The 1998 election, probably the last of the century, is also likely to be the last with a national tally room.
Computing power and the internet are getting much more powerful than people putting little cards on boards.
All the television stations ignored the huge tally board in the tally room at the Exhibition Park in Canberra (what used to be called the National Showground). It was just an expensive set.
EPIC people thought, however, that the public attendance this time was its strongest for many elections. The public queued out the door and were let in as others left. As many as 300 people were in the queue.
The reason the public like the tallyroom, aside from the colour, movement and emotion, is that they can look at which seats they want in whatever order they want. But with improved internet services by the Australian Electoral Commission and wider use of the internet in the community the public demand for the tallyroom will fall.
The question then becomes whether the commission will want to put on an expensive show for the people of Canberra when the rest of Australia, via, television does not use it.
Even the politicians are using it less as a national focus. Bob Hawke came to the tallyroom in 1983 to declare victory, but national leaders have usually stayed in home electorates on the night.
Last night, National Party leader Tim Fischer appeared, but few other big names were in the tallyroom. Senator Richard Alston, Ian Sinclair, Peter Reith, John Sharpe and Bob Hawke were there. So was One Nation adviser David Oldfield.
I hope I’m wrong, but I think they might be swan songs.