Elections in Australia
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Template:Politics of Australia (side) Elections in Australia gives information on elections and election results in Australia.
At a federal level Australia elects a legislature - the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, using various electoral systems: see Australian electoral system. The Parliament consists of two chambers:
- The House of Representatives has 150 members, elected for a three year term in single-seat constituencies with a system of alternative vote known as preferential voting.
- The Senate has 76 members, elected through a preferential system in 12-seat state constituencies and two-seat territorial constituencies with a system of single transferable vote. Electors choose territorial senators for a three-year term. The state senators serve for a six-year term, with half of the seats renewed every three years.
Australia has a de facto two-party system between the Australian Labor Party and the Coalition of the Liberal Party of Australia, National Party of Australia, and Country Liberal Party. It is highly difficult for other parties to win representation of the House, and thus form the government. However, minor parties do have an impact in the Senate, where the electoral system is more favourable to smaller parties. As of 2006, three parties besides the ALP and the Coalition are represented in the Senate: the Australian Greens, the Australian Democrats, and Family First.
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Election timing
Although elections for the House of Representatives have usually corresponded to half-elections of the Senate, the rules which determine when the elections occur differ:
- The House of Representatives lasts no more than three years after it first meets, but may be dissolved earlier. After the House is dissolved, the next house must meet within 140 days. The maximum period between elections is therefore 3 years, 140 days, and the minimum approximately a month.
- The duration of Senators' terms are fixed (unless a double dissolution occurs), and elections must occur within a year before the term expires.
If for some reason a House is dissolved early, House and Senate elections may be unsynchronised until either the House is again dissolved sufficiently early or a double dissolution occurs.
See Australian legislative election, 2007 (or 19 January 2008 at latest Timing of next election)
Results
- Australian legislative election, 2004
- Australian legislative election, 2001
- Australian legislative election, 1998
- Australian legislative election, 1996
- Australian legislative election, 1993
- Australian legislative election, 1990
- Australian legislative election, 1987 (double dissolution)
- Australian legislative election, 1984
- Australian legislative election, 1983 (double dissolution)
- Australian legislative election, 1980
- Australian legislative election, 1977
- Australian legislative election, 1975 (double dissolution)
- Australian legislative election, 1974 (double dissolution)
- Australian legislative election, 1972 (House only)
- Australian legislative election, 1970 (Senate only)
- Australian legislative election, 1969 (House only)
- Australian legislative election, 1967 (Senate only)
- Australian legislative election, 1966 (House only)
- Australian legislative election, 1964 (Senate only)
- Australian legislative election, 1963 (House only)
- Australian legislative election, 1961
- Australian legislative election, 1958
- Australian legislative election, 1955
- Australian legislative election, 1954 (House only)
- Australian legislative election, 1953 (Senate only)
- Australian legislative election, 1951 (double dissolution)
- Australian legislative election, 1949
- Australian legislative election, 1946
- Australian legislative election, 1943
- Australian legislative election, 1940
- Australian legislative election, 1937
- Australian legislative election, 1934
- Australian legislative election, 1931
- Australian legislative election, 1929 (House only)
- Australian legislative election, 1928
- Australian legislative election, 1925
- Australian legislative election, 1922
- Australian legislative election, 1919
- Australian legislative election, 1917
- Australian legislative election, 1914 (double dissolution)
- Australian legislative election, 1913
- Australian legislative election, 1910
- Australian legislative election, 1906
- Australian legislative election, 1903
- Australian legislative election, 1901
See also
External links
- Electionworld
- Adam Carr's Election Archive
- Archived websites from Australian electoral campaigns since 1996 @ http://pandora.nla.gov.au/subject/6
State and Territory governments: ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. - SA - Tas. - Vic. - WA | State electoral systems