Earlier this month the Australian Parliamentary Library released the research paper Electoral division rankings: Census 2006. This paper is one of many sources that will be of interest to anyone researching the current election and electoral information. The paper "provides an analysis by Commonwealth electoral division of socio-demographic data from the first release of the 2006 Census of Population and Housing." The rankings provide an interesting electoral snapshot on a range of variables. Which electorate has the most children aged under 5 years, persons born overseas, the highest median weekly family income, lone person households or households with an internet connection? Rankings are available for the following categories: population, religion, ethnicity, families, income, education and dwellings.
The Parliamentary Library has also published a number of other useful papers on electoral information. Electoral pendulum 2007 looks at "the notional two-party preferred swing needed for each electoral division (seat) to change hands at the next House of representatives election." Australian electoral systems and the lecture on An electoral geography of Australia provide informative backgound information on electoral systems and geography in Australia, A quick keyword search using the word elect in the Parliamentary Library database of publications lists many other research papers and legislative sources realting to elections.
The web provides an almost overwhelming source for information on elections, from Bennelong blogs to media worms and the advice of electoral gurus. The Library subject guides provide a short cut to some of this information. The Government guide has a section on Australian Political Parties. This includes websites for the major parties and the Australian Electoral Division list of currently registered political parties. The The Library's Social Policy Guide includes links to social advocacy organisations and key online discussion forums. Follow the electoral commentary in Australian Review of Public Affairs or Australian Policy Online.
Key websites to watch in the coming weeks include the Australia Electoral Commission and the websites of major media organisations. The AEC provides information on electorates, polling, parties and representatives, electoral legislation and statistics. Educational publications provide papers on a range of topics including a brief History on the Indigenous Vote in Australia.
The Library catalogue and databases will help you to locate books, articles and research papers on the historical, social and political aspects of elections both in Australia and overseas. A quick catalogue search on elections or voting in Australia limited to publications published after 2001 finds recent titles analysing Australian elections.
Databases including the the Australian Public Affairs database APA-FT, Expanded Academic Index, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts provide access to international and Australian journal articles, conference and research papers on elections and electoral issues. Factiva will allow you to search for articles in all Australian newspapers on both the current and previous elections. All these databases can be accessed via the the Library Electronic Resources - Databases web page.
So! Find some quick stats on Bennelong at the Australia Bureau of Statistics census website or borrow a book on elections in Australia. Ask a Librarian if you need further help finding information on this topic!