app/views/help/faq/_attendance.md
"Attendance" figures record the politicians who vote in any given division.
There are several reasons why a politician may have low attendance figures. For example, they may
have abstained, have ministerial or other duties or they may be the speaker.
People that “[pair](https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Odgers_Australian_Senate_Practice/Chapter_11#h07)”
are also shown as absent. Pairing is an informal arrangement between parties that allows a person
that is absent to have their vote cancelled out by someone who was planning to vote the other way
also agreeing to be absent for the vote.
We have no way of telling the difference between someone that was not in parliament on the day, was
busy with other duties in parliament and someone who actively abstained (e.g. by [running out of the
chamber as the division is called](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBgfE3Qc7_g)) because this is not
officially recorded anywhere. In future when this is recorded we will show it to you.