Electoral Newsfile 79: Federal Election 1998 Results Guide
State of the parties
| House of Representatives | 1996 | 1998 |
|---|---|---|
| LP* | 75 | 64 |
| NP | 18 | 16 |
| CLP | 1 | - |
| ALP | 49 | 67 |
| IND | 5 | 1 |
| Total | 148 | 148 |
| Senate | 3 October Election | Full Senate |
| LP | 15 | 31 |
| NP | 1 | 3 |
| CLP | 1 | 1 |
| ALP | 17 | 29 |
| DEM | 4 | 9 |
| HAR | 1 | 1 |
| HAN | 1 | 1 |
| GRN | - | 1 |
| Total | 40 | 76 |
| *Please note party abbreviations are listed below. | ||
Key dates
| Issue of writ | 31 August 1998 |
|---|---|
| Close of rolls | 7 September 1998 |
| Close of nominations | 10 September 1998 |
| Declaration of nominations | 11 September 1998 |
| Polling day | 3 October 1998 |
| Return of the writ | |
| Writ | Date Returned |
| House of Representatives | 29 October 1998 |
| (all States) | |
| Newcastle | 1 December 1998 |
| Senate | |
| New South Wales | 29 October 1998 |
| Victoria | 29 October 1998 |
| Queensland | 23 October 1998 |
| Western Australia | 27 October 1998 |
| South Australia | 26 October 1998 |
| Tasmania | 29 October 1998 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 29 October 1998 |
| Northern Territory | 29 October 1998 |
Nominations
| 1996 | 1998 | |
|---|---|---|
| Total number of candidates | 1163 | 1435 |
| House of Representatives | 908 | 1106* |
| Senate | 255 | 329 |
| Female Candidates | 342 | 400 |
| House of Representatives | 253 | 299 |
| Senate | 89 | 101 |
| Number of Parties contesting | 31 | 34 |
| *In addition 11 candidates nominated for the Newcastle Supplementary Election which was held on 21 November 1998 due to the death of a candidate in the Division of Newcastle prior to polling day. | ||
Votes cast
| 1996 | 1998 | |
|---|---|---|
| House of Representatives | % | % |
| ordinary votes | 85.56 | 82.34 |
| absent votes | 5.67 | 6.54 |
| provisional votes | 0.78 | 0.85 |
| pre-poll votes | 3.82 | 5.93 |
| postal votes | 3.17 | 4.34 |
| Informal voting | ||
| House of Representatives | 3.20 | 3.77 |
| Senate | 3.50 | 3.24 |
| Turnout | 96.20 | 95.33 |
Senate results 1975–1998
| 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 |
House of Representatives results 1954–1998
| Year | ALP | LP | NP/CLP* | IND | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 67 | 64 | 16 | 1 | 148 |
| 1996 | 49 | 75 | 19 | 5 | 148 |
| 1993 | 80 | 49 | 16 | 2 | 147 |
| 1990 | 78 | 55 | 14 | 1 | 148 |
| 1987 | 86 | 43 | 19 | 0 | 148 |
| 1984 | 82 | 45 | 21 | 0 | 148 |
| 1983 | 75 | 33 | 17 | 0 | 125 |
| 1980 | 51 | 54 | 20 | 0 | 125 |
| 1977 | 38 | 67 | 19 | 0 | 124 |
| 1975 | 36 | 68 | 23 | 0 | 127 |
| 1974 | 66 | 40 | 21 | 0 | 127 |
| 1972 | 67 | 38 | 20 | 0 | 125 |
| 1969 | 59 | 46 | 20 | 0 | 125 |
| 1966 | 41 | 61 | 21 | 1 | 124 |
| 1963 | 50 | 52 | 20 | 0 | 122 |
| 1961 | 60 | 45 | 17 | 0 | 122 |
| 1958 | 45 | 58 | 19 | 0 | 122 |
| 1955 | 47 | 57 | 18 | 0 | 122 |
| 1954 | 57 | 47 | 17 | 0 | 121 |
| *Includes Country Liberal Party | |||||
Senate 1998 results: state of the Senate from 1 July 1999
| Party | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | ACT | NT | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALP | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 29 |
| LP | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 31 |
| NP | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| DEM | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| HAN | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| CLP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| HAR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| GRN | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 76 |
