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Section Two: The issue of Writs - Part Two

Narration:

The political party, or coalition of parties, that has the majority of members in the House of Representatives forms the government.

In the 2001 Federal Election one hundred and fifty members were elected to the House of Representatives. The number of representatives to be elected alters in line with changes in population. Each member represents about the same number of people in a given area . This area is called an electoral division or an Electorate.

The Senate is different in that representation is on a state or territory basis. Each State, irrespective of population, is represented by twelve senators and each territory is represented by two senators.

Voting for the Australian parliament is compulsory, and the preferential system of voting is used in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Voters must number the candidates listed on the ballot papers in the order of their choice. To be elected to the House of Representatives, the successful candidate must receive an absolute majority of votes. To be elected to the Senate candidates must gain a set quota, or number of votes.

Questions:

Can students name the electorate in which the school is placed? In which they live?

What other ways of organising representation could there be apart from population? Think of the school. People can be divided into groups based on their age, their hobbies, whether they are students or staff. What would a school parliament look like if it reflected these communities in their proper proportions?

States and territories are also known as electorates. Can students name the eight electorates represented in the Senate? Who are your state’s Senate representatives? Look at the AEC’s publication 'The Electoral Pocketbook' or at www.aec.gov.au > Who > Representation > List of Senators.

What are the pros and cons of compulsory voting? There are 19 other countries that have compulsory voting. Can you predict which countries those might be?
The answer can be found in Electoral Backgrounder 17. See 'Endnotes'.

Activities

• Use the electoral map to find the divisions and, perhaps, those where other family members live. This information can be found at: www. aec.gov.au > Electorate search > suburb name.
• The AEC can conduct a ‘simulated’ election in your school to fully illustrate the mechanics of preferential voting. Staff are also happy to conduct SRC elections if required. Contact your nearest Divisional Office on 13 23 26 for further details.

Glossary

Division or Electorate - A defined geographic entity which returns a single member to the House of Representatives; divisions are established within boundaries determined on the basis on population.

Compulsory voting - To nominate is to declare an intention of standing as a candidate in an election; the nomination is lodged with the Divisional Returning Officer by a pre-determined date.

Preferential voting - A method of voting in which voters complete a ballot paper by placing numbers next to each candidate on the ballot paper (official printed form on which the voter marks her or his vote to indicate their preferences). For the House of Representatives Voters are required to number all the boxes to indicate their preferences.