AEC – News, Research and Analysis – The Conversation

GetUp has been in the Coalition’s firing line for a number of years now, which is not surprising, given its lobbying efforts for left-wing causes. Dan Himbrechts/AAP

August 19, 2019

Yes, GetUp fights for progressive causes, but it is not a political party – and is not beholden to one

Krystian Seibert, Swinburne University of Technology

GetUp is already subject to the same type of regulation as a political party. By challenging its links to left-wing parties, though, the Coalition is seeking to strip away its claim of independence.

The posters in question, such as this one in the seat of Chisholm, are written in Chinese and are in the same colours used by the AEC. AAP/Twitter/Luke Hilakari

August 1, 2019

High Court challenge in Kooyong and Chisholm unlikely to win, but may still land a blow

Graeme Orr, The University of Queensland

Winning the case will be difficult, because it's not enough to show the posters were misleading – the petitioners will need to show it affected the outcome in the seat.

As a result of the electoral boundary changes, Labor notionally gained two seats in Victoria and one in the ACT, and the Coalition lost two seats in Victoria. AAP/Tony McDonough

April 13, 2018

Labor benefits from completed draft boundaries, plus South Australian and Tasmanian final results

Adrian Beaumont, University of Melbourne

On the new boundaries, Labor requires just a five-seat gain to win a majority, while the Coalition needs to gain two seats to retain its majority.

For the ABS, even the basic task of sending out ballot papers will not be straightforward. AAP/Alan Porritt

August 10, 2017

Using the ABS to conduct a same-sex marriage poll is legally shaky and lacks legitimacy

Paul Kildea, UNSW

The key question in a legal challenge to the 'postal plebiscite' is whether information about Australians’ opinions on same-sex marriage constitutes 'statistical information'.

Labor’s better-than-expected performance has left a lot of seats still too close to call. AAP/Mick Tsikas

July 3, 2016

Explainer: why don’t we know who won the election and what happens now?

Zareh Ghazarian, Monash University

It may be several days, or even longer, before we know the shape of our next government, but the business of government will carry on as usual.

There has been debate in recent times around placing caps or limits on some forms of political advertising. shutterstock

May 18, 2016

Election explainer: what are the rules governing political advertising?

Andrew Hughes, Australian National University

What are some of the legalities and issues around political advertising in federal campaigns?

Some voters in New South Wales may be forced to vote in a different electorate at the next federal election following a recent redistribution. AAP/Paul Miller

February 1, 2016

Explainer: how do seat redistributions work?

John Juriansz, Western Sydney University

Any redistribution of electoral boundaries may significantly impact how parties are represented in the parliament. But how does Australia’s system of changing seat boundaries actually work?

Are fixed term elections the answer to the AEC’s problems, as identified in the report into the handling of the ballot papers in Western Australia? AAP/Lukas Coch

December 10, 2013

WA Senate ballot farce: fix the date, fix the problems

Jennifer Rayner, Australian National University

The release of Mick Keelty’s report on the missing Western Australian Senate ballot papers from the 2013 federal election gives us an unusually in-depth look at how the Australian Electoral Commission…

Before we pulp the paper ballots, we should consider whether the other options are worth the trouble. AAP/Paul Miller

November 4, 2013

Time to kill paper ballots? First, let’s look at the alternatives

Jennifer Rayner, Australian National University

The Australian Electoral Commission’s (AEC) loss of 1,375 ballot papers for the West Australian Senate count was an unfortunate failure from an agency that already faced growing public pressure to do away…

Greens senator Scott Ludlam has been successful in the full recount of the WA Senate vote. But the fight over who goes to Canberra looks like continuing for some time yet. AAP/Alan Porritt

November 4, 2013

A new Senate election looms large for WA voters

Narelle Miragliotta, Monash University

The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) will officially declare the result of the full recount of the Western Australian Senate vote today. Scott Ludlam from the Australian Greens and Wayne Dropulich…

Clive Palmer, who is locked in a tight battle for the seat of Fairfax, has called for another election to be held, citing improper conduct by the AEC. AAP/Dave Hunt

September 18, 2013

Australia’s robust voting system deserves praise, not criticism