National Tally Room
Encyclopedia
The National Tally Room is the Australia
n centre for national (federal) election results to be tallied (totaled) for electorates (Divisions) making up the Parliament of Australia
, which consists of the Australian House of Representatives
and the Australian Senate
.
The tally room normally opens as results begin to flow in after voting ends at 6pm on the day of the election, always a Saturday, in the respective states and territories and polling places begin to count the votes; however, some voting figures can come in as early as 5.20pm. The room closes after the final results from polling places have been announced to the tally room, often after midnight following the day of the election. (Note: Some polling centres may not have counted all votes, and they will recommence counting on Sunday.)
The tally room is set up in the Budawang
Building at EPIC (Exhibition Park in Canberra) in the northern suburbs of Canberra
, the national capital city of Australia. A former venue, in the late 1970s, was the then newly built hall at Hawker College
, a senior high school in the Canberra regional suburban area of Belconnen
.
The building is fitted out by the Australian Electoral Commission
for the national elections, and is also used for live broadcasts by media outlets, normally led by the Australian television networks. Over 700 people work in the tally room on the evening of the election.
Boards representing each electorate (Division) and Senate seat are set up on a "tally wall". A box represents each Division and is headed by the name of the Division and the number of registered electors (see shown in green lettering), then the names of the candidates prefaced by the acronym for their political party, and against their names is the currently recorded count of first preference votes; at the bottom are two lines (A and B) for Two Candidate Preferred totals, estimating the result after a notional distribution of the preference votes. Staff at the rear of the tally wall change the details by attaching numbers sheets to the rotating portion of the Division boxes. Media and the public follow the electoral results from the viewing gallery and the media/television sets
on the floor of the tally room. Often, current, former or prospective members of the Parliament are seen on the floor, or at the media booths (see picture above.)
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n centre for national (federal) election results to be tallied (totaled) for electorates (Divisions) making up the Parliament of Australia
Parliament of Australia
The Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, which consists of the Australian House of Representatives
Australian House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is one of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia; it is the lower house; the upper house is the Senate. Members of Parliament serve for terms of approximately three years....
and the Australian Senate
Australian Senate
The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. Senators are popularly elected under a system of proportional representation. Senators are elected for a term that is usually six years; after a double dissolution, however,...
.
The tally room normally opens as results begin to flow in after voting ends at 6pm on the day of the election, always a Saturday, in the respective states and territories and polling places begin to count the votes; however, some voting figures can come in as early as 5.20pm. The room closes after the final results from polling places have been announced to the tally room, often after midnight following the day of the election. (Note: Some polling centres may not have counted all votes, and they will recommence counting on Sunday.)
The tally room is set up in the Budawang
Budawang Range
The Budawangs are a rugged mountain range largely located within the Budawang National Park and Morton National Park in New South Wales, Australia. The Budawangs have been declared a Wilderness Area. The Budawangs are very popular with bush walkers due to their impressive terrain and unique features...
Building at EPIC (Exhibition Park in Canberra) in the northern suburbs of Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
, the national capital city of Australia. A former venue, in the late 1970s, was the then newly built hall at Hawker College
Hawker, Australian Capital Territory
Hawker Hawker Hawker (postcode: 2614, is a suburb of Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia. Hawker is in the district of Belconnen.The suburb of Hawker is named after Charles Hawker (1894–1938), Member of the House of Representatives from 1929–1938 and Federal minister in 1932...
, a senior high school in the Canberra regional suburban area of Belconnen
Belconnen
Belconnen is a district of Canberra, the capital city of Australia, comprising 25 suburbs with 29,900 dwellings housing 82,247 people of the 311,518 people in the Australian Capital Territory ....
.
The building is fitted out by the Australian Electoral Commission
Australian Electoral Commission
The Australian Electoral Commission, or the AEC, is the federal government agency in charge of organising and supervising federal elections and referendums. State and local government elections are overseen by the Electoral Commission in each state and territory.The Australian Electoral Commission...
for the national elections, and is also used for live broadcasts by media outlets, normally led by the Australian television networks. Over 700 people work in the tally room on the evening of the election.
Boards representing each electorate (Division) and Senate seat are set up on a "tally wall". A box represents each Division and is headed by the name of the Division and the number of registered electors (see shown in green lettering), then the names of the candidates prefaced by the acronym for their political party, and against their names is the currently recorded count of first preference votes; at the bottom are two lines (A and B) for Two Candidate Preferred totals, estimating the result after a notional distribution of the preference votes. Staff at the rear of the tally wall change the details by attaching numbers sheets to the rotating portion of the Division boxes. Media and the public follow the electoral results from the viewing gallery and the media/television sets
Set construction
Set construction is the process by which a set designer works in collaboration with the director of a production to create the set for a theatrical, film or television production...
on the floor of the tally room. Often, current, former or prospective members of the Parliament are seen on the floor, or at the media booths (see picture above.)
See also
- Australian electoral systemAustralian electoral systemThe Australian electoral system has evolved over nearly 150 years of continuous democratic government, and has a number of distinctive features including compulsory voting, preferential voting and the use of proportional voting to elect the upper house, the Australian Senate.- Compulsory voting...
- Chaser Yes We Canberra