House of Representatives 1998 results
| Party | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | ACT | NT | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LP | 18 | 16 | 14 | 7 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 64 |
| NP | 9 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| ALP | 22 | 19 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 67 |
| IND | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| TOTAL | 50 | 37 | 27 | 14 | 12 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 148 |
| Due to the death of a candidate in the Division of Newcastle prior to polling day, a supplementary election for this seat was held on 21 November 1998. This table shows the result of the 3 October 1998 poll including the supplementary election held in Newcastle. | |||||||||
Historical Two-Party Preferred figures 1990–1998
| Year | NSW | VIC | QLD | WA | SA | TAS | ACT | NT | AUS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | ALP | 51.5 | 53.5 | 47.0 | 49.5 | 46.9 | 57.3 | 62.4 | 50.6 | 51.0 |
| LP/NP | 48.5 | 46.5 | 53.0 | 50.5 | 53.1 | 42.7 | 37.6 | 49.4 | 49.0 | |
| 1996 | ALP | 47.4 | 50.3 | 39.8 | 44.0 | 42.7 | 51.6 | 55.5 | 49.6 | 46.4 |
| LP/NP | 52.6 | 49.7 | 60.2 | 56.0 | 57.3 | 48.4 | 44.5 | 50.4 | 53.6 | |
| 1993 | ALP | 54.4 | 51.8 | 48.4 | 46.0 | 47.3 | 54.7 | 61.2 | 55.3 | 51.4 |
| LP/NP | 45.6 | 48.2 | 51.6 | 54.0 | 52.7 | 45.3 | 38.8 | 44.7 | 48.6 | |
| 1990 | ALP | 52.1 | 47.5 | 50.2 | 47.1 | 49.5 | 47.9 | 58.5 | 55.0 | 49.9 |
| LP/NP | 47.9 | 52.5 | 49.8 | 52.9 | 50.5 | 52.1 | 41.5 | 45.0 | 50.1 |
The 20 most marginal seats
The following seats are the twenty most marginal seats across Australia taking into account the 1998 federal election results. A seat is classified as marginal when the two-candidate preferred figure is less than 56 per cent. The number of marginal seats is 62 out of a total of 148.
| Division | Status | Two-Candidate Preferred % | Sitting Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | Marginal Labor | 50.06 | Michelle O'Byrne |
| Herbert | Marginal Liberal | 50.10 | Peter Lindsay |
| Dickson | Marginal Labor | 50.12 | Cheryl Kernot |
| Eden-Monaro | Marginal Liberal | 50.18 | Gary Nairn |
| Hinkler | Marginal National | 50.34 | Paul Neville |
| Kingston | Marginal Labor | 50.47 | David Cox |
| Northern Territory | Marginal Labor | 50.57 | Warren Snowdon |
| Moreton | Marginal Liberal | 50.57 | Gary Hardgrave |
| McMillan | Marginal Labor | 50.57 | Christian John Zahra |
| Petrie | Marginal Liberal | 50.75 | Teresa Gambaro |
| Richmond | Marginal National | 50.77 | Larry Anthony |
| Adelaide | Marginal Liberal | 50.91 | Trish Worth |
| Longman | Marginal Liberal | 50.92 | Mal Brough |
| Makin | Marginal Liberal | 50.94 | Trish Draper |
| La Trobe | Marginal Liberal | 50.99 | Bob Charles |
| Stirling | Marginal Labor | 51.04 | Jann McFarlane |
| McEwen | Marginal Liberal | 51.04 | Fran Bailey |
| Parramatta | Marginal Liberal | 51.07 | Ross Cameron |
| Paterson | Marginal Labor | 51.22 | Bob Horne |
| Hindmarsh | Marginal Liberal | 51.23 | Christine Gallus |
Party name abbreviations
ALP: Australian Labor Party GRN: Australian Greens
LP: Liberal Party HAN: Pauline Hanson's One Nation
CTA: Call to Australia Party NP: National Party
DEM: Australian Democrats
CLP: Northern Territory Country Liberal Party
GWA:The Greens (WA) Inc
