Party representation in the Senate

Election Year	ALP	LP	NP	CLP	DEM	GRN	HAR	GWA	NDP	HAN	VPG	IND Other	Total
1998	29	31	3	1	9	1	1	-	-	1	-	-	76
1996	29	31	5	1	7	1	1	1	-	-	-	-	76
1993	30	30	5	1	7	-	1	2	-	-	-	-	76
1990	32	29	4	1	8	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	76
1987	32	27	6	1	7	-	1	-	1	-	1	-	76
1984	34	27	5	1	7	-	1	-	1	-	-	-	76
1983	30	23	4	1	5	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	64
1980	27	28	3	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	64
1977	26	29	6	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	64
1975	27	27	8	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	64

This table shows the status of the various parties from 1 July 1999. There was a double dissolution and a full Senate election in the years 1974, 1975, 1983 and 1987. In these years the figures show the status of the parties following the election. Refer to page 4 for party abbreviations.

Return of Writs

	Date Writ Returned	40 Day Petition Period
House of Representatives	29 October 1998	8 December 1998
(All States/Territories)
Senate
New South Wales	29 October 1998	8 December 1998
Victoria	29 October 1998	8 December 1998
Queensland	23 October 1998	2 December 1998
Western Australia	27 October 1998	7 December 1998
South Australia	26 October 1998	7 December 1998
Tasmania	29 October 1998	8 December 1998
Australian Capital Territory	29 October 1998	8 December 1998
Northern Territory	29 October 1998	8 December 1998

Please note: Statistics in this Newsfile are not final and may be subject to minor adjustment which will not affect the outcome of the half-Senate election in any State or Territory. Final figures will be published in the AEC's Election Statistics series.

Senators of the 39th Parliament
(in order of election)

Term Expires 30 June 2002 Elected 2 March 1996	Term Expires 30 June 2005 Elected 3 October 1998 (Note: Term commences on 1 July 1999)
NEW SOUTH WALES 1. Marise Payne (LP) 2. Sue West (ALP) 3. David Brownhill (NP) 4. George Campbell (ALP) 5. Helen Coonan (LP) 6. Vicki Bourne (DEM)	1. Steve Hutchins (ALP) 2. Bill Heffernan (LP) 3. John Faulkner (ALP) 4. John Tierney (LP) 5. Aden Ridgeway (DEM) 6. Michael Forshaw (ALP)
VICTORIA 1. Richard Alston (LP) 2. Robert Ray (ALP) 3. Rod Kemp (LP) 4. Barney Cooney (ALP) 5. Kay Patterson (LP) 6. Lyn Allison (DEM)	1. Stephen Conroy (ALP) 2. Judith Troeth (LP) 3. Kim Carr (ALP) 4. Julian John McGauran (NP) 5. Jacinta Collins (ALP) 6. Tsebin Techen (LP)
QUEENSLAND 1. Ian Macdonald (LP) 2. John Hogg (ALP) 3. Ron Boswell (NP) 4. John Herron (LP) 5. Brenda Gibbs (ALP) 6. Andrew Bartlett (DEM)	1. Jan McLucas (ALP) 2. Warwick Parer (LP) 3. Kim Carr (ALP) 4. Joe Ludwig (ALP) 5. Brett Mason (LP) 6. John Woodley (DEM)
WESTERN AUSTRALIA 1. Winston Crane (LP) 2. James McKiernan (ALP) 3. Ross Lightfoot (LP) 4. Mark Bishop (ALP) 5. Alan Eggleston (LP) 6. Andrew Bartlett (DEM)	1. Christopher Ellison (LP) 2. Peter Cook (ALP) 3. Ian Campbell (LP) 4. Chris Evans (ALP) 5. Brian Greig (DEM) 6. Sue Knowles (LP)
SOUTH AUSTRALIA 1. Robert Hill (LP) 2. Rosemary Crowley (ALP) 3. Natasha Stott Despoja (DEM) 4. Grant Chapman (LP) 5. Chris Schacht (ALP) 6. Jeannie Ferris (LP)	1. Amanda Vanstone (LP) 2. Nick Bolkus (ALP) 3. Nick Minchin (LP) 4. John Quirke (ALP) 5. Meg Lees (DEM) 6. Alan Ferguson (LP)
TASMANIA 1. Jocelyn Newman (LP) 2. Sue Mackay (ALP) 3. Paul Calvert (LP) 4. Nick Sherry (ALP) 5. John Watson (LP) 6. Bob Brown (GRN)	1. Kerry O'Brien (ALP) 2. Eric Abetz (LP) 3. Shayne Murphy (ALP) 4. Brian Gibson (LP) 5. Kay Denman (ALP) 6. Brian Harradine (HAR)
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY	1. Kate Lundy (ALP) 2. Margaret Reid (LP)
NORTHERN TERRITORY	1. Trish Crossin (ALP) 2. Grant Tambling (CLP)

Senate: Informal voting (%) 19987-1998

	1998	1996	1993	1990	1987
NSW	3.3	3.8	2.7	4.2	4.9
VIC	3.8	3.6	3.1	3.6	4.0
QLD	3.0	3.3	2.0	2.5	3.1
WA	2.7	3.5	2.1	2.9	3.3
SA	2.8	3.3	2.3	2.5	3.8
TAS	3.1	3.2	2.6	3.1	3.8
ACT	2.0	2.5	1.6	2.4	2.4
NT	2.0	2.8	2.8	2.8	3.7
AUSTRALIA	3.2	3.5	2.6	3.4	4.1

Electing the Senate

The 76-member Senate comprises 12 Senators from each State and two from each of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

State Senators generally serve a six-year term and half the Senate is due for re-election every three years unless there is a double dissolution at which the whole Senate faces the electorate. Territory Senators must contest each general election.

