Customise the graphs' interval, sampling rate, and sort order
Leave any field blank for the default value. Note that a wide interval and high sampling rate will lead to large amounts of data being downloaded: load times may be lengthy depending on your connection speed and CPU power.
Footnotes to the parties
- [1] Indicates that the liked page is a Facebook "topic" page - i.e. a static page extracted from Wikipedia - rather than a typical interactive Facebook political party page.
- [2] Indicates that the party is a branch of its parent federal party, not the federal party itself.
- [3] Indicates that this is but one of multiple Facebook pages for this party.
- [4] Indicates that this is (claims to be) the official Facebook page out of multiple Facebook pages for this party.
- [5] Indicates that the party is no longer registered with the AEC but once was.
- [6] Indicates that the party (or branch of the party) has never been registered with the AEC (these parties are generally included for interest's sake because they are a state branch of a party that is registered).
- [7] Indicates that although the party is not itself registered with the AEC, an alliance that it is in with one or more other parties is registered with the AEC. The registered name of the alliance party is appended in parentheses after the footnote "[7]". In this case, although a footnote "[6]" might otherwise apply, it is omitted to avoid confusion.
A brief explanation
The above graphs chart social media trends related to federal Australian political parties registered or once-registered with the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). In particular, they chart over time both the number of "likes" and the count of the "people talking about this" metric associated with the pages of federal Australian political parties on the social media site Facebook. I hope this visualisation is helpful to you. Feel free to download the statistics from the "Export the data" section below and use them as you see fit.
Tips
- To zoom in, hold down your left mouse button and drag a rectangle over the area you wish to zoom in on, then release the button to perform the zoom. Note that additional data points will be downloaded from the server to maintain their x-axis density given the new interval (this occurs just after the zoom - you might notice the graph re-shape itself slightly after a brief delay). To zoom back out again, click the "Reset zoom" button in the top-right of the graph. You can zoom in multiple times consecutively.
- To view the exact figures for data points, hover your mouse over a line in the graph and the data for the nearest data point will pop up in a box.
- To export a graph as a PNG/JPG image, a PDF file, or an SVG file, click on the three-horizontal-lines icon in the top right of the graph.
- To highlight (in bold) a party's line in either graph, hover over that party's name in the graph's legend.
- To toggle the visibility of a party's line in either graph, click on that party's name in the graph's legend.
Visit the parties' Facebook pages
Struck through pages are those which have been deleted from Facebook but whose statistics are retained in the above graphs up until the date they became inaccessible. Parties are listed in the same order as in the legend of the first chart (that of Facebook "likes").
Jacqui Lambie Network Australian Labor Party (ALP) Australian Greens Liberal Party of Australia The Wikileaks Party [5] Australian Liberty Alliance [5] Legalise Cannabis Australia David Pocock The Great Australian Party Australian Conservatives [5] Australia's Voice [6] United Australia Party [5] Pauline Hanson's One Nation Derryn Hinch's Justice Party [5] Shooters, Fishers and Farmers Party Liberal Democratic Party [5] Libertarian Party The Australian Greens - Victoria [2] Health Environment Accountability Rights Transparency (HEART) [5] Australian Labor Party (N.S.W. Branch) [2] Katter's Australian Party (KAP) [3][4] Liberal National Party of Queensland [2] Family First Party [3][5] Australian Sex Party [5] Consumer Rights & No-Tolls [5] Palmer United Party [5] Animal Justice Party Liberal Party of Australia (Victorian Division) [2] The Greens NSW [2] Health Australia Party [5] Australian Labor Party (State of Queensland) [2] Australian Labor Party (Victorian Branch) [2] Australian Christians Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party [5] Queensland Greens [2] Liberal Party of Australia, NSW Division [2] Australian Labor Party (Western Australian Branch) [2] Sustainable Australia Party - Universal Basic Income Australian Workers Party [5] Love Australia or Leave [5] National Party of Australia Liberal Party (W.A. Division) Inc [2] Rise Up Australia Party [5] The Greens (WA) Inc [2] Drug Policy Australia [6] Rex Patrick Team [5] Socialist Alliance FRASER ANNING'S CONSERVATIVE NATIONAL PARTY [5] VOTEFLUX.ORG | Upgrade Democracy! [5] The Arts Party [5] Drug Law Reform Australia [5] Pirate Party Australia [5] Australian Labor Party (South Australian Branch) [2] Liberal Party of Australia - Tasmanian Division [2] One PLANET [6] Liberal Party of Australia (S.A. Division) [2] Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) [5] Australian Citizens Party Smokers Rights Party [5] Victorian Socialists Australian Representative Council [6] National Party of Australia - N.S.W. [2] Australian Sovereignty Party [5] Child Protection Party [5] Socialist Equality Party [5] Australian Labor Party (Tasmanian Branch) [2] Australian Affordable Housing Party [5] Science Party [5] Secular Party of Australia [5] Bullet train for Canberra [5] Reason Australia [5] Australian Cyclists Party [5] Outdoor Recreation Party (Stop The Greens) [5] 21st Century Australia [5] Australian Federation Party Australian Labor Party (Northern Territory) Branch [2] Australian Progressives [5] The Australian Mental Health Party [5] Health Environment Accountability Rights Transparency (HEART) [5] 21st Century Australia [5] Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch) [2] Pauline Hanson's One Nation [1] Australia First Party Brisbane [2][6] Australian Antipaedophile Party [5] Australian Better Families [5] TNL [5] National Party of Australia (WA) Inc [2] Australian Equality Party (Marriage) [5] Country Liberal Party (NT) Australian Protectionist Party [5] Australia First [6] Centre Alliance Australian Defence Veterans Party [5] Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated [5] Australian Country Party [5] Voluntary Euthanasia Party [5] United Australia Party [5] FUSION: Science, Pirate, Secular, Climate Emergency Nation Builders Australia [2][6] Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) [5] Country Labor Party [2][5] Family First Party (QLD) [2][6] Independents CAN [5] National Party of Australia - Victoria [2] Liberal Party of Australia - ACT Division [2] Australian Democrats [3] Online Direct Democracy - (Empowering the People!) [5] Katter's Australian Party (KAP) [3] CountryMinded [5] Renewable Energy Party [5] Australian Values Party [5] Democratic Labour Party [5] Federal ICAC Now [5] Stop CSG Party [5] The Together Party [5] Australian Independents [5] Australia First Party - Hunter Valley [2][6] Australian Democrats Australian Democrats [3] Country Alliance [5] Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated [6] Transport Matters Party [5] Australian People's Party [5] Local Network [5] Kim for Canberra WESTERN AUSTRALIA PARTY [5] The Women's Party [5] Katter's Australian Party (KAP) [3] Australian Voice Party [5] The Small Business Party [5] Tim Storer Independent SA [5] The 23 Million [5] Independent Voices for the Senate [5] Natural Medicine Party [5] Yellow Vest Australia [5] Australia's First Nations Political Party [5] Australian Sports Party [5] Republican Party of Australia [5] National Party of Australia [1] Nick Xenophon Team [1][5] Single Parents' Party [5] Australian Fishing and Lifestyle Party [3][4][5] Liberal National Party of Queensland [1][2] Family First Party Australia [3] Australia First Party (NSW) Incorporated [1][5] Jacqui Lambie Network Family First Party (WA) [2][6] Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) [1][5] Republican Party of Australia [5] Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party [5] Jacqui Lambie Network [1] Federation Party Northern Territory [6] Australian Democrats VIC [2][6] Carers Alliance [1][5] Building Australia Party [5] No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics [1][3][5] Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) [5] Non-Custodial Parents Party (Equal Parenting) [1][5] Bullet Train For Australia [1][6] Australian Country Party [1][5] Indigenous - Aboriginal Party of Australia Online Direct Democracy - (Empowering the People!) [3][5] Republican Party of Australia [5] Online Direct Democracy - (Empowering the People!) [1][5] Seniors United Party of Australia (Victorian Division) [2][6] Seniors United Party of Australia [5] Freedom and Prosperity Party [1][3][5] Seniors United Party of Australia [1][5] Republican Party of Australia [5] Uniting Australia Party [5] No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics [1][3][5] No Carbon Tax Climate Sceptics [1][3][5] Uniting Australia Party [1][3][5] Mutual Party [1][5] Glenn Lazarus Team [1][5] John Madigan's Manufacturing and Farming Party [1][5] Indigenous - Aboriginal Party of Australia Drew Pavlou Democratic Alliance [5] Indigenous - Aboriginal Party of Australia
About the statistics: The scraping schedule
Data is scraped daily, generally (Australia/Hobart time) between 10 am and midday, depending on whether daylight savings is in effect for either/both of Australia/Hobart and the time zone of my web server (located in the U.S.). If errors are encountered and a manual scrape is required, the time may be later than this. The exact time is indicated on each data point when the mouse is hovered over it.
About the statistics: Data anomalies
Anomaly #1: The odd dips around 14-16 March 2015
The odd dips around 14-16 March 2015 in "likes" for various parties are probably due to Facebook removing memorialised and voluntarily deactivated accounts from pages' like counts, which they said in this blog post of 6 March 2015 that they were going to do "over the coming weeks".
