PODCAST · news
The Tally Room
by Ben Raue
The Tally Room is a podcast covering Australian elections, hosted by Ben Raue.
Episodes
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170 - Just Vote 1: OPV in the 21st century
In the final part of 'Just Vote 1', Ben runs through how parties encouraged voters to not number preferences to get a political advantage as first One Nation and then the Greens became major sources of preferences. Ben also considers who might benefit from OPV today, and possible solutions that...
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169 - Just Vote 1: Labor turns to OPV, and turns away
In the second part of 'Just Vote 1', Ben looks at the history of optional preferential voting from the 1950s to the 1990s: the role of DLP preferences in keeping Labor out of power, and the Whitlam government's failed attempt to legislate for OPV in response. Then in the 1980s and 1990s, things...
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168 - Just Vote 1: The rise of preferential voting
In the first in a three-party election history series about Optional Preferential Voting called 'Just Vote 1', Ben explores the rise of preferential voting - how it happened, who supported and how political self-interest explains the change. In the next two episodes, Ben will explore Labor's push...
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167 - Farrer by-election preview
Ben was joined by Mark Riboldi from UTS to preview this weekend's Farrer by-election, and what it might imply about the Coalition's bigger issues losing support to One Nation and independents. You can now watch a video version of this podcast on Youtube. This podcast is supported by the Tally...
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166 - One Nation surge in South Australia
Ben was joined by Rob Manwaring to look over the results of last Saturday's South Australian state election, in particular the emergence of One Nation as a party polling higher than the Liberal Party. You can now watch a video version of this podcast on Youtube. This podcast is supported by the...
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165 - Seats to watch on SA election night
Ben was joined by Josh Sunman from Flinders University to run through the seats that could be in play on South Australia's election night and how preference distributions could become much more complex amidst a One Nation surge. You can now watch a video version of this podcast on Youtube. This...
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164 - SA election preview
Ben was joined by Intifar Chowdhury and Anthony Zougras to bring the podcast up to speed on South Australian politics before the state election on March 21. They discussed the decline in support for the Liberal Party, the emergence of One Nation, and Peter Malinauskas' dominance in the state. You...
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163 - Home ownership, renting and voting
How does owning your home or renting impact on how you vote? For today's podcast, Ben was joined by Shaun Ratcliff and Josh Goddard to discuss what we know about how home ownership (or asset ownership more broadly) influences voting trends. We discuss Josh's research looking at 14 different…
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162 - Thailand swings to the right
In last Sunday's Thai general election, voters swung strongly to current prime minister Anutin's Bhumjaithai Party, or BJT. In this podcast, Ben discusses Thai politics and the results of the Thai election with Erin Cook of the Dari Mulut ke Mulut newsletter. You can now watch a video version of...
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161 - Japan election preview
Ben was joined by Donna Weeks, emeritus professor at Musashino University, to discuss this coming weekend's Japanese general election, where new prime minister Sanae Takaichi will be attempting to achieve her own mandate. This podcast is supported by the Tally Room’s supporters on Patreon. If you...
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160 - One Nation surges in the polls
Ben was joined by George Hasanakos from pollster DemosAU to discuss the surge in support for One Nation, which has pushed them ahead of the combined Liberal-National vote in a number of polls, as well as the split in the Liberal-National coalition. They discuss how these two trends impact on how...
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159 - The Labor factions
Ben was joined this week by Osmond Chiu, Per Capita research fellow and contributor editor for the Labor Left magazine Challenge, to discuss the factions of the Australian Labor Party. Read Osmond's 2020 piece in Jacobin on the history of Labor's factions. This podcast is supported by the Tally...
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158 - The 2025 Australian Election Study
Ben was joined by Sarah Cameron from Griffith University, to discuss the results of the 2025 Australian Election Study, including Peter Dutton's unpopularity, foreign policy, voter dealignment, and how the vote splits by gender, generation and whether people own their own home. This podcast is...
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157 - The Liberal factions
Ben was joined by Michael Evangelidis from GovConnex to discuss the factions of the Liberal Party of Australia - how fluid they are, how they work from the branch level to federal and state party rooms, and how the factions have changed in recent years. This podcast is supported by the Tally…
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156 - History of a bigger parliament
Ben was joined by Frank Bongiorno and Chris Monnox to discuss the history of Australia's federal parliament being expanded, in 1949 and 1984. We discuss the motivations for these changes, the positions taken by the parties and why it happened when it did. We also discuss efforts to break the...
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155 - Queensland's state redistribution
Ben was joined by Matt Dennien from the Brisbane Times to discuss the Queensland state redistribution, specifically the first round of submissions. The conversation focuses on the Labor and LNP submissions, and also run through some of the other public submissions. This podcast is supported by…
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154 - Tasmania votes for another hung parliament
Ben is joined by Kevin Bonham and Chris Monnox to discuss the results of the Tasmanian state election and prospects for the formation of a 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....
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153 - Tasmania's election landscape
Ben is joined by William Bowe from the Poll Bludger to discuss the latest Tasmanian state polls and go through Tasmania's five electorates one by one, discussing the race and possible winners in each division. We refer extensively to Kevin Bonham's blog post breaking down the latest DemosAu poll...
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152 - Who will fill the Lambie vacuum?
Ben was joined by Tasmanian political observer Mike Lester to look at the state of the campaign and the announcement of candidates for the Tasmanian state election. We particularly look into the Tasmanian Nationals and the shadow-boxing around who takes the blame for the calling of the election…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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"...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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…
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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...
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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...
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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...
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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…
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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…
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Tally Room have?
The Tally Room currently has 169 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Tally Room about?
The Tally Room is a podcast covering Australian elections, hosted by Ben Raue.
How often does The Tally Room release new episodes?
The Tally Room publishes regularly with 169 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to The Tally Room?
You can listen to The Tally Room on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Tally Room?
The Tally Room is created and hosted by Ben Raue.
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