Each election is unique, but the 2006 South Australian and Tasmanian elections had several features which were relevant to the analysis of such elections. Scott Bennett looks at each of the electoral contests separately, then makes some general observations about state elections in this country.

Martin Lumb and Scott Bennett provide an overview of the war service record of Australian parliamentarians since federation.

Scott Bennett describes the origins of compulsory voting in Australia and its use in Commonwealth elections, outlines the arguments for and against compulsion, discusses the political impact of compulsory voting and refers to suggested reforms.

In this revised research brief, Gerard Newman discusses the 141 by-elections for the House of Representatives since Federation, including the most recent for the New South Wales division of Werriwa. Appendices give a full set of by-election figures.

The 2005 British election was held on 5 May. Scott Bennett reviews the campaign, the results and the fall-out, and looks at the controversy over Britain's first-past-the-post voting system.