Thanks to preferential voting, you can't waste your vote. Along with compulsory voting, it's a proud contribution to our electoral system from Australia's conservative parties. https://australiainstitute.org.au/post/full-preferential-voting-means-you-cant-waste-your-vote/
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While, technically correct the conservative side did introduce compulsory voting, but it wasn’t ideologically driven. The goal was to increase turnout , participation was low in the early 1920s.
Why?
To prevent Labor from winning seats due to a split conservative vote between the Nationalists and the emerging Country Party.
So yes, it was introduced by conservatives, but not as a democratic reform. It was a strategic move to protect conservative interests.