2025 Research Hub

We’ve pulled together the best tools, guides, and scorecards to help you really dig into the candidates, policies, and issues that matter to you.

Whether you’ve got ten minutes or a full afternoon, you’ll find everything you need right here to feel confident at the ballot box.

PS - we'll be updating this page for the 2026 SA State Election. If you're developing an election guide that you'd like included, please reach out to hello@buildaballot.org.au

Who's running in my electorate?

Discover which candidates are running in your local area (including all candidates running below the line in the Senate)

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ABC Vote Compass

Vote Compass is a tool developed by political scientists to help you explore how your views compare to parties and candidates.

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They Vote For You

Discover how your representatives in parliament vote on issues you care about.

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Election Matcher

This spreadsheet and tool have a heap of consolidated information about how parties and candidates have voted.

Spreadsheet
Matching tool

Major party policy tracker

What policies the major (and major-ish) parties have announced.

Coming soon!

Issue-specific resources

Are we missing something? Send it to hello@buildaballot.org.au - we're constantly updating this list with new resources!

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First Nations

ANTAR Federal Election Scorecard

ANTAR has provided a guide to the First Nations policy platforms of Labor, the Coalition and The Greens

Environment

Australian Conservation Foundation Scorecard

ACF has independently assessed and scored the major parties and 18 independent candidates for their commitments to: Save nature, Champion renewables, Reject nuclear and Stop the climate wreckers.

Human Rights
Palestine

Amnesty Human Rights Scorecard

Shows where the major parties stand on human rights

Refugees

ASRC Election Scorecard

Shows how the major parties stack up on issues that matter for refugees

Environment
Climate

Vote Earth Scorecard

See where your candidates stand on forests, oceans, and Takayna. Bob Brown Foundation surveyed every 2025 Federal Election candidate to help you Vote Earth this election.

LGBTQIA+

Rainbow Votes 2025

Shows where the parties and independents stand on LGBTIQ+ issues

Health

Vote for Public Health Scorecard

A scorecard by the Public Health Association of Australia that shows where parties stand on key public health issues.

Integrity

Australian Democracy Network

Checklists, policy statements and information about where parties and candidates stand on integrity policy

Housing

Renters' Election scorecard

A quick snapshot of where key parties stand on rental issues

Climate

Climate Council Policy Scorecard

Shows where the three largest political parties in Australia stand on climate and energy policy

Education
Childcare

The Parenthood Early Learning Scorecard

The Parenthood have analysed the policies of the major parties and compared them using their Early Learning Scorecard framework so you can see where the major parties stand on childcare and early learning.

Palestine

Australian Palestine Advocacy Network

See how the major parties and your local candidates stack up when it comes to Palestine

Climate
Environment

Nature Conservation Council Scorecard

Shows which parties will cut power bills, act on climate change and protect nature.

Women

Women's Electoral Lobby Scorecard

The scorecard assesses the main parties’ commitments against WEL’s top priorities such as: eliminating all forms of violence against women, health and reproductive rights, housing and homelessness, early childhood education and care, and income adequacy and equality for women.

Education
First Nations

NIYEC Major Party Commitments

The National Indigenous Youth Education Coalition recently asked major political parties to share their four key commitments ahead of the 2025 Federal Election — this post breaks down what they've shared so far.

Health

Emerge Australia Scorecard

See where parties and candidates stand on addressing the rights and needs of people living with ME/CFS and long COVID

AI

Australians for AI Safety

See how parties and candidates rate on critical AI safety policies for the 2025 election

Animals

Coalition for the Protection of Greyhounds

An election scorecard, summarising Federal party’s position on policies crucial to greyhound welfare.

Refugees

Refugee Council Policy Comparison

2025 Election Policy Comparison on Refugee and Asylum Issues

Religion
Education

Catholic Education Scorecard

Catholic Education asked the Australian Labor Party, Liberal National Coalition, the Australian Greens and key Independent candidates to provide their response to our priorities for Catholic education.

Health
LGBTQIA+
Women

Sexual Health Advocates for Reproductive Equity

SHARE has created an election scorecard to help you understand how major political parties in Australia align on key SRH issues like access to abortion, contraception, LGBTQIA+ healthcare, and more.

LGBTQIA+

LGBTI Rights Australia Scorecard

A scorecard that shows how the major parties stand on key LGBTI issues

LGBTQIA+

Aleph Melbourne 2025 Voters Guide for LGBTIQA+ Equality

The Voters Guide is designed to inform voters in Melbourne’s predominantly Jewish suburbs who want to select candidates who have comprehensively demonstrated or pledged support for LGBTIQA+ equality and inclusion.

Sex Work

Normal's Sex Work Scorecard

Normal have broken down where the parties stand on sex work — and what that means for sex workers’ safety, rights, and dignity.

A step by step guide to doing your research...

STep 1

Make sure you've got Build a Ballot open in a separate tab. Answer the questions at the start, select your electorate and Build a Ballot will give you a recommended 'match score' for each of your local candidates.

STep 2

Now it's time to dig a little deeper. Learn more about your candidates: why they’re running, what their policies are, what experience they have that makes them qualified for the job. Some places to look…

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Look through their own website and social media accounts - see what they say about themselves!

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Check the news tab to see if there’s been any reporting on your candidates

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If they’ve been elected before, you can see how they’ve actually voted on issues. If they haven’t run before but are part of a party, check to see how others in their party have voted.
They Vote For You

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Keep your eyes and inbox peeled for updates.
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This spreadsheet and tool have a heap of consolidated information about how parties and candidates have voted.
Spreadsheet
Matching tool

More resources coming soon! Found a useful resource that we should add? Send us an email to hello@buildaballot.org.au

STep 3

Once you've learnt about your candidates (there's a space to add notes in the drop-downs!) it's time to choose your final preference order. Don't forget - your match score is just a recommendation. There are so many important issues that might inform your vote, so choose preferences that reflect YOUR values.

Once you're happy, save your plan through the Build a Ballot plan and you're ready to go!

STep 4

Send Build a Ballot to the group chat! Friends help friends make informed voting choices 😎

Australian elections: please explain

Everything you need to know about Australian politics, explained. Get your democracy on and level up your election knowledge before heading to the polls.

Read More
2
Min read

Can Voters in Safe Seats Influence Election Outcomes?

Yes, plus four ways to make your vote count!

3
Min read

Is My Vote Worth It? Debunking Myths About Voting in Australia

Your vote is never wasted—preferential voting ensures every vote counts, minor parties and independents can shape government, and even in a safe seat, your first preference influences future elections.

3
Min read

Are we voting for the Prime Minister?

Your vote elects your local representative, but also helps shape the government and Prime Minister — so it's crucial to consider candidates and party policies!

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Have a question? Get in touch by emailing hello@buildaballot.org.au. If you’re a candidate or party, please contact tool@buildaballot.org.au

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