Given compulsory voting, it’s reasonable that governments do what they can to make that duty less onerous.
Federal elections
Mackerras: narrowing a date for the next poll
While the parliaments of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and both territories do have scheduled election dates, our federal parliament does not, writes psephologist Malcolm Mackerras.
MacKerras: forget byelections … we’re off to polls in October 2013
The current Parliament will run its full three-year term.
Federal election: promise to keep the baa-stards honest
The seat of O’Connor in Western Australia will be the target of a campaign from The Animal Party, come next year’s federal election, writes Nick Rynne.
Will net censorship filter through to the ballot box?
What are the electoral consequences of net censorship? Next to none, says Possum Comitatus. The seats of Melbourne and Sydney are the only places it even stands a chance of becoming an issue.
Antony Green: Five possible election scenarios
Antony Green outlines the possible dates for the next Federal Election under three different scenarios: a normal House and half-Senate election, a separate House of Representatives election, or a a double dissolution.
Rundle: Why Clive H might be just the ticket in Higgins
Higgins is the one of the foremost ‘social liberal’ (or doctors’ wives) seat in the country. Clive Hamilton’s success as the Greens’ candidate in the seat will be a litmus test of test of exactly how seriously they take climate change, says Guy Rundle.
Poll Bludger: NSW redraw redrawn
William Bowe looks at the redistribution of New South Wales’ federal election boundaries.
graph pr0n Possum: Swings and misses in the new pendulum
Possum Comitatus looks at the new federal election pendulum. While the electoral system still slightly favours the Coalition, even after the redistributions, it would need a swing of 2.3% to win government.
The Coalition ride the conveyor belt to electoral slaughter
The idea of the Coalition losing 20 seats next year has now become part of the political furniture, says Bernard Keane. And unfortunately for them, next year is, historically, their best chance at getting back in power for some time.
Fixed term elections: what are the benefits?
Every three years, same date: is there value in fixed term federal elections? It would cut out all the “will he, won’t he ” on whether PM Kevin Rudd will call an early election.
Why calling an election early would be suicide for Rudd
Going prematurely to the polls suggests politicians are more interested in obtaining an electoral advantage than in doing the job they are elected to do, Bernard Keane explains.
From the polling booth on the grassy knoll
There is no evidence of widespread, let alone systematic, electoral fraud in Australia. Try telling that to the H S Chapman Society, a stalwart band of conspiracy theorists, writes Christian Kerr.
Beware the Underdog
It is becoming almost the conventional wisdom of the political pundits that John Howard is running out of time to make the improvement needed to secure another victory. But a look back at the last five federal elections suggests that his task is not as unique as might appear, writes Richard Farmer.
