![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 151 seats in the House of Representatives 76 seats are needed for a majority 40 (of the 76) seats in the Senate | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Opinion polls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The next Australian federal election will be held in or before 2022 to elect members of the 47th Parliament of Australia.
All 151 seats in the lower house, the House of Representatives, and 40 or 76 (depending on whether a double dissolution is called) of the 76 seats in the upper house, the Senate, will be up for election.
The incumbent Liberal/National Coalition Government, currently led by Prime Minister Scott Morrison, will be seeking a fourth three-year term. The Labor Opposition, currently led by Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese, and several other parties will also contest the election, with the Greens being the third largest party by vote.
See also: 2019 Australian federal election |
See also: Results of the 2019 Australian federal election (House of Representatives) |
See also: Results of the 2019 Australian federal election (Senate) |
See also: Redistribution (Australia) and Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives |
The Australian Electoral Commission is required, one year after the first sitting day for a new House of Representatives, to determine the number of members to which each State and Territory is entitled. If the number in any state changes, a redistribution will be required in those states. A redistribution will be postponed if it would begin within one year of the expiration of the House of Representatives.
Demographic statistics for December 2019 released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on 18 June 2020 were used to calculate the determination. The population counts confirmed that the number of seats in the House of Representatives was to return to 150, with Victoria gaining a seat (39) and Western Australia (15) and the Northern Territory (1) losing a seat each.[1][2]
June 2020 determination (set aside) | ||
---|---|---|
State | Seats | Change |
New South Wales | 47 | ![]() |
Victoria | 39 | ![]() |
Queensland | 30 | ![]() |
Western Australia | 15 | ![]() |
South Australia | 10 | ![]() |
Tasmania | 5 | ![]() |
Australian Capital Territory | 3 | ![]() |
Northern Territory | 1 | ![]() |
Total | 150 | ![]() |
The abolition of the Northern Territory's second seat in the determination was controversial.[3] Labor Party Senators Malarndirri McCarthy and Don Farrell put forward a private senator's bill which would guarantee the Northern Territory a minimum two seats in the House of Representatives, with the bill referred to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters.[4] In July 2020, election analyst Antony Green proposed to the Joint Standing Committee on Electoral Matters that the "harmonic mean method" be used to calculate the electoral representation entitlements for the territories.[5] Green also blogged on the history of representation and its applications to states and territories in light of the 2020 redistribution[6][7][8] and his advocacy proved persuasive.[4] In October 2020, deputy prime minister Michael McCormack gave an assurance that the government and opposition would combine to overrule the AEC and maintain the Northern Territory's level of representation. The mechanism by which this would be used to achieved was unclear,[9] however, with Senator Mathias Cormann stating that a two seat minimum for the territories would be legislated.[10] Mandating a minimum number of seats for the Northern Territory but not the Australian Capital Territory was seen as potentially inequitable, though the ACT's level of representation was not under threat.[4] A 2003 report had also recommended against adopting mandatory minimum entitlements to seats in the House of Representatives for either of the territories.[11]
Ultimately, the Joint Standing Committee recommended "enacting a harmonic mean for allocating seats between States and Territories, with appropriate public explanation to build understanding for the reform."[4] The Parliament passed the Electoral Amendment (Territory Representation) Act on 9 December 2020, amending the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to utilise the harmonic mean method for determining representative entitlements for territories relative to states.[12][13] Consequently, the Northern Territory will retain two seats in the House of Representatives at the next election,[12] an outcome achieved without legislating any mandatory minimum level of representation.[4]
December 2020 determination | ||
---|---|---|
State | Seats | Change |
New South Wales | 47 | ![]() |
Victoria | 39 | ![]() |
Queensland | 30 | ![]() |
Western Australia | 15 | ![]() |
South Australia | 10 | ![]() |
Tasmania | 5 | ![]() |
Australian Capital Territory | 3 | ![]() |
Northern Territory | 2 | ![]() |
Total | 151 | ![]() |
In March 2021, the AEC published its proposal for this redistribution, involving the abolition of the Division of Stirling in Western Australia,[14] the creation of the new Division of Hawke in Victoria (named for former Prime Minister Bob Hawke), and the renaming of the existing Division of Corangamite to the Division of Tucker (in honour of Margaret Tucker, "a Yorta Yorta woman, for her significant work to create a more equal and understanding society for Aboriginal people").[15][16]
Enrolment of eligible voters is compulsory. Voters must notify the AEC within 8 weeks of a change of address or after turning 18. The electoral rolls are closed for new enrolments or update of details about a week after the issue of writs for election.[17]
Enrolment is optional for 16- or 17-year-olds, but they cannot vote until they turn 18, [18] and persons who have applied for Australian citizenship may also apply for provisional enrolment which takes effect on the granting of citizenship.[19]