Anomaly #2: The lack of data between (inclusively) 23 March and 11 April, 2019
During this period, I was without access to the internet, and was unable to perform the necessary regular maintenance on this app - namely, semi-manually updating the app's Graph API token every time it expires (the token lasts for several months).
Anomaly #3: The zeroed data for all "talking about" metrics between (inclusively) 12 April and 3 May, 2019
I currently have no explanation for this anomaly.
Anomaly #4: The lack of data between (inclusively) 5 September and 10 December, 2019
From 2019-09-05, Facebook made it impossible, as part of its new developer requirements, for me to automatically access the "likes" and "talking about" metrics of these political party pages unless I had my script (an "app" in Facebook's terms) which accesses those metrics (via Facebook's Graph API) reviewed, and my business (as an app developer) verified. My "app" passed review, but I did not initially have a business with which to associate it, and so I was unable to perform the business verification. I managed to complete verification of a business on 2019-12-11, which is when my app resumed scraping. I have been unable to find a way to retrieve the missing data for the roughly three-month period during which my "app" was not associated with a verified business.
Anomaly #5: The sudden (and in some cases dramatic) drops in, or increases of, likes between 6 and 18 June, 2021
I currently have no explanation for this anomaly. This is of concern given that one party (Australian Liberty Alliance) almost doubled its "likes" in a single day, which deserves an explanation.
Anomaly #6: The lack of data between (inclusively) 3 and 13 November, 2021
Inexplicably, the permissions for my scraper (for which it had been audited, and which remained correct) no longer granted me access to likes/talking-about data for public pages. Eventually, I realised that I could - again, inexplicably - get around this by using an "App Access Token" rather than the "User Access Token" that I had previously been using (see here for more information on access tokens).
About the statistics: Updates to the list of parties
I attempt to list only the Facebook pages of parties that are currently, or that have at some time since charting began been, registered with the AEC. The original list was generated between 11 and 13 January, 2014, based on the AEC's page, Current Register of Political Parties, and was updated (against that same list) on the following dates:
- 3 February, 2015.
- 3 September, 2015.
- 28 April, 2016.
- 13 November, 2016.
After that, and up until 8 August, 2019, I added/deleted parties based on announcements on the AEC's Twitter feed, which I checked daily for the most part. From 13 November, 2017, I also regularly monitored the AEC's Party registration decisions and changes page, given that the AEC's Twitter feed was found to be less than 100% reliable: it failed to announce the registration of the Australian Affordable Housing Party (presumably because of the confusion due to the registration being initially rejected and then reinstated upon appeal).
From 8 August, 2019, I have been adding/deleting parties based on the emailed output of a daily script which I've written which compares parties known to this page/app against a live list on the AEC website, and lists any discrepancies.
If you know of a Facebook page for any federal Australian party currently registered with the AEC but as-yet uncharted above, then please let me know. Likewise, if you know that any of the parties charted are no longer registered with the AEC, then please also let me know.
About the statistics: Facebook groups not listed
Note also that - in some cases in addition to a Facebook page proper currently being graphed - the following parties (also) have Facebook groups, however, they are not graphed, for the following reasons: firstly (and somewhat tautologically...), because my Facebook likes scraper does not currently handle groups; secondly, because I'm not sure it would in any case be appropriate to compare number of page likes with number of group memberships; and, sometimes, thirdly, because a particular group is closed and thus inaccessible anyway.
- Outdoor Recreation Party (Stop The Greens) (open group). Note that this group has about fifteen times as many memberships as its graphed page has likes at last check (3 October 2015).
- Australia's First Nations Political Party (closed group)
- Help End Marijuana Prohibition (HEMP) Party (closed group)
- Australian Liberty Alliance Supporters (closed group)
- Australian Recreational Fishers Party
Export the data
The links below may be used to export the data used to generate these graphs in each of the respectively indicated formats. Note that, to the extent it is legally permissible for me to so licence data scraped off Facebook, the following data is released by me into the public domain, i.e. you are free to use and redistribute it in any way that you see fit.
Acknowledgements
The code on which this page and its helpers are based was originally written by Jonas Laeborg for the Danish Pirate Party to graph Danish political parties [dead link: the page has moved here [that link is now dead too]]. I have modified that code fairly extensively though, so any errors are as likely to be mine as Jonas's. Thank you, Jonas, for making your code freely available. The charting software is made available free for non-commercial use by Highcharts. Thank you, Highcharts, for providing such great software free of charge.
