Australian Electoral History: Changes In Voting Methods

The table below shows the changes in Australian voting methods since the 1850s.

Australia pioneered the idea of the secret ballot and is one of only a small number of countries where voting is compulsory.

Changes In Voting Methods
Year	Change
1856	Secret Ballots, the so-called “Australian Ballot”, were first introduced in Victoria and South Australia. By the 1890s, all six colonies had adopted it. 1856 – Victoria, South Australia 1858 – New South Wales, Tasmania 1859 – Queensland 1893 – Western Australia
1901	The new Federation saw the first-past-the-post voting system introduced. Enrolment and voting was voluntary.
1906	Postal Voting introduced.
1908	Permanent Electoral Rolls Established.
1911	Compulsory Electoral Enrolment introduced.
1915	Voting became compulsory in Queensland State elections.
1918	Preferential Voting was introduced for the first time at the Corangamite by-election on December 14.
1919	Preferential Voting used in the Federal election on December 13.
1922	Grouping of names on the Senate ballot papers introduced.
1924	Compulsory Voting introduced.
1925	Compulsory voting used for the first time in federal elections. 91.31% of electors voted.
1934	Senate system of voting altered to require all preferences to be shown.
1940	Horizontal ballot papers first used in Senate elections.
1949	Proportional Voting by the single transferable vote was introduced for Senate elections.
1984	Group ticket voting introduced for Senate elections.

Source: Australian Electoral Commission Publications.