Though federal elections must be conducted on a Saturday,[20] the date and type of federal election is determined by the Prime Minister – after a consideration of constitutional requirements, legal requirements, as well as political considerations – who advises the Governor-General to set the process in motion by dissolving the lower or both houses and issuing writs for election. The Constitution of Australia does not require simultaneous elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives, though simultaneous elections are held if an election for the House is called and a Senate half-election is due. When Prime Minister Robert Menzies called the November 1963 election, only the seats in the House of Representatives were vacated as it was too early to hold a half-senate election.[21] Separate House of Representatives and Senate elections were then held until the electoral timetables were brought together again at the May 1974 election.[22] According to the Parliament of Australia's website, the "conventional wisdom now is that separate Senate elections result in poor Senate results for governments and should be avoided if governments wish not to have unfriendly Senates." The most recent House-only election took place in 1972, and the most recent Senate-only election took place in 1970. Simultaneous elections are required in the case of a double dissolution election that is called under section 57 of the Australian Constitution when the Senate twice refuses to pass legislation sent to it by the House of Representatives.[23] This happened most recently in 2016 when then-Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull utilised three double dissolution triggers to call an election for the full Senate as well as for the House of Representatives.[24] However, the existence of a double dissolution trigger does not mandate that the Prime Minister must advise that an election be called.[25]
An election for the House of Representatives can be called at any time before the expiration of the three-year term of the House of Representatives[26] or up to ten days thereafter.[27] The term of the House of Representatives starts on the first sitting day of the House following its election, which in the case of the 46th Parliament was 2 July 2019. The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (CEA) sets certain requirements. Up to 27 days must be allowed for nominations,[28] and the actual election can be set for a maximum of 31 days after close of nominations,[29] resulting in the latest election date for the House of Representatives being after the latest possible date for the next senate election.
The election of senators must take place within one year before the terms expire for half-Senate elections,[30] so that the writs for a half-Senate election cannot be issued earlier than 1 July 2021. Since campaigns are for a minimum of 33 days, the earliest possible date for a simultaneous House/half-Senate election is Saturday, 7 August 2021.[31] The latest that a half-Senate election could be held must allow time for the votes to be counted and the writs to be returned before the newly elected senators take office on 1 July 2022. This took 41 days in 2019, and were returned on the last possible date available given the impending commencement of the new senators. Using this approximate time frame, the last possible date for a half-Senate election to take place is Saturday 21 May 2022.
A double dissolution (a deadlock-breaking provision to dissolve both houses of parliament) cannot take place within six months before the date of the expiry of the House of Representatives.[32] That means that any double dissolution of the 46th Parliament will have to be granted by 1 January 2022. Allowing for the same stages indicated above, the last possible date for a double dissolution election would be 5 March 2022.[31] This can only occur if a bill that passes the House of Representatives is rejected by the Senate twice, at least three months apart.
The constitutional and legal provisions which impact on the choice of election dates include:[33]
Candidates for either house must be formally nominated with the Electoral Commission. The nomination for a party-endorsed candidate must be signed by the Registered Officer of a party registered under the Electoral Act. Fifty signatures of eligible voters are required for an independent candidate. A candidate can nominate for only one electorate, and must pass a number of qualifications.
A deposit of $2,000 will be required for a candidate for the House of Representatives or the Senate, which is refunded if the candidate is elected or gains at least 4% of the first preference vote.[35][36] Between 10 and 27 days must be allowed after the issue of writs before the close of nominations.[28]
Name | Ideology | Leading candidate(s) |
2019 result | Current seats | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes (%) | Seats | |||||||
rowspan="2" style="background:Template:Coalition (Australia)/meta/color;"| | Coalition | LP | Liberal | Liberal conservativism | Scott Morrison | 41.44% | 77 / 151
|
76 / 151
|
NAT | National | Agrarianism | Michael McCormack | |||||
style="background:Template:Australian Labor Party/meta/color;"| | ALP | Labor | Social democracy | Anthony Albanese | 33.34% | 68 / 151
|
68 / 151
| |
style="background:Template:Australian Greens/meta/color;"| | AG | Greens | Green politics | Adam Bandt | 10.40% | 1 / 151
|
1 / 151
| |
style="background:Template:Katter's Australian Party/meta/color;"| | KAP | Katter's Australian | Social conservatism | Bob Katter[b] | 0.49% | 1 / 151
|
1 / 151
| |
style="background:Template:Centre Alliance/meta/color;"| | CA | Centre Alliance | Social liberalism | No leader | 0.33% | 1 / 151
|
1 / 151
| |
style="background:Template:Independent/meta/color;"| | Independents | – | – | – | 3 / 151
|
4 / 151
|
Members of Parliament and Senators who have announced they will not renominate for the upcoming election are as follows: