The pundits and the Press Gallery tend to discuss election results as if the Australian electorate were a single sentient organism. This body’s collective decision not only chooses the ultimate winner of each election. It also determines the minutiae of the election results: the precise membership of both houses; whether the government will have a significant majority in the lower house or a narrow majority or be dependent on the support of minor parties and independents; whether either the government or the opposition will control the Senate and, if not, who will hold the balance of power.