2016 Australian Capital Territory general election
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Elections to the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly will be held on Saturday, 15 October 2016.[1]
The 15-year incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party, currently led by Chief Minister Andrew Barr, will attempt to win a fifth term over the main opposition Liberal Party, currently led by opposition leader Jeremy Hanson.
At previous elections, candidates were elected to fill all 17 Legislative Assembly seats in the unicameral parliament which consists of three multi-member electorates, Brindabella (five seats), Ginninderra (five seats) and Molonglo (seven seats), using a proportional representation single transferable vote method known as the Hare-Clark system. On 5 August 2014, the Assembly voted to increase the size of the Assembly to 25 members, elected from five electorates of five seats each. The Hare-Clark system will continue.[2]
Background
Labor led by Jon Stanhope came to power as a minority government at the 2001 election with the support of the Greens and Democrats who held the balance of power. The 2004 election resulted in a historic majority government for Labor, the first time the ACT elected a parliamentary majority. Labor again formed a minority government after the 2008 election resulted in a Green balance of power – Labor seven seats, Liberal six seats, Greens four seats. Stanhope resigned as Chief Minister and Labor leader on 12 May 2011, and was replaced by his deputy, Katy Gallagher.
The 1989 election saw the start of self-governance in the ACT. Elections see all members of the unicameral Assembly face re-election, with members being elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation. The Assembly is currently divided into three electorates: five-member Brindabella (including Tuggeranong and parts of the Woden Valley) and Ginninderra (including Belconnen and suburbs) and seven-member Molonglo (including North Canberra, South Canberra, Gungahlin, Weston Creek, and the remainder of the Woden Valley). These electorates will be redistributed following the increase in the size of the Assembly.
At the end of May 2015, the following electorates have been announced:
- Brindabella – contains the district of Tuggeranong (except the suburb of Kambah).
- Yerrabi – contains the districts of Gungahlin, Hall and the Belconnen suburbs of Evatt, Giralang, Kaleen, McKellar and Lawson.
- Kurrajong – contains the districts of Canberra Central and Majura
- Murrumbidgee – contains the districts of the Woden Valley, Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley and the Tuggeranong suburb of Kambah.
- Ginninderra – contains the district of Belconnen (except the suburbs of Evatt, Giralang, Kaleen, McKellar and Lawson).
Election dates are set in statute with four-year fixed terms, to be held on the third Saturday of October every four years.