The State Senators elected at the 3 October 1998 poll will take their seats on 1 July 1999 and their terms are due to expire on 30 June 2005.

The State Senators elected on 13 March 1996 took their seats on 1 July 1996 and their terms are due to expire on 30 June 2002.

Thus when the 39th Parliament met on 10 November 1998 following the election, the House of Representatives reflected the outcome of the 3 October poll. However, the `new Senate' will not be seen until 1 July 1999 (though Territory Senators took their seats following the declaration of the poll.)

Use Of Group Voting Ticket (%)

	Above the line %	Below the line%
NSW	96.20	3.80
VIC	96.80	3.20
QLD	95.76	4.24
WA	94.16	5.84
SA	92.89	7.11
TAS	78.24	21.76
ACT	78.17	21.83
NT	85.62	14.38
AUST	94.90	5.10

Percentage of first preference votes

	NSW	VIC	QLD	WA	SA	TAS	ACT	NT	AUS	SEATS*
LP	.	.	28.24	38.41	40.52	33.81	31.15	.	13.64	15
NP	.	.	9.52	1.26	0.47	.	.	.	1.86	1
LNP	36.63	37.90	.	.	.	.	.	.	21.88	.
CLP	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	38.78	0.32	1
ALP	38.68	40.52	32.67	34.67	32.03	41.63	42.56	41.14	37.30	17
DEM	7.35	9.85	7.81	6.40	12.42	3.93	16.66	5.50	8.46	4
GRN	2.17	2.49	2.11	.	2.21	5.81	3.24	4.55	2.18	.
HAN	9.61	4.12	14.83	10.37	9.71	3.78	4.88	9.31	8.99	1
CTA	1.55	0.49	1.44	0.96	1.01	0.31	0.47	.	1.09	.
DLP	.	1.05	.	.	.	.	.	.	0.27	.
GWA	.	.	.	5.74	.	.	.	.	0.54	.
HAR	.	.	.	.	.	7.87	.	.	0.22	1
AWP	.	.	.	.	.	.	0.44	.	.	.
UNI	1.64	0.72	0.47	0.21	.	.	.	.	0.84	.
ACS	.	.	.	.	.	0.57	0.44	.	.	.
ASP	.	1.21	.	.	.	.	.	.	.	.
OTH**	2.38	1.64	2.67	1.98	1.63	2.31	0.14	0.72	2.43	.
FORMAL	96.69	96.22	96.96	97.32	97.19	96.95	98.03	98.01	96.76
INFORMAL	3.31	3.78	3.04	2.68	2.81	3.05	1.97	1.99	3.24
TURNOUT	95.82	96.16	94.64	95.35	96.07	96.35	96.31	90.33	95.64

*The 3 October poll was a half -Senate election in which six Senators were elected for each State and two for each Territory. This column shows how many seats each party won on 3 October. Refer to page 1 for the full listing of how many seats each party holds in the Senate from 1 July 1999.

Please note in the above table the AWP, ASP and ACS parties have been shown separately at the state level but included in `other' at the national level.

Party Abbreviations

ACS: Abolish Child Support/Family Court Party; ALP: Australian Labor Party; AWP: Australian Women's Party; ASP: Australian Shooter's Party; CTA: Christian Democratic Party [Fred Nile Group]; DLP: Democratic Labor Party (DLP) of Australia; CLP: Northern Territory Country Liberal Party; DEM: Australian Democrats; GRN: Australian Greens; GWA: The Greens (WA) Inc; HAN: Pauline Hanson's One Nation; HAR: Tasmanian Independent Senator Brian Harradine Group; LP:Liberal Party of Australia; LNP: Liberal-National Party [Combined-ticket]; NP: National Party of Australia; UNI: Unity - Say No To Hanson; VPG: Vallentine Peace Group

** Other includes candidates from parties not identified above, undendorsed groups and independents.

AEC Contacts

Director Information
Brien Hallett (02) 6271 4415

Assistant Directors Information
Silvana Puizina (02) 6271 4431
Bernadette O'Meara (02) 6271 4548

Editor, Newsfile
Margaret Meneghel (02) 6271 4505

New South Wales (02) 9375 6333
Victoria (02) 9285 7171
Queensland (07) 3834 3400
Western Australia (08) 9470 7299
South Australia (08) 8237 6555
Tasmania (03) 6235 0500
Northern Territory (08) 8981 1477