The Tally Room

Voters in the southern Perth state electorate of Willagee go to the polls today to elect a new state  MP to succeed former Labor premier Alan Carpenter, who retired from politics in September after losing government at the 2008 election. The seat is not being...

With Malcolm Turnbull's leadership now in its terminal stage, it seems likely that opposition parties will vote to defer the legislation to establish the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, with the legislation being referred to a Senate inquiry until after the Copenhagen international climate change...

Malcolm Turnbull looks set to lose his leadership in a push to pass the government's Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme, causing a deeper split in the party than any seen in a long time. The split has been driven deeply through the party in all...

Fred Nile has sent out a strange survey to voters in Bradfield, asking them whether they support or oppose a series of statements, many strongly weighted towards Nile's positions. These include: "Jesus Christ is the Son of God" "We should do what the Greenies want and...

Wales looks set to hold a referendum in the next to devolve substantially more powers from the Parliament in Westminster to the Welsh Assembly. Wales voted to establish a devolved Assembly in a 1997 referendum, and the Assembly was created in 1999 at the same...

I have previously blogged about the Federal Government's second Green Paper on electoral reform. The government has new set up a forum for people to discuss the issues raised in the Paper (although it doesn't seem particularly productive). In addition, submissions will close on November...

The NSW Government's proposed laws to allow the Electoral Commission to gather information from other government agencies and use it to update the roll, has caused a stir, with Bernard Keane in Crikey writing critically of it the other day: This is about finding new...

From today's Crikey "Tips and Rumours" section: The Liberals have decided to preference the Christian Democrats. This is a high risk policy as if they don’t get an absolute majority initially all the preferences will keep flowing to the Christian democrat even from the Greens...

The Macarthur Chronicle has reported today that Member for Werriwa Chris Hayes has been offered a deal in which he would move to the neighbouring seat of Fowler in exchange for giving up his seat of Werriwa to a member of the Left. Hayes has...

Candidates were announced today for the forthcoming Bradfield and Higgins by-elections, and an amazing twenty-two candidates have nominated in Bradfield. In Higgins, a more reasonable ten candidates have nominated in Higgins.The field in Bradfield includes nine Christian Democratic Party candidates after the party threatened...