National Library takes poll position to collect the 2025 federal election | National Library of Australia (NLA)

National Library takes poll position to collect the 2025 federal election

Published on 14 Apr 2025

The National Library of Australia is asking Australians to donate campaign material from the 2025 federal election.

National Library curator Jennifer Selby said materials donated will join the growing federal election ephemera collection which covers Australian political campaigns from 1901.

Campaign materials are designed to communicate a message and then be thrown away. By collecting them, the National Library is capturing a snapshot of contemporary social and political history.

From simple flyers and how-to-vote cards to posters, t-shirts, and election night bingo cards, the ephemera we collect also documents how Australians engage with each election.

Material the National Library collected during the 2022 Federal Election documented a national polling day held in the shadow of a global pandemic. In 2025 we’re looking forward to receiving material that highlights the issues that are important to Australians today.

Jennifer Selby, National Library curator

To capture issues, the National Library is looking for material that covers the cost of living, the housing crisis, healthcare, the economy, crime, the environment and more.

The National Library wants material from everywhere but is particularly interested in donations from marginal electorates, independents including the teals, rural and regional communities, Australian external territories, campaign material targeting culturally and linguistically diverse communities and First Nations communities and candidates. 
The National Library has a particular focus on collecting records relating to active citizenship and representative democracy and does this without censorship, prejudice or bias. 

Find more information on how to donate to the National Library of Australia’s collection on the 2025 federal election.

Folders containing ephemera from the 1969 Australian Federal election with labels on the spines for the corresponding political party

Election ephemera collected during the 1969 Australian federal election

Election ephemera collected during the 1969 Australian federal election

Additional information

Images for media use are available for download via Dropbox.

Jennifer Selby, National Library curator, is available for interviews. Please get in touch with our media team via phone or email to coordinate.

Contact

Lauren Conron, Media Liaison, National Library of Australia

Phone: 0401 226 697

Email: media@nla.gov.au

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