An election is a process through which a group of people (the electorate) chooses a smaller group of people(the elected) who will represent them and make decisions on their behalf. Elections may not necessarily be confined to political arenas such as local, state and federal governments. Voluntary organisations such as sporting clubs, trade unions and other interest groups use elections to produce presidents and committees to run the organisation.
In the world of politics, elections have become the only fully respectable method of selecting political leaders and governors throughout the world. Parliament is formed as the result of an election. However, there is not necessarily a connection between elections and democracy. Even totalitarian regimes may allow elections but they are far from what would be accepted as democratic.
Almost every component of Australian elections, systems, methods of voting, the election laws, differs between federal, state and local arenas reflecting the way in which political parties are concerned with the effects of such components on their chances of success. There seems to be no universally accepted answer to the question of what constitutes a fair, democratic and representative election.
Federal elections are held at least once every 3 years because the Constitution limits the term of office for members of the House of Representatives to 3 years.
To hold House of Representatives elections, the Electoral Commission must be instructed by the Governor-General to do so by a legal instruction called a writ. The Governor-General issues eight writs, one for each state and territory, the details of which the Electoral Commissioner then gives to the Divisional Returning Officers who in turn begin the election timetable process. They do this in accordance with the writs and the date of the election
For a Senate election, each state Governor issues a writ to the Australian Electoral Officer for his state and the Governor-General issues the writs to the Australian Electoral Officers in the Territories.
Candidates must be at least 18 years old, Australian citizens and qualified to enrol. They complete a nomination form and pay a deposit of $250 for the House of Representatives and $500 for the Senate.
'A group of people who have similar ideas or political aims who (usually) stand candidates for election.
Click on the cartoon Daily Telegraph, 28/8/1919, about party politics and the problems of finding 'Something for everyone?'
The Australian Electoral Commission maintains a register of political parties. This register lists those parties which are eligible to have the party affiliation of their endorsed candidates printed on ballot papers.
A political party must:
The application must set out the name of the party, it's abbreviation(if any), it's Registered Officer's name, address and signature, and whether the party wishes to receive public funding, and must be accompanied by the party's Constitution.
Applications are available from the Funding and Disclosure Section of the Australian Electoral Commission's Central Office in Canberra.
When the Australian Electoral Commission receives an application for registration, it publishes a notice in the Commonwealth Gazette and in major newspapers in each State and Territory. The notice invites objections on the grounds that:
The Australian Electoral Commission will refuse to register a party if the name or abbreviation of the party:
The Australian Electoral Commission may de-register a party on the following grounds:
For more information contact the Funding and Disclosure Section of the Australian Electoral Commission on (06) 2714491.'
'Political parties registered with the Australian Electoral Commission and independent candidates are eligible for public funding to cover part of the expenses incurred in election campaigns, if they receive at least four per cent of the valid vote in the elections they contest.
To be eligible for registration and for funding, parties must be represented in the Federal Parliament, or the parliaments of a State or Territory, or have at least 500 members. Registration may be rescinded if the party does not contest elections for four years.
Candidates endorsed by registered parties may have their party affiliation printed on the ballot paper next to their names.
At the 1993 federal election there were 66 parties on the Register of Political Parties.
All political groups in Australia, whether or not they are registered for public funding, and all candidates in federal elections, must report to the Commission details of their electoral expenditure and gifts and donations they have received for electoral expenses.
For July-December 1994 the amounts applicable were 103.531 cents for each formal vote received in a House of Representatives election and 51.766 for each vote in a Senate election held on the same day. In a Senate election held on a different day, the rate was 77.648 cents. These amounts are indexed to increases in the Australian Consumer Price Index.
This graph shows election costs for the last five elections.
All donations of $1500 to parties or $200 to individual candidates, must be disclosed. And if parties or individuals contest consecutive elections, they must inform the Commission of all gifts and donations for electoral purposes between the election campaigns.
All broadcasters and publishers are required to disclose details of electoral advertisements they have carried.
Any person or organisation (other than a candidate or registered political party) who takes part in an election must inform the Electoral Commission of electoral expenditure and any gift used to fund electoral expenditure. In addition, persons who make donations of $4500 or more to a registered political party or $200 or more to a candidate must advise the Electoral Commission of the donations made.'
Australian Democracy, Australian Electoral Commission, May 1995
Fact Sheet 13, Australian Electoral Commission, May 1995.
'Voting is Choice' Image - Commonwealth of Australia copyright reproduced with permission. Designed by Rex Murray
Election costs graph - Commonwealth of Australia copyright reproduced by permission. The People's Say, Australian Electoral Commission, 1994.
Source for:
'Election Campaigns' - http://www.csu.edu.au/australia/defat/electsys.html
'Political Parties' - ATSIEIS Fact Sheet No. 13, Australian Electoral Commission.
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