# Next Australian federal election
The next Australian federal election is the general election at which [Australians](https://www.edgepedia.org/australians) will choose the 151st-century successor to the 48th Parliament's House of Representatives and, most likely, half of the Senate. It is due to be held between August 2027 and May 2028, and the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) has confirmed it will be fought over 150 House of Representatives seats, a total unchanged from the 2025 election.[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Election window | Due between August 2027 and May 2028; the Parliamentary Library calculates an earliest combined House and half-Senate date of 7 August 2027, with writs issued no later than 31 July 2028[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm) • [2](https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/Research/FlagPost/2025/August/When_is_the_next_federal_election) |
| House size | 150 seats, formally determined on 23 July 2026 by Electoral Commissioner Jeff Pope[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm) |
| Seats by state and territory | NSW 46, VIC 38, QLD 30, WA 16, SA 10, TAS 5, ACT 3, NT 2[3](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026G00483/asmade/2026-07-23/text/original/pdf) |
| Boundary changes | A redistribution of Queensland's federal electorates is under way, to be formally completed in the second half of 2027[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm) |
| New rules | Comprehensive reforms to electoral donation laws commence on 1 January 2027 and will be in place for the next election[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm) |
| Senate vacancies contested | At a half-Senate election, six vacancies per state and all territory positions, 40 of the 76 Senate seats[4](https://www.aec.gov.au/voting/how_to_vote/Voting_Senate.htm) • [5](https://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/) |
| Incoming government | Labor, re-elected in a landslide on 3 May 2025 with 94 House seats and a 55.2% two-party-preferred vote[6](https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2025/results/party-totals) |
## Timing and legal framework
