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Compulsory enrolment was introduced for all federal rolls from 1911, so the majority of the rolls in this collection should reflect the adult population (over 21 years) excluding the foreign and indigenous population. Voting in federal elections was compulsory from 1925. It should also be noted that women’s suffrage (for British subjects over 21 years of age) was achieved at the national level in Australia with the passing of the Commonwealth Franchise Act of 1902. By 1911, this same category of women was eligible to vote in state elections nationwide (South Australia was the first state to grant women the right to vote in 1894).This collection includes rolls from each Australian state and the following available years depending on the state:- New South Wales: 1903, 1913, 1935, 1937, 1939, 1946
- Queensland: 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1900, 1901, 1903, 1905, 1906, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912, 1914, 1915, 1934, 1939, 1943
- South Australia: 1939, 1941, 1943
- Tasmania: 1934, 1939, 1941, 1943, 1949
- Victoria: 1922, 1927, 1939, 1941, 1946,
- Western Australia: 1934, 1939, 1943, 1949.
Electoral rolls may also be used by the authorities for other purposes, such as to select people for jury duty. In the 19th century the management of elections, often under a restricted franchise, was undertaken by colonial authorities. From 1901, the Commonwealth government gradually undertook the management of the rolls for both state and federal elections, except for Western Australia. Because enrolment is compulsory for all eligible voters (with the exception of Norfolk Island), there is a strong chance that a person can be located. Until the advent of computers, researchers were somewhat restricted by the large number of names and the arrangement of the rolls into divisions (the Commonwealth term for an electorate). Since 2004 the current roll is only available electronically and can only be viewed at an electoral office. |
