The Tally Room
The Tally Room is a podcast covering Australian elections, hosted by Ben Raue.
151 - Tasmania goes back to the polls
Ben is joined by Kevin Bonham to discuss the collapse of the Tasmanian government just 15 months after the last election, and to look at some of the early moves for independents to find a new party home.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
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150 - Bradfield was a draw, for a moment there
For this podcast Ben interviews two scrutineers about their experience in the recounts: Adelaide, a Liberal scrutineer from Bradfield, and KJ, an independent scrutineer from Goldstein. Ben also discusses the recount procedures he saw in Bradfield last week and the latest count updates from Monday afternoon.
Ben's blog post about visiting the Bradfield recount The podcast features the song 'It's a Draw' by Nick Craft.This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
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149 - The most complex count ever?
Ben was joined by Kevin Bonham to run through the close seats and the Senate race that have dragged out, one week after the election.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
148 - A record-breaking election
Ben is joined by William Bowe from the Poll Bludger to discuss the results of yesterday's Australian federal election, which produced Labor's best result since 1943. We talk about the close seats, how multi-party politics is transforming local electorate contests and what is likely to happen in the Senate.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can no...
147 - What might a hung parliament look like?
Ben is joined by Peter Brent and the ABC's Tom Crowley for the final pre-election episode of the 2025 federal election campaign. We discuss how a hung parliament might play out and the experience of riding Peter Dutton's campaign bus. For our seat of the week we discuss the NSW seat of Werriwa.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per mo...
146 - The dropping major party vote
Ben is joined by Jill Sheppard and Emily Foley to discuss the long-term trend of the major parties losing primary votes: what is causing the trend, how it might play out in 2025 and whether they can do anything to reverse the trend. The seat of the week is Bruce in south-eastern Melbourne.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per mo...
145 - Enrolments hit a record high
Ben is joined by Duncan McDonnell from Griffith University to discuss the close of rolls and nominations and the role of Gen Z voters in the election. The seat of the week is Lingiari in the Northern Territory, and we also talk about Indigenous enrolment and parliamentary representation.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can no...
144 - Can the Greens hold their own?
Ben is joined by Stewart Jackson and Phoebe Hayman to discuss the role of the Greens in the federal election: the seats they are defending and are challenging for, the rivalry between Labor and the Greens and how the electoral system shapes their relationship. The seat of the week is Wills, in the inner north of Melbourne.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
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143 - Will there be another independent wave in 2025?
Ben is joined by journalist Rachel Withers, writer of the Crikey column 'Well Hung', to discuss the prospects for independent candidates, including teal and Muslim independents, at the 2025 federal election.
A 2023 meme from Twitter user Pineapple Crab applying different definitions for a "teal" Read my 2023 paper 'Not Your Parents' Electoral System'This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And...
142 - Right-wing minor parties and the federal election
Ben is joined by Ben Moffitt from Monash University to discuss the role of right-wing minor parties in federal politics, why it is so hard for them to work together, and chances in the Senate. We also discuss the seat of Hunter in New South Wales.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join th...
141 - WA Labor's third landslide
Ben is joined by William Bowe from the Poll Bludger to wrap up the results of yesterday's Western Australian state election, which was a third consecutive landslide victory for Labor.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
140 - Choosing an electoral system for a new democracy
Ben is joined by John Carey to discuss how you design an electoral system for a new democracy - what factors are most important to producing a healthy and sustainable democracy, and how might those requirements change over time?
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
139 - How will WA swing?
Ben is joined by Stewart Jackson and Andre Brett to discuss which seats might fall when the Labor vote in the WA state election recedes from the high levels reached in 2021, and how the minor parties might perform under the new Legislative Council electoral system.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join the Ta...
138 - WA gets a new upper house
Ben is joined by Martin Drum from the University of Notre Dame to discuss the new electoral system for the Western Australian Legislative Council and to look back at the last four years of WA state politics in the lead up to next month's state election.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join th...
