Australian federal elections are governed by a set of constitutional and legislative requirements.
The Australian Constitution stipulates a range of requirements for the timing and conduct of elections, including the maximum terms of each house of parliament.
The Commonwealth Electoral Act deals with the detail of elections, including voting methods.
These are the current requirements:
| Federal Election Timetable | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Event | Explanation | Min. No. of Days | Max. No. of Days |
| The House of Representatives is dissolved by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister. (Constitution, Section 5 and Section 28, or Section 57) |
–
|
–
|
|
| Writs are issued within 10 days of dissolution of Parliament. (Constitution, Section 32, Electoral Act, Sections 151 and 152) |
0 days
|
10 days
|
|
| Rolls close at 8pm, 7 days after issue of writs. (Electoral Act, Section 155) |
7 days
|
17 days
|
|
| Nominations close at 12 noon, between 10 and 27 days after issue of writs. (Electoral Act, Section 156) |
10 days
|
37 days
|
|
| Declaration of Nominations is 24 hours after nominations close. (Electoral Act, Section 176) |
11 days
|
38 days
|
|
| Polling day is fixed between 23 and 31 days after the date of nominations. (Electoral Act, Sections 157 and 158) |
33 days
|
68 days
|
|
| Writs must be returned within 100 days of their issue. (Electoral Act, Section 159) |
–
|
110 days
|
|
| New Parliament meets within 30 days of the return of the writs (Constitution, Section 5). The House of Representatives expires 3 years after its first meeting but can be dissolved earlier (Constitution Section 28) |
–
|
140 days
|
|
Source: Australian Electoral Commission publications
Election Timetables
- 1996 Federal Election Timetable February 1, 1996
- 1998 Federal Election Timetable August 30, 1998
- 2001 Federal Election Timetable October 5, 2001
- 2004 Federal Election Timetable August 29, 2004
- 2007 Federal Election Timetable October 14, 2007
- 2010 Federal Election Timetable July 17, 2010
- 2013 Federal Election Timetable August 4, 2013
- The Myth Of The Ten-Week Election Campaign In 1984 March 27, 2016
- Federal Election Announcement And Polling Dates Since 1966 May 8, 2016
- 2016 Federal Election Timetable May 16, 2016
- Writs Returned And The 2016 Federal Election Is Officially Over August 8, 2016
