---
title: Proportional Representation Society of Australia
type: advocacy
status: active
country: AU
website: https://www.prsa.org.au
logo: /assets/org-logos/prsa.jpg
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-24
  email: info@prsa.org.au
  source: https://www.prsa.org.au/nat_cont.html
summary: Australia's oldest electoral reform organisation, advocating for proportional
  representation via the Single Transferable Vote — the system already used in Tasmania,
  the ACT, and the Australian Senate.
concepts:
- mixed-member-proportional-representation
- representative-democracy
- direct-democracy
location:
  latitude: -35.2809
  longitude: 149.13
  name: Canberra, Australia
  precision: city
news_page: https://www.prsa.org.au/qn/indexqn.htm
rss_feed: https://www.prsa.org.au/feed
events:
- date: '1988-05-13'
  title: Death of founding National President J.F.H. "Jack" Wright, who built PRSA
    into a national body
  url: https://www.prsa.org.au/qn/50.html
  quote: On 13th May 1988, Mr J.F.H.Wright, who was instrumental in establishing the
    Society as a nation-wide body, died after a brief illness.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-14'
  notable: true
- date: '2011-01-01'
  title: First three PRSA members admitted as Honorary Life Members
  url: https://www.prsa.org.au/qn/2011a_.html
  quote: Three PRSA members were admitted as the first ever Honorary Life Members
    of the PRSA earlier this year.
  note: Reported in the March 2011 newsletter; the admissions occurred earlier that
    year, exact date not stated.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-14'
  notable: false
- date: '2017-08-27'
  title: Death of long-serving National President Bogey Musidlak (President since
    1994)
  url: https://www.prsa.org.au/qn/2018b_.html
  quote: National President, Bogey Musidlak, who died on 27 August 2017, at the age
    of 63. Bogey had been President of the PRSA since 1 January 1994, for over 23
    years.
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-14'
  notable: true
- date: '2026-11-12'
  title: 2026 AGM — vote on 17-motion package to rename to Australian Electoral Reform
    Society and broaden remit beyond STV
  url: https://www.designingopendemocracy.com/blog/2026/07/31/prsa-members-to-vote-on-rebrand-to-australian-electoral-reform-society--agm-12-november-2026/
  proof_level: medium
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: false
  type: meeting
  proof_warning: true
activity:
  manual:
    checked: 2026-06-07
    date: 2026-05-01
    note: website loaded. News page at https://www.prsa.org.au/latest01.htm 2026-05a
      'LETTER ON SOUTH AUSTRALIAN ELECTION OUTCOME TO ALL SA MPs:'
    url: https://www.prsa.org.au/latest01.htm
  dod:
    checked: 2026-07-19
    date: 2026-07-19
    note: Website live; quarterly newsletter (Quota Notes), active social media, ongoing
      electoral-reform advocacy.
    url: https://www.prsa.org.au
  rss:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2020-07-09
    note: 'Latest post: Orders in Council gazetted for single-councillor wards have
      taken effect'
    url: https://prsa.org.au/news/2020/#2020-07b
  scrape:
    date: 2026-03-01
    note: Latest news page scraped
    url: https://www.prsa.org.au/qn/indexqn.htm
    checked: 2026-08-17
last_checked: '2026-07-19'
---

The Proportional Representation Society of Australia (PRSA) is one of Australia's oldest electoral reform organisations, with roots in the 19th century — Catherine Helen Spence was among its founding members. The current national constitution dates from 1982.

The Society's specific focus is proportional representation via the **Single Transferable Vote** (PR-STV), the Hare-Clark variant of which is used in Tasmania and the ACT. It advocates for extending this system to the House of Representatives (currently using preferential voting in single-member electorates) and to state lower houses.

## What they argue

PR-STV produces results that more closely reflect the distribution of voter preferences across the electorate, reducing the "wasted votes" problem of single-member systems. The Society makes regular submissions to parliamentary inquiries on electoral matters and publishes a quarterly newsletter, *Quota Notes*.

PR-STV is distinct from party-list proportional representation (used in most of Europe) in that voters rank individual candidates rather than selecting parties — preserving a direct relationship between voters and representatives while achieving proportionality.

## Links

- Website: [prsa.org.au](https://www.prsa.org.au)

## See also

- [Mixed-Member Proportional Representation](../concepts/mixed-member-proportional-representation.md)
- [Representative Democracy](../concepts/representative-democracy.md)
- [Direct Democracy](../concepts/direct-democracy.md)