137 - Setting the federal scene
Ben was joined by Shaun Ratcliff from Accent Research to discuss the state of play as the federal election year kicks off. They discuss the state of polling, including the MRP polls conducted by Shaun in conjunction with Redbridge throughout 2024.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $8 or more per month. And $8 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
...
136 - Victorian council election results
Ben is joined by Leo Puglisi from 6 News and Chris Eddy from Local Government News Roundup to wrap up the Victorian council elections.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month. And $5 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to save 30% off your first month of...
135 - LNP takes power in Queensland
Ben is joined by Alexis Pink from ZZZ to discuss the LNP coming to power in Queensland. We discuss the divide between north and south, the performances of the minor parties and how this new LNP government might differ from the last LNP government.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month. And $5 donors can now join the Tally Ro...
134 - ACT election wrap-up
Ben is joined by ACT historian Chris Monnox and Tasmanian psephologist Kevin Bonham to dig into the results of last weekend's ACT election, looking at the narrative, the likely shape of the new government and the close races not yet called.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month. And $5 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
...133 - Final week of the Queensland election
Ben is joined by Andrew Messenger from the Guardian to discuss the final stretch of the Queensland election campaign. We spend most of our time going through the key seats in each region of the state, and the issues that have dominated the campaign.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month. And $5 donors can now join the Tally Ro...
132 - ACT election preview
Ben is joined by Jasper Lindell from the Canberra Times to preview the upcoming Australian Capital Territory election, with a Labor-Greens government facing the voters after 23 years of Labor government and 16 years of the Greens in the balance of power.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month. And $5 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
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131 - Catching up on Queensland
Ben is joined by Dennis Atkins to preview the upcoming Queensland state election.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month. And $5 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.
130 - NSW council election results
Ben is joined by Leo Puglisi from 6 News to analyse the results of the NSW local government elections.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month. And $5 donors can now join the Tally Room Discord server.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to save 30% off your first month of any Zencastr paid plan.
129 - NSW council election preview
Ben is joined by the Sydney Morning Herald urban affairs reporter Anthony Segaert to preview the upcoming New South Wales local government elections. We discuss some of the most interesting elections, the impact of the NSW Liberal absence and local party systems.
Sorry for the poor quality audio on my end - it seems like the recording connected to the wrong mic. Should still be clear enough.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
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128 - NT election - the 90s are back
Ben is joined by the ABC's Thomas Morgan to discuss the results of the NT election. We talk about the CLP's big victory, how northern Darwin has flipped back after being solidly Labor for 23 years, and the rise of the Greens and independents on Labor's left flank.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month.
This podcast is...
127 - The NSW Liberal nomination mess
This is a solo episode, where Ben runs through all the key parts of the story of how and where the NSW Liberal Party failed to nominate almost a third of candidates for the NSW local government elections next month, covering the scale of the issue, what may have caused it, how it may affect the political balance in each council, the threat of legal action and what could be done to mitigate these issues for next election.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please co...
126 - NT election preview
Ben is joined by NT political historian Robyn Smith to preview the upcoming Northern Territory general election. We discuss the seats in play, the events of the last four years and what might be coming on election day.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to sa...
125 - What happened to the British party system?
Ben is joined by Chris Terry-Enescu, British psephologist from the Ballot Box podcast, to discuss the implications of the recent UK general election for the electoral system and the party system.
Chris mentioned this book: Electoral Shocks
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to...
124 - Odds and evens in Spain and Australia
Ben is joined by Ferran Martinez i Coma from Griffith University to discuss his research on how election campaigning differs in Spain in districts electing odd or even numbers of representatives.
We end up discussing more broadly the unsual impacts odd- and even-numbered district magnitudes impact on elections in Australia, and the ways in which the use of different district magnitudes (big and small) change how an electoral system manifests in both countries.
Read Ferran's research on odd and even numbered districts.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Pa...
123 - A history of two-party-preferred
Ben is joined by Murray Goot to discuss the two-party-preferred vote: the history of the metric, how it is used today, how it influences how we think about our party system, and whether it still works in the more complex party system we have today.
