Preferences are more important than ever this election. See where Australian voters sent theirs last time

In some seats, preferences will make all the difference - and it's not as simple as left or right. Explore what happened in your area in 2022

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Preferences have become more important than ever in Australian elections, as the share of people supporting the major parties has dropped from more than 90% of primary votes in the 1950s to just 68.8% in the most recent federal poll.

The last Australian election saw 16 seats won by candidates who were not leading after the first count - the most ever, tied with 2016. And more than half of those winners were independent candidates - also the most ever.