After the dissolution of Parliament on March 28, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese called for a federal election, which will take place on Saturday, May 3.
The candidates and parties
So far, polling suggests a very close race between Albanese’s centre-left Labor party, seeking a three-year term re-election, and the conservative Liberal-National coalition, led by Peter Dutton. As such, independent and minor parties can prove instrumental in determining a coalition government if neither party secures a majority.
The parties need to secure 76 seats out of 150 — reduced from 151 due to boundaries having been redrawn in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia states since the last election — in the House of Representatives to form a government. In the outgoing parliament, Labor held 78 out of 151 seats, just holding on to a majority. Meanwhile, the Coalition held 54 seats, with the rest of them divided between the Greens (4) and independents (15).
Currently, no party has a majority in the 76-seat Senate — the Coalition holds 30, Labor 25, the Greens 11, and independents and minor parties 10. You can check which senators are up for re-election this May here.
The big issues
This election has so far been defined by the cost of living crisis, the economy — with growing uncertainty due to Trump’s tariffs — energy and climate change, and China.
Despite tax cuts and subsidies for rent and energy bills, inflation is still a cause of concern for many, especially as it drives rental prices even higher. When it comes to energy, both parties have announced plans to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. But while the Coalition has pledged to build seven nuclear power plants, the Labor government’s proposal is to shift the focus to renewable energy, and away from nuclear.
When it comes to US–Australia relations, Albanese has generally distanced himself from Trump’s government, most recently saying that the decision to impose this 10% tariff on Australia, long considered an ally to the US, was “not the act of a friend.” However, he also discarded the idea of retaliatory tariffs. On the other hand, Dutton recently declared he will not make any concessions if he has to deal with Trump’s tariffs and criticised Albanese’s approach so far as weak.
With a polarised electorate and perhaps due to growing disenchantment, fewer Australians than ever voted for a major party at the last election, with some of them opting for minor parties and others, for independents, making these candidates more important than ever.
Voting
Of course, voting is compulsory and, in fact, Australian elections have some of the highest voter turnout figures in the world, never dipping below 90% since the law was introduced in 1924. To vote in this upcoming election you must already be registered, as enrolment has now closed. You can check your status here, and you can enrol for future elections if you are not.
If you are registered, you can find your electorate on the Australian Election Commission (AEC)’s website.
If you are unable to vote in person on election day you can vote early by applying for a postal vote, or voting at a pre-poll booth. Postal voting applications are now open and must be submitted here by 6pm on Wednesday, April 30. Votes must be completed on or before election day, and must be received by the AEC no more than 13 days after polling day to be valid.
On the other hand, early voting centres open from Tuesday, April 22. You can check your eligibility for early voting here and, if you are eligible, you can find pre-poll booths here.
If you want to vote from overseas, you can find further information on how to do so here.
If you are voting on election day, you will be handed two pieces of paper: a smaller one for the House of Representatives and a larger one for the Senate. For the House of Representatives, you must number each box in order of your preference (“1” being your first choice, “2” being your next choice and so on). Make sure you number all of them to ensure your vote is valid.
For the Senate, you can either number at least six boxes above the line in your order of preference, or you can vote for individual candidates nominated by each party below the line. If you choose to do this, you must number at least 12 boxes.
Happy voting and see you at the polls!