Winning and Losing

Winning and Losing: Australian National Elections describes the way the national election process works in Australia. Comprehensive, well-researched and completely up-to-date, it analyses the result of the latest federal election in March 1996.

Part I outlines the setting in which national elections occur. It describes electoral administration, voting methods, and the organization of electoral boundaries. The politics of these electoral arrangements is considered, and the question of electoral reform is examined.

Part II covers the electoral contest itself—the positions of the parties and their leaders, the selection of parliamentary candidates, the relevance of policies and personalities, and the strategic development of election campaigns. The prominence of the media is also discussed.

Part III looks at voting behaviour and the analysis of election results.

Winning and Losing is essential reading for students of Australian politics, journalists and politicians as well as the interested general reader.