Legally, the Governor-General dissolves the House of
Representatives and issues the writs for an election. However, the timing of
federal elections is a matter for the Prime Minister, within some legislative
and constitutional constraints.
Table 1: Earliest and latest dates for the next federal
election
|
|
Earliest date |
Latest date |
| Simultaneous House of Representatives and half-Senate |
7 August 2027 |
20 May 2028 |
| House of Representatives |
No earliest date |
23 September 2028 |
| Half-Senate |
7 August 2027 |
20 May 2028 |
| Double dissolution |
Requires a trigger |
25 March 2028 |
Details of the federal election timetable, according to the Constitution
and the Commonwealth
Electoral Act 1918 (Electoral Act), are on the Australian
Electoral Commission (AEC) website.
House of Representatives
Earliest
According to the Constitution (section
28), ‘Every House of Representatives shall continue for three years from the
first meeting of the House, and no longer, but may be sooner dissolved by the
Governor-General.’ Therefore, the House of Representatives could be dissolved
at any time and an election held after 33 days (the minimum allowed before a
polling day).
Latest
Table 2: Latest date for a
House of Representatives election
| Event |
Latest date |
Reference |
| Expiry |
21 July 2028
(3 years after the first sitting on 22 July 2025). |
Section 28 of the Constitution
|
| Issue of writs |
31 July 2028
(21 July 2028 plus 10 days). |
Section 32 of the Constitution |
| Polling day |
27 September 2028
(31 July 2028 plus 58 days) |
Subsection 156(1) and section 157 of the Electoral Act |
| A Saturday polling day |
23 September 2028
(the Saturday immediately preceding 27 September 2028) |
Section 158 of the Electoral Act |
Senate
State senators serve fixed six-year terms, with half contesting
re-election every three years. Territory senators’ terms coincide with the
House of Representatives (see sections 7, 13 and 122 of the Constitution;
s 42 of the Electoral
Act).
Earliest
Table 3: Earliest date for a half-Senate election
| Event |
Earliest date |
Reference |
| Issue of writs |
1 July 2027
(one year before next expiry of state senators’ terms on
30 June 2028) |
Section 13 of the Constitution
|
| Polling day |
3 August 2027
(1 July 2027 plus 33 days) |
Subsection 156(1) and section 157 of the Electoral Act |
| A Saturday polling day |
7 August 2027
(the Saturday immediately following 3 August 2027) |
Section 158 of the Electoral Act |
Latest
The latest date that half-Senate elections can be held is
not strictly governed by legislation. The election date must allow time for the
votes to be counted and the writs returned before the new Senate term begins. Therefore,
the following is the latest practical date.
Table 4: Latest date for a half-Senate election
| Event |
Latest date |
Reference |
| Return of the writs |
30 June 2028
(allowing senators to commence on 1 July 2028) |
Section 13 of the Constitution |
| Polling day |
26 May 2028
(5 weeks before 30 June 2028) |
This allows the AEC 5 weeks to finalise election
results |
| A Saturday polling day |
20 May 2028
(the Saturday immediately preceding 26 May 2028) |
Section 158 of the Electoral Act |
Simultaneous half-Senate and House of Representatives election
There is no legal requirement for Senate and House of
Representatives elections to be held on the same day. However, practical,
logistical and financial reasons have meant the two have been held together since 1970.
Earliest
Since a House of Representatives election can be called at
any time, the earliest date for a federal election for both houses is the same
as for a half-Senate election: 7 August 2027.
Latest
The latest date for an election for both houses is
equivalent to the latest date for a
half-Senate election: 20 May 2028.
Double dissolution
Section 57 of the Constitution
outlines the circumstances in which both houses can be dissolved, and an
election held for the entire Senate and House of Representatives.
In short, there must be a deadlock between the House of
Representatives and the Senate on a particular proposed law. That is, when the
two houses fail to agree on a bill, and after three months they again fail to
agree, this provides a ‘trigger’ for a double
dissolution election.
Earliest
A double dissolution could not occur within the first 3
months of a new parliament due to the minimum time required between the first
and second disagreements between the houses. An election could then be held 33
days after the issue of the writs.
Latest
Table 5: Latest date for a double dissolution election
| Event |
Latest date |
Reference |
| Dissolution |
20 January 2028
(6 months before the House of Representatives expires) |
Section 57 of the Constitution
|
| Issue of writs |
30 January 2028
(20 January 2028 plus 10 days) |
Section 32 of the Constitution
|
| Polling day |
28 March 2028
(30 January 2028 plus 58 days) |
Subsection 156(1) and section 157 of the Electoral Act |
| A Saturday polling day |
25 March 2028
(the Saturday immediately preceding 28 March 2028) |
Section 158 of the Electoral Act
|
State, territory and local elections
Dates for upcoming state, territory and local elections can
be found here.