Seats where preferences decided the result
| New South Wales (27) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Banks (ALP) | Greenway (ALP) | New England (NP) |
| Barton (ALP) | Gwydir (NP) | Page (NP) |
| Bennelong (LP) | Hughes (LP) | Parkes (NP) |
| Calare (IND) | Hume (LP) | Parramatta (LP) |
| Charlton (ALP) | Lindsay (LP) | Paterson (ALP) |
| Cowper (NP) | Lowe (ALP) | Richmond (NP) |
| Dobell (ALP) | Macarthur (LP) | Riverina (NP) |
| Eden-Monaro (LP) | Macquarie (LP) | Robertson (LP) |
| Gilmore (LP) | Newcastle (ALP) | Wentworth (LP) |
| Victoria (20) | ||
| Aston (LP) | Corangamite (LP) | La Trobe (LP) |
| Ballarat (LP) | Deakin (LP) | McEwen (LP) |
| Bendigo (ALP) | Dunkley (LP) | McMillan (ALP) |
| Bruce (ALP) | Flinders (LP) | Melbourne Ports (ALP) |
| Burke (ALP) | Gippsland (NP) | Menzies (LP) |
| Casey (LP) | Isaacs (ALP) | Wannon (LP) |
| Chisholm (ALP) | Jagajaga (ALP) | |
| Queensland (26) | ||
| Blair (LP) | Forde (LP) | McPherson (LP) |
| Bowman (ALP) | Griffith (ALP) | Maranoa (NP) |
| Brisbane (ALP) | Groom (LP) | Moreton (LP) |
| Capricornia (ALP) | Herbert (LP) | Oxley (ALP) |
| Dawson (NP) | Hinkler (NP) | Petrie (LP) |
| Dickson (ALP) | Kennedy (NP) | Rankin (ALP) |
| Fadden (LP) | Leichhardt (LP) | Ryan (LP) |
| Fairfax (LP) | Lilley (ALP) | Wide Bay (NP) |
| Fisher (LP) | Longman (ALP) | |
| Western Australia (12) | ||
| Canning (ALP) | Fremantle (ALP) | Pearce (LP) |
| Cowan (ALP) | Kalgoorlie (LP) | Stirling (ALP) |
| Curtin (LP) | Moore (LP) | Swan (ALP) |
| Forrest (LP) | O'Connor (LP) | Tangney (LP) |
| South Australia (9) | ||
| Adelaide (LP) | Grey (LP) | Makin (LP) |
| Barker (LP) | Hindmarsh (LP) | Mayo (LP) |
| Boothby (LP) | Kingston (ALP) | Sturt (LP) |
| Tasmania (3) | ||
| Bass (ALP) | Braddon (ALP) | Franklin (ALP) |
| Australian Capital Territory (1) | ||
| Canberra (ALP) | ||
| Northern Territory (1) | ||
| Northern Territory (ALP) | ||
Seats won outright (i.e. 50% plus 1 of the first preference votes)
| New South Wales (23) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Berowra (LP) | Grayndler (ALP) | Reid (ALP) |
| Blaxland (ALP) | Hunter (ALP) | Shortland (ALP) |
| Bradfield (LP) | Kingsford-Smith (ALP) | Sydney (ALP) |
| Chifley (ALP) | Lyne (NP) | Throsby (ALP) |
| Cook (LP) | Mackellar (LP) | Warringah (LP) |
| Cunningham (ALP) | Mitchell (LP) | Watson (ALP) |
| Farrer (NP) | North Sydney (LP) | Werriwa (ALP) |
| Fowler (ALP) | Prospect (ALP) | |
| Victoria (17) | ||
| Batman (ALP) | Holt (ALP) | Maribyrnong (ALP) |
| Calwell (ALP) | Hotham (ALP) | Melbourne (ALP) |
| Corio (ALP) | Indi (LP) | Murray (LP) |
| Gellibrand (ALP) | Kooyong (LP) | Scullin (ALP) |
| Goldstein (LP) | Lalor (ALP) | Wills (ALP) |
| Higgins (LP) | Mallee (NP) | |
| Queensland (1) | ||
| Moncrieff (LP) | ||
| Western Australia (2) | ||
| Brand (ALP) | Perth (ALP) | |
| South Australia (3) | ||
| Bonython (ALP) | Port Adelaide (ALP) | Wakefield (LP) |
| Tasmania (2) | ||
| Denison (ALP) | Lyons (ALP) | |
| Australian Capital Territory (1) | ||
| Fraser (ALP) | ||
Seats which changed parties
| Division | Previous incumbent | Party | Successful candidate | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales (3) | ||||
| Hume | John Sharp | NP | Alby Schultz | LP |
| Lowe | Paul Zammit | LP* | John Murphy | ALP |
| Paterson | Bob Baldwin | LP | Bob Horne | ALP |
| Victoria (3) | ||||
| Bendigo | Bruce Reid | LP | Steve Gibbons | ALP |
| Chisholm | Michael Wooldridge | LP | Anna Elizabeth Burke | ALP |
