Understanding preference voting

Australia’s parliamentary system is complicated by its proportional representation system, so knowing how preferences work is the key to making your vote count, before you get to enjoy your hard-earned democracy sausage.

The central battleground

Pundits and political scientists like to repeat that we live in an age of political polarisation but Australia’s parliamentary system means the major parties tend to converge by fighting for the centre ground.

Promises, promises

Both major party blocks have made plenty of pledges in this election campaign, so, how can voters distinguish between deliverable promises and the downright impossible?

Generation Zzzz

Barely 1 in 10 voters in ‘Generation Z’ voted with enthusiasm in the last election, with nearly half going to the polls merely to avoid a fine, so what can be done to re-engage them with democracy?

The election gender divide

As Australians grapple with an uncertain world and a cost-of-living crisis, how might the differential voting intentions of men and women affect the 2025 election result?

Succession

There’s everything still to play for in the 2025 election campaign, but a host of ambitious politicians are eyeing their chances of progression should their own leaders falter in May.

The election campAIgn

For better or worse, the parties contesting Australia’s election campaign are using artificial intelligence to mass produce materials and target voters with bespoke messages.

A campaign cap won’t stump independents

Independents have succeeded despite an electoral system stacked against them by the major parties, so additional campaign spending reforms are unlikely to stop them now.

Strongmen and super-daddies

Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton’s adoption of particular masculine identities reveals not only how they want to be perceived but also how they envision the electorate, the nation, and its defining values.

The state of the states

Politicians of all stripes are zig-zagging across the country to spruik their policies and achievements, and the places they choose to visit – or ignore – offer insights into their electoral priorities and strategy.

The last lap

The party leaders are approaching the final lap of the election campaign. With policy speeches delivered, and rival policies on housing finally released, the campaign has begun its final week, interrupted by Easter, before early voting starts.

Second debate – same result

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton continued to trade barbs and platitudes in their second televised debate, this time hosted by the ABC.