a new back-up system still hasn't been implemented.

Work to the Triple Zero call service in Victoria was deemed critical nine months ago but those upgrades are yet to occur, the Victorian Government has confirmed.

A tender process began last July and the state government says the Emergency Services Telecommunications Authority (ESTA), which operates the service, is conducting market evaluations to chose a back-up system.

READ MORE: 'Inexperienced travellers' partly to blame for airport delays

It comes as heartbroken Victorian families continue to demand an overhaul of the health system after their loved ones died while waiting for paramedics to arrive.

At least 12 deaths in Victoria since October have been linked to ambulance delays, a 60 Minutes investigation found.

Alfred Edwards' family immediately called Triple Zero when the 87-year-old collapsed outside his Swan Hill home in January.

The call for help was ignored 10 times and Mr Edwards died before help could arrive.

At the time, Opposition Leader Matthew Guy said the system was not good enough and his emergency services spokesperson Brad Battin said the government had failed.

ESTA officials have said if the system failed without a back-up, the worst-case scenario would be multiple deaths.

The government has announced it will add an additional 120 Triple Zero operators to help the struggling system.

READ MORE: Nervous wait for residents as Sydney's river breaks 34-year flood record

Following the revelation of the deaths last month, Premier Daniel Andrews told 9News the system overwhelmed.

"The sheer volume of people who've needed an ambulance has sadly put a huge amount of pressure on the system," he said.