| McMillan | Russell Broadbent | LP | Christian John Zahra | ALP |
| Queensland (6) | ||||
| Bowman | Andrea West | LP | Con Sciacca | ALP |
| Capricornia | Paul Marek | NP | Kirsten Livermore | ALP |
| Dickson | Tony Smith | LP | Cheryl Kernot | ALP |
| Griffith | Graeme McDougall | LP | Kevin Rudd | ALP |
| Lilley | Elizabeth Grace | LP | Wayne Swan | ALP |
| Oxley | Pauline Hanson | IND | Bernie Ripoll | ALP |
| Western Australia (7) | ||||
| Canning | Ricky Johnston | LP | Jane Gerick | ALP |
| Cowan | Richard Evans | LP | Graham Edwards | ALP |
| Curtin | Allan Rocher | IND | Julie Bishop | LP |
| Kalgoorlie | Graeme Campbell | IND | Barry Haase | LP |
| Moore | Paul Filing | IND | Mal Washer | LP |
| Stirling | Eoin Cameron | LP | Jann McFarlane | ALP |
| Swan | Don Randall | LP | Kim Wilkie | ALP |
| South Australia (1) | ||||
| Kingston | Susan Jeanes | LP | David Cox | ALP |
| Tasmania (2) | ||||
| Bass | Warwick Smith | LP | Michelle O'Byrne | ALP |
| Braddon | Chris Miles | LP | Peter Sid Sidebottom | ALP |
| Northern Territory (1) | ||||
| Northern Territory | Nick Dondas | CLP | Warren Snowdon | ALP |
Total: 23 seats changed hands
Please note: the above compares party representation immediately after the 1996 and 1998 elections. Results of any by-elections have been ignored. Please also note that the ALP held seat of Namadgi (ACT) was abolished in the 1997 redistribution of electoral boundaries and the newly created seat of Blair (QLD) was first contested in 1998.
*Paul Zammit was elected at the 1996 election as a Liberal Party candidate but later sat in Parliament as an independent Member.
Seats where the leader on first preferences lost after the full distribution of preferences
| Division | Leader | Successful Candidate |
|---|---|---|
| Parkes | Barry Brebner (ALP) | Tony Lawler (NP) |
| Blair | Pauline Hanson (HAN) | Cameron Thompson (LP) |
| Stirling | Eoin Cameron (LP) | Jann McFarlane (ALP) |
| Bass | Warwick Smith (LP) | Michelle O'Byrne (ALP) |
| McMillan | Russell Broadbent (LP) | Christian Zahra (ALP) |
| Hinkler | Cheryl Dorron (ALP) | Paul Neville (NP) |
| Kingston | Susan Jeanes (LP) | David Cox (ALP) |
Informal voting 1987–1998 (%)
| House of Representatives | Senate | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| State/ Territory |
1998 | 1996 | 1993 | 1990 | 1987 | 1998 | 1996 | 1993 | 1990 | 1987 |
| NSW | 4.0* | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 4.6 | 3.3 | 3.8 | 2.7 | 4.2 | 4.9 |
| VIC | 3.5 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.5 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 4.0 |
| QLD | 3.3 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 2.2 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 3.1 |
| WA | 4.2 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 3.7 | 6.6 | 2.7 | 3.5 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 3.3 |
| SA | 4.5 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 3.7 | 6.8 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| TAS | 3.1 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 3.3 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 3.8 |
| ACT | 2.9 | 2.8 | 3.4 | 3.0 | 3.5 | 2.0 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 2.4 | 2.4 |
| NT | 4.2 | 3.4 | 3.1 | 3.4 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 3.7 |
| AUST. | 3.8* | 3.2 | 3.0 | 3.2 | 4.9 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 3.4 | 4.0 |
*These figures do not include informal voting in the Division of Newcastle.
