General News
30 April, 2025
Getting your head around the Federal Poll on Saturday, May 3
Federal Election May 3, 2025
On Saturday, May 3, millions of Australians will head to the polls to decide who will be the next Prime Minister of our country. But voting in Australia entails more than just ticking a box.
We have got a preferential system, meaning you will need to choose who you want to represent you most, least, and everything in between.
2025 Candidates in Ballot Paper Order - Parkes Electorate
Mark Carter — Pauline Hanson’s One Nation
Stephen Pope — Shooters, Fishers and Farmers
Trish Frail — The Greens
Petrus Van Der Steen — Trumper of Patriots
Bob Wilson — Indigenous Aboriginal Party of Australia
Nathan Fell — Labor Party
Jamie Chaffey— The Nationals
Maurice Davey — Family First
Stuart Howe — Independent
Sally Edwards — Libertarian
Early and postal votes
Applications for a postal vote closed on Wednesday, April 30.
Those who have received their postal vote certificate and ballot papers, must be completed on or before election day (Saturday, May 3).
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) encourages voters to do this as soon as possible after receiving your postal vote pack.
Ballot papers must be returned to the AEC no later than 13 days after the election, or your vote will not be included in the count.
While there is no early voting in Gilgandra for this year’s Federal Election; residents can instead make the trip to Dubbo. Early voting is at the Wesley Community Centre on Church Street between 8.30am and 5.30pm and at Dubbo PCYC on the corner of Erskine Street and Darling Street between the same hours.
Election Day - Where to Vote
- Gilgandra High School, 4 Chelmsford Avenue - 8am – 6pm
- Curban Community Hall, 98 National Park Road - 8am – 6pm
- Tooraweenah Public School, 410 John Renshaw Parkway - 8am – 6pm
On the day, you will be given two ballot papers: a small green one is for the Lower House (the House of Representatives) and the big white one is for the Upper House (the Senate).
The small one is what you will use to elect a member for Parkes and the big one is where you will elect the senators you want to represent NSW.
You HAVE to fill them out correctly, otherwise they will be ruled invalid and will not be counted.
Filling-out your Lower House ballot
Here is where preferential voting begins for the House of Representatives.
To select who you want to represent the Division of Parkes, you need to number every box in order of the candidate you prefer the most, to the one you like the least.
You CANNOT use a tick, a cross, or write an answer, and you must number every box in order of your preference for your vote to be counted.
That is because if the candidate who polls the most does not hit 50 per cent on their first preference votes, the lowest-polled candidate’s preferences will be distributed, then the next lowest, and so on.
This will continue until either someone hits 50 per cent or all preferences are allocated and there is a winner.
One of the benefits of preferential voting is that you don’t in effect “waste” your vote — as long as you number the boxes in order of who you like the most, to who you like the least, you will not run the risk of your vote going to someone you do not want it to.
Filling-out your Upper House ballot
There are two options when filling-out your Senate ballot — either voting above or below the line.
Voting above the line is quicker, to do this you need to number at least six boxes in the order of which party you most want your vote to go to.
If you want to have more control over which specific candidates your vote will flow to, you can alternatively use the below-the-line method.
If you choose this option, you must number at least 12 boxes in order of your preferences for your ballot to be valid. Again, you can number all of them but you must do at least 12.
As the same with the Lower House ballot, if you obscure your numbers with drawings, ticks, or crosses, you run the risk of it not being counted.
Make your vote an informed decision
It may be annoying and you may think it is a waste of time but, before you vote on Saturday, make sure you check-out what candidates are preferencing which parties.
It is important that you make an informed decision when voting, because it does have an impact on your life and the lives of those around you.
You may think that your vote might not matter or count, but it could be the determining factor of who is elected the Member for Parkes and who will be the Prime Minister of Australia.
With that being said head down to the polls this weekend, vote and grab yourself a well-earned democracy sausage!
