2022 Australian federal election
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On or before 14th May 2022, All 151 seats in the House of Representatives 76 seats are needed for a majority 40 (of the 76) seats in the Senate | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | non-registered 8,629,951 (under the age of 18 years old) 16,424,248 (2019) [1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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 House of Representatives (lower house) and likely 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate (upper house) will be up for election.
The incumbent majority Coalition government led by Scott Morrison will be seeking a fourth term against the opposition Labor Party. The Labor Party's leadership will be decided in a national ballot after former leader Bill Shorten stood aside.
Redistribution
The AEC will determine one year after the first sitting day for a new House of Representatives the number of members to which each State and Territory is entitled. A redistribution will be postponed if it would begin within one year of the expiration of the House of Representatives.
Voter registration
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.[2][3]
Election date
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, but it has long been preferred that elections for the two houses take place simultaneously. The most recent House-only election took place in 1972, and the most recent Senate-only election took place in 1970. The election day must be a Saturday.[4]
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[5] or ten days thereafter.[6] 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 is yet to take place. The House must sit within twelve months of the last sitting of the House,[7] which took place on 11 April 2019. The last federal election was held on 18 May 2019. An election for the House of Representatives needs to be held on or before [date].[8] The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (CEA) sets certain requirements. Up to 27 days must be allowed for nominations,[9] and the actual election can be set for a maximum of 31 days after close of nominations,[10] resulting in the latest election date for the House of Representatives of Saturday, [date] 2022.
The election of senators must take place within one year before the terms expire for half-Senate elections,[11] 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.[8] 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 will take office on 1 July 2022. This took over a month in 2016, so practically the last possible date for a half-Senate election to take place is a Saturday, mid-May 2022.
A double dissolution cannot take place within six months before the date of the expiry of the House of Representatives.[12] That means that any double dissolution of the 46th Parliament will have to be granted by [date]. Allowing for the same stages indicated above, the last possible date for a double dissolution election would have to be [date] 2022.[8] This can only occur if a bill that passes the House of Representatives is rejected by the Senate twice, at least three months apart.
Candidates
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 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.[13][14]
Between 10 and 27 days must be allowed after the issue of writs before the close of nominations.[9]
Opinion polls
Graphical summary
References
- ^ "The best electoral roll in history". Australian Electoral Commission. 23 April 2019.
- ^ Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 (Cth) s. 155
- ^ "DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE CALLING OF THE DOUBLE DISSOLUTION ELECTION FOR 2 JULY 2016" (PDF). Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia. 8 May 2016. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 May 2016.
- ^ "Commonwealth Electoral Act, s. 158". Austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Constitution of Australia, s. 28.
- ^ Constitution of Australia, s. 32.
- ^ Constitution of Australia, s. 6.
- ^ a b c Elections Timetable from Parliamentary Library
- ^ a b "Commonwealth Electoral Act, s. 156". Austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ "Commonwealth Electoral Act, s. 157". Austlii.edu.au. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
- ^ Constitution of Australia, s. 13
- ^ Section 57 of the Constitution
- ^ The Electoral Legislation Amendment (Modernisation and Other Measures) Act 2019, which came into effect on 1 March 2019.
- ^ Candidates Handbook, p.6.