Election costs 1984–1996
| Year | Cost per elector ($) |
|---|---|
| 1996 | 4.76 |
| 1993 | 4.32 |
| 1990 | 4.45 |
| 1987 | 5.07 |
| 1984 | 5.20 |
The final cost of the 1998 federal election is being finalised, but is expected to be approximately $65.5 million.
Voter turnout (%)
| 1998 | Election | 95.33 |
| 1996 | Election | 96.20 |
| 1993 | Election | 96.22 |
| 1990 | Election | 95.81 |
| 1987 | Election | 94.33 |
| 1984 | Election and Referendum | 94.55 |
| 1983 | Election | 94.64 |
| 1980 | Election | 94.35 |
| 1977 | Election | 95.08 |
Enrolment statistics: 1996 & 1998
| State | 1996 | 1998 |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | 3 955 782 | 4 076 081 |
| VIC | 2 972 635 | 3 081 632 |
| QLD | 2 091 384 | 2 188 024 |
| WA | 1 088 487 | 1 149 619 |
| SA | 1 001 006 | 1 013 989 |
| TAS | 329 304 | 330 121 |
| ACT | 203 170 | 209 536 |
| NT | 98 800 | 105 048 |
| NAT | 11 740 568 | 12 154 050 |
Previous election dates
| Polling day | Goverment elected | Seats won | Total no. of seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| 02/03/96 | LP/NP/NCP | 94 | 148 |
| 13/03/93 | ALP | 80 | 147 |
| 24/03/90 | ALP | 78 | 148 |
| 11/07/87 | ALP | 86 | 148 |
| 01/12/84 | ALP | 82 | 148 |
| 05/03/83 | ALP | 75 | 125 |
| 18/10/80 | LP/NP/NCP | 74 | 125 |
| 10/12/77 | LP/NP/NCP | 86 | 124 |
| 13/12/75 | LP/NP/NCP | 91 | 127 |
| 18/05/74 | ALP | 66 | 127 |
1998 election funding payments
| Payee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | $13 959 511.97 |
| Liberal Party of Australia | $11 488 881.15 |
| National Party of Australia | $2 321 589.02 |
| Northern Territory Country Liberal Party | $116 916.10 |
| Australian Democrats | $2 247 677.46 |
| Australian Greens | $147 867.39 |
| The Greens (WA) | $172 137.25 |
| Pauline Hanson's One Nation | $3 044 525.97 |
| Australia First Party | $25 280.43 |
| Australian Shooters Party | $8 554.96 |
| Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) | $5 339.95 |
| Progressive Labour Party | $5 054.46 |
| Unity – Say No to Hanson | $48 692.20 |
| Peter James ANDREN – Calare (NSW) | $47 887.64 |
| Anthony Robert George BECK – Barker (SA) | $6 464.07 |
| Barry Thomas CUNNINGHAM – McMillan (Vic) | $6 163.98 |
| Robert James Keith ELLIS – Mackellar (NSW) | $7 670.91 |
| Paul Anthony FILING – Moore (WA) | $23 908.13 |
| Brian HARRADINE – Tasmania | $39 342.41 |
| Philip NITSCHKE – Menzies (Vic) | $11 100.03 |
| Graham John NUTTALL – New England (NSW) | $10 060.26 |
| Allan Charles ROCHER – Curtin (WA) | $22 587.74 |
| Margaret Anne SCOTT – Oxley (Qld) | $4 952.27 |
| Anthony Charles SMITH – Dickson (Qld) | $10 697.75 |
| Douglas Harry TREASURE – Gippsland (Vic) | $6 611.68 |
| Robert Ian WILSON – Parkes (NSW) | $14 042.52 |
| Paul John ZAMMIT – Lowe (NSW) | $18 978.57 |
| Total Election Funding Paid | $33 822 496.27 |
Key words
Divisions (electorates): Australia is divided into 148 voting districts which are known as Divisions. One member is elected from each Division to the House of Representatives.
