Australian Federal Elections: Rules and Customs Quiz

Answer: No more than 3 years and 140 days apart

The timing of elections is determined by the need to elect a new House of Representatives. After an election each House meets for a maximum of 3 years, and a new House must meet within 140 days of the previous House being dissolved.

The Prime Minister can ask the Governor-General to dissolve the House of Representatives at any point in its term before the 3 year limit is reached. In practice, then, elections are usually held less than 3 years apart as the Prime Minister tries to choose the most advantageous time for his or her party to seek re-election. As the limit approaches everyone keeps a close eye on the Governor-General's house in case the Prime Minister decides to make a surprise visit.

Answer: Senate and the House of Representatives

Senators have a fixed six-year term, with half re-elected on a rotating 3-year basis. The elections for the House of Representatives can be held whenever the prime minister advises the Governor-General, up to a maximum of 3 years and 140 days apart. Both are usually held together, but not always e.g. there was a federal election held in November 1966 for the House of Representatives, and another followed a year later in November 1967 for half the Senate. This occurred more than once throughout the 1950s and 1960s.

The ballot for the House of Representatives is a green piece of paper. There can be as few as two candidates or as many as ten or more on a single ballot. This vote elects a local member (called a Member of Parliament) whose constituency is based on a specific geographical area with 100,000 electors, more or less.

Senators represent an entire state or territory. The ballot for the Senate is a white piece of paper, and is usually significantly larger than the House ballot. Electors have the option of voting for a group (such as a political party) and letting the group decide how to distribute preferences; or they may choose to allocate the preferences themselves. The former is called "above the line voting" because the list of groups are separated from the list of individual candidates by a horizontal line. Most people choose to vote above the line as a Senate ballot paper can have dozens of candidates.

Answer: Pencil and paper

Most people cast their ballots using a pencil and paper, although other options are available, especially for people who are vision-impaired. When the polling booths close each ballot is examined by an official from the Electoral Commission, generally witnessed by representatives for the major candidates.

A tally of results for each polling booth is calculated on election night, but ballots are securely saved so that a formal recount can be conducted later if the results are close.

Answer: Saturday

Elections are held on Saturdays, when more people are free from work than during the week. People who have to work, will be travelling, or who cannot vote on Saturdays for religious reasons can cast their vote in the few weeks before an election. This may be done in person at specified locations (a pre-poll vote) or by sending the completed ballot to the Electoral Commission by mail or fax (a postal vote).

Answer: A sausage sizzle

Many polling booths are located at public schools (on Saturday the kids aren't using the buildings!) so it's commonplace for the school community to take the opportunity to do a bit of fundraising. For me, exercising my democratic rights will always be associated with a sausage sandwich. Yum.

Answer: True

Compulsory voting was introduced in 1924 in response to low voter turnout. Australians can apply to be exempt from voting, such as for religious reasons, but otherwise electoral enrolment is compulsory. People who do not enrol, do not submit a pre-poll ballot, or do not attend a polling booth on election day can be issued with a fine.

Answer: 18 years for everyone

Australia has had a voting age of 18 since 1973, when it was lowered from 21. 17 year olds can add their name to the electoral roll in case an election is called for after their 18th birthday.

Answer: Aboriginal people

Prior to the 20th century the voting rights of Australians varied between states. By the time of federation in 1901 all men over 21 could vote in all states except Queensland and Western Australia (where Aborigines were excluded), and women over 21 could vote in South Australia.

Women were granted a Commonwealth vote in 1902, but Aboriginal men and women were still excluded from voting in federal elections if they were not already enfranchised at the state level. Selective interpretations of the Constitution by government officials prevented many Indigenous people from being recorded on the electoral roll even in states where they legally had voting rights.

It wasn't until the 1960s that Aboriginal people were guaranteed and allowed their voting rights in all Commonwealth and State elections.

A full history of the voting rights of Indigenous Australians is available on the website of the Australian Electoral Commission: http://www.aec.gov.au/voting/indigenous_vote/aborigin.htm

Answer: Preferential voting

Voters number the options on the ballot in the order of their choice. If no one receives more than 50% of the total '1' votes (called 'primary votes' or 'first preference votes'), the candidate with the fewest primary votes is eliminated from the running, and his/her votes reallocated according to the second preference expressed on each ballot. This continues until one candidate has more than 50%. Nonetheless, the Australian Electoral Office will continue distributing preferences until there are two candidates are left, to produce a final tally after preferences are distributed, which is referred to as the "two candidate preferred" count.

In multi-member constituencies, such as the Australian Senate, the quota preferential system is used; the counting process is a bit more complicated, but the principle is the same.

Answer: Double dissolution

The Constitution provides the option of a double dissolution to resolve a deadlock in parliament. There have been six double dissolution elections in Australia in the first 110 years of federation. A normal election is often called a "half Senate" election, although technically we vote for half the Senators representing Australia's six states. The Senators representing the two territories have to stand for re-election each time.

Calling a double dissolution election can be a risky gamble. Famously, when Liberal Party Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser called a double dissolution election in 1983 he was unaware that the same morning the Labor Party had dumped its leader in favour of the popular Bob Hawke. Fraser's government went on to suffer a crushing defeat.

An altogether different scenario is the double disillusion* election, in which the voter is cynical about the chances of getting an honest politician elected to either the House or the Senate.

*I kid, I kid. It's just a common mispronunciation.