Murray's journal article on the history of the two-party-preferred vote.This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
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122 - Picking over the proposed federal redistributions
Ben is joined by William Bowe from the Poll Bludger to discuss the federal redistribution proposals for New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia. We discuss the process, what has been proposed, the political impact of those proposals and how it might affect preselections, and why some of the maps are drawn as they are.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or...
121 - Democracy for busy people
Ben is joined by Kevin Elliott, author of the book Democracy for Busy People to discuss the value of importance of designing democratic institutions but are broad, not just deep, and make it easy for all citizens to participate. We also discuss the importance of citizens maintaining "civic skills" that give them the capacity to step in to politics when the need arises, and what institutions can make our democracy something that busy people can be a part of.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile ple...
120 - Women in Australian politics
Ben was joined by Ruth McGowan, a candidate mentor and advocate for women in politics. We discussed the trends of increasing numbers of women being elected to public office in Australia, what barriers remain and what work is being done to get more women ready to run for parliament or council.
Ruth's book Get Elected (available as a free PDF download) Pathways to Politics Women for Election The costs of (inadequate) councillor remuneration reportThis podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
...119 - Solomon Islands elections
Ben is joined by Kerryn Baker from the Department of Pacific Affairs at the Australian National University to discuss the recent elections in the Solomon Islands, which ended with a new prime minister, if not an entirely new government.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to...
118 - India goes to the polls
Ben is joined by Sofia Ammassari from Griffith University to discuss the upcoming Indian federal election.
The world's largest democracy is going to the polls in April, May and June, with Narendra Modi's BJP looking set for a third term in office.
We discuss the electoral system, major political issues and the Modi government's recent history.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sig...
117 - Tasmania elects a hung parliament
Ben is joined by Kevin Bonham to wrap up the Tasmanian state election. We discuss the close undecided races, what might come next for parliamentary negotiations, and what it means for May's upper house election.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to save 30% off your fir...
116 - Wrapping up Queensland's local elections
Ben is joined by Maggie Perry from 6 News Australia to discuss the results of council elections and by-elections in Queensland. We mostly focus on the Brisbane City Council results, and also touch on the results of the two state by-elections and other local council elections.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month.
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115 - A tour of Tasmania's electorates
Ben was joined by William Bowe from the Poll Bludger to discuss the Tasmanian state election. We run through the five state electorates one by one, and discuss what we'll be watching for on election night.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
You can listen to an ad-free version of this podcast if you sign up via Patreon for $5 or more per month.
This podcast is sponsored by Zencastr. Use my special link to save 30% off you...
114 - Queensland council elections preview
Ben is joined by Alexis Pink from community radio station 4ZZZ and Andrew Messenger from the Guardian Australia to discuss the upcoming council elections across Queensland and the two state by-elections to be held on the same day.
We discuss the Brisbane City Council campaign and then touch on a number of other interesting council races and the by-elections.
Andrew's article about uncontested council races.This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
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113 - Let's go back to Tasmania
Ben was joined by Stewart Jackson from the University of Sydney and Tasmanian political scientist Mike Lester to preview next month's Tasmanian state election.
We discuss the widening field of independent candidates, political events in the last term and the issues around the 25-member House that led to the expansion of the Parliament. We also briefly touch on this weekend's Dunkley by-election.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you find this podcast worthwhile please consider giving your support.
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112 - Prabowo wins in Indonesia
Ben was joined by this week by Marcus Mietzner from the Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs at the ANU, and the author of The Coalitions Presidents Make, to discuss Prabowo Subianto's clear victory in the first round of the Indonesian presidential election.
We discuss how Prabowo won, the shift in votes between 2019 and 2024, and the implications for how Prabowo will govern, as well as Prabowo's relationship with outgoing president Jokowi - past, present and future.
You can read the transcript for this podcast here.
This podcast is supported by the Tally Ro...