DRO: The Divisional Returning Officer (DRO) is the AEC officer responsible for conducting the election in each Division and maintaining the roll.
Mobile team: Mobile polling teams bring the polling to the elector. They visit electors in hospitals and nursing homes, prisons and remote locations to enable them to vote.
Redistribution: A redistribution is the redrawing of the boundaries of electoral Divisions to ensure that there are, as near as practical, the same number of electors in each Division for a State or Territory.
Roll: The list of electors eligible to vote at an election.
Swing: The difference between the performance of a candidate or party at this election in comparison with the previous election.
TCP count (Two candidate-preferred): These figures show where preferences have been distributed to the final two candidates in an election. In most, but not all cases these will be from the two major sides of politics – the ALP and the Liberal and National Party Coalition.
TPP count (Two party-preferred): These figures indicate results where preferences have been distributed to the two major sides of politics – the ALP and the Coalition. In most cases TCP and TPP are the same because the final two candidates are ALP and Coalition. However in an independently held seat the TCP differs from the TPP.
A two party-preferred figure could not be calculated for the supplementary election held in Newcastle as a Liberal/National/Country Liberal Party candidate did not stand for election.
Voter turnout: The percentage of enrolled electors who vote in an election or referendum.
Election logistics
Polling facilities
Ordinary polling places: No. of ordinary polling places: 7 775
Mobile polling teams:
- No. of mobile polling teams visiting special hospitals: 475
- No. of mobile polling teams visiting remote locations: 48
- No. of mobile polling teams visiting prisons: 13
Pre-poll centres: No. of pre-poll voting centres: 421
Overseas polling places: No. of overseas polling places: 99
Casual staff: Approximate number of casual staff employed to assist in the conduct of the 1998 federal election: 67 600
Polling equipment
Ballot boxes
No. of large ballot boxes: 19 900
No. of small ballot boxes: 18 090
Voting screens
No. of large voting screens: 118 364
No. of tabletop voting screens: 15 079
No. of litter bins: 12 273
No. of tables: 5 919
Most cardboard equipment contains recycled materials and is recycled after the election.
Contact Information
Central Office
Electoral Commissioner: (02) 6271 4400 Bill Gray
Deputy Electoral Commissioner: (02) 6271 4410 Andy Becker
Director, Information: Brien Hallett (02) 6271 4415
Assistant Directors, Information: Bernadette O'Meara (02) 6271 4548 | Silvana Puizina (02) 6271 4431
Editor, Newsfile: Margaret Meneghel (02) 6271 4 505
State/Territory Head Offices
The administration of the 1998 federal election in each State and Territory was under the control of the Australian Electoral Officer (AEO) for that State or Territory. An AEO for the ACT is temporarily appointed for each election.
AEOs may be contacted on the following numbers.
New South Wales
Frances Howat Ph. (02) 9375 6333 Fx. (02) 9281 9384
Victoria
David Muffet Ph. (03) 9285 7171 Fx. (03) 9285 7178
Queensland
Bob Longland Ph. (07) 3834 3400 Fx. (07) 3831 7223
Western Australia
Andrew Moyes Ph. (08) 9470 7299 Fx. (08) 9472 3551
South Australia
Geoff Halsey Ph. (08) 8237 6555 Fx. (08) 8231 2664
Tasmania
Nick Tall Ph. (03) 6235 0500 Fx. (03) 6234 4268
Northern Territory
Kerry Heisner Ph. (08) 8981 1477 Fx. (08) 8981 7964
Australian Capital Territory
William Hogan Ph. (02) 6271 4497 Fx. (02) 6271 4560
Media Liaison
Members of the media are asked to use the AEC Central and Head Office contact numbers listed above rather than the national enquiry line which appears on AEC advertising.
Statistics in this Electoral Newsfile are not final and may be subject to minor adjustment which will not affect the outcome of the election in any Division or the outcome of the half-Senate election in any State or Territory. Final figures will be published in the AEC's Election Statistic's Series.
Further information
The AEC produces a range of information materials for political parties, journalists and other people interested in the electoral process.
AEC news