Fact sheet 119 – Commonwealth electoral rolls held in Brisbane
Commonwealth electoral rolls are an alphabetical listing of all persons eligible to vote in Commonwealth elections and referenda, arranged by electoral divisions. They were prepared in years of general elections or referenda, and at such other times as the Electoral Commissioner required them.
Electoral rolls are used by researchers for a variety of reasons: to trace missing persons; to compile family history; to locate birth parents, or the whereabouts of anyone who has enrolled with the Australian Electoral Commission (CA 3854).
Holdings of electoral rolls
Printed rolls on microfiche
Commonwealth electoral rolls for the state of Queensland are held for the years 1903 to 2003. From 1903 to 1988 the rolls are arranged by electoral division and (until 1983) by sub-division as well. To use these rolls you will need to know the address under which a person was enrolled, or the area in which the person lived. From 1990 rolls have been produced in a single microfiche format for the state which lists electors alphabetically by family name.
Commonwealth electoral rolls for other Australian States are also held. Details of holdings for each State and the Northern Territory are included in the table below. All the rollsheld in microfiche format, including those less than 30 years old, are available for public access and are available in the self-service area of the Brisbane reading room..
Microfiche copies of electoral rolls held in Brisbane
Title or description of records | Date |
Queensland, printed electoral rolls | 1903–2003 |
New South Wales, printed electoral rolls | 1976–2003 |
Tasmania, printed electoral rolls | 1976–2003 |
Australian Capital Territory, printed electoral rolls | 1977–2003 |
South Australia, printed electoral rolls | 1977– 2003 |
Victoria, printed electoral rolls | 1984–2003 |
Western Australia, printed electoral rolls | 1984–2003 |
Northern Territory, printed electoral roll | 1988–2003 |
Official rolls
Official rolls are copies of electoral rolls containing annotations made by the Australian Electoral Commission which detail changes to the entry for an elector – such as changes of address, changes in name, or the addition or removal of names from a particular roll. These annotated rolls are then used to produce the next printed copy of a roll.
