Stephen Smith PhD Student School of Physical, Environmental and Mathematical Sciences UNSW @ ADFA Canberra   ACT   2600 AUSTRALIA Phone: +61 2 6268 8214 Fax: +61 2 6268 8017 Email: z2273258@unsw.adfa.edu.au Location: PEMS Nth, Room 304

Field of Study: Electoral Geography

Supervisor: Prof Brian Lees

Co-supervisors: Kevin Dunn (UNSW), Paul Tranter (UNSW@ADFA)

Research Topic:

Electoral geography of minor party performances at Australian State and Federal elections, 1997-2006.

Education:

• 2000-2003 Bachelor of Arts (Honours) (Geography/Politics) UNSW.

Description of research

My doctoral research is seeking to establish the geography of minor political party electoral performances at Australian state and federal elections held between 1997 and 2006. The political parties that I am investigating in my research include Australians Against Further Immigration, Australian Democrats, Family First, the Greens, One Nation and Unity. In my research I am seeking to provide a temporal and spatial assessment of the electoral performances, presence and participation of the earlier mentioned minor parties. I am also investigating the implications of processes of electoral change, such as electoral dealignment, on the electoral prospects of these parties within Australian electoral landscape settings.

My doctoral research extends upon previous electoral geography research that I have conducted as part of my honours project. My honours research investigated the electoral performances of three minor parties (Australians Against Further Immigration, One Nation and Unity) at the 1999 and 2003 New South Wales State elections in Greater Sydney electorates. My honours research also focussed upon the presentation of pro- and anti-immigration and multiculturalism agendas by these three parties within the electorate and how these messages have been received by voters throughout Greater Sydney.

Publications

Smith, S. (forthcoming) ‘In need of revival: Assessing the state of Australian electoral geography research', paper forthcoming in L'Espace Politique/The Political Space.

Dunn, K.M., Forrest, J., Pe-Pua, R. and Smith, S. (2005) ‘Experiences of racism in the Australian body politic: extent, spheres, and cultural unevenness' in Khoo, T. (ed.), The Body Politic: Racialised Political Cultures in Australia (Proceedings from the UQ Australian Studies Centre conference, Brisbane, 24-26 November 2004) , Brisbane and Melbourne: University of Queensland's Australian Studies Centre (ASC) and Monash University's National Centre for Australian Studies (NSC). ISBN 0-646-44730-0. [http://asc.uq.edu.au/bodypolitic/dunn-et-al.pdf].

Smith, S. (2005) ‘Chasing the ‘race' and ‘ethnic' votes: Profiles of minor parties and their positions within the Australian political landscapes of ‘racism', 1999 and 2003 New South Wales State Elections' in Khoo, T. (ed.), The Body Politic: Racialised Political Cultures in Australia (Proceedings from the UQ Australian Studies Centre conference, Brisbane, 24-26 November 2004) , Brisbane and Melbourne: University of Queensland's Australian Studies Centre (ASC) and Monash University's National Centre for Australian Studies (NSC). ISBN 0-646-44730-0. [http://asc.uq.edu.au/bodypolitic/smith.pdf].