The reports of past electoral matters committees' inquiries, and the final volumes of submissions and transcripts of evidence at public hearings, are kept at the National Library of Australia and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Library. While some recent publications are available from the Committee secretariat and Australian Government bookshops, many older publications are out of print.

Details such as exact tabling dates of the reports, and the dates of government responses, can be found in the Register of Reports From Committees of the House of Representatives and Joint Committees.

The Committee in the 38th Parliament (May 1996-August 1998)

• Industrial elections (Report tabled: 20 October 1997) (Date of Government response: 15 July 1998)

• The 1996 federal election (Report tabled: 16 June 1997) (Date of Government response: 8 April 1998)

The Committee in the 37th Parliament (1993-96)

• Women, Elections and Parliament (May 1994) - this short report responded to a reference from the Senate to report on certain aspects of women's participation in the electoral process;

• Financial Reporting by Political Parties (June 1994) - this report contained nine recommendations directed at simplifying the financial reporting requirements of the Electoral Act. The Committee also recommended that the public funding rate for the Senate be brought into line with the House of Representatives funding rate;

• The 1993 Federal Election (November 1994) - this report contained 73 recommendations for technical improvements across the electoral system; and

• Electoral Redistributions (December 1995) - in this report the Committee endorsed the process used to determine House of Representatives electoral boundaries while recommending that some aspects be finetuned, for example the degree to which "community of interest" factors are taken into account. The Committee also recommended a series of adjustments to the public suggestions, comments and objections stages of redistributions.

• A further inquiry into "push polling" and the defamation of candidates was not reported on before the Parliament was dissolved for the 1996 federal election. The Committee published 20 submissions and took evidence at six public hearings.

The Committee in the 36th Parliament (1990-93)

• 1990 Federal Election (December 1990) - this report made recommendations to address several issues, notably unacceptable queuing on polling day and slowness of results;

• Aboriginal and Islander Electoral Information Service (September 1991) - this report examined the operation of an Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) program designed to give Aboriginal and Islander communities greater responsibility for local electoral activities;

• The Conduct of Elections: New Boundaries for Co-operation (September 1992) - this report examined opportunities for resource-sharing between the electoral administrations of the Commonwealth and the States;

• Counting the Vote on Election Night (November 1992) - this short report reviewed the proposed "two-candidate preferred count" for the House of Representatives scrutiny prior to its use at the 1993 federal election; and

• Ready or Not: Refining the Process for Election '93 (December 1992) - this report fulfilled the Committee's stated (in 1990 Federal Election) intention of reviewing the preparedness of the AEC to conduct the 1993 federal election, and also considered the operation of section 44 of the Constitution (which sets out disqualifications to being chosen or sitting as a member of the House of Representatives or the Senate).

The Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters in the 35th Parliament (1987-90)

The first Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters released five reports:

• One Vote, One Value (April 1988) - a report of an inquiry into the Constitution Alteration (Democratic Elections) Bill 1987, which was introduced by the Australian Democrats with the intention of enshrining in the Constitution the principle of "one vote, one value" for Commonwealth and State legislatures;

• 'Is This Where I Pay the Electricity Bill?' (October 1988) - a report on the organisational structure of the Australian Electoral Commission;

• The 1987 Federal Election (May 1989) - a report on the conduct of the 1987 election and the 1988 referenda;

• Who Pays the Piper Calls the Tune (June 1989) - a report on the risks of funding political campaigns, with reference to the funding and disclosure laws and the cost of political advertising; and

• Inquiry Into the ACT Election and Electoral System (November 1989) - a report on the electoral system used for the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) after the ACT attained self-government.

The Joint Select Committees on Electoral Reform (33rd Parliament, 1983-84 and 34th Parliament, 1984-87)

In their other reports over the course of the two Parliaments, the committees examined standards governing political advertising and election broadcasting, the principles governing the representation of federal territories and new States in the Parliament, and finally, the operation at the 1984 election of the sweeping amendments to electoral legislation arising from the First Report. One outcome of this last inquiry was a recommendation that "the next and succeeding Parliaments appoint a Joint Standing Committee to inquire into and report on all aspects of the conduct of elections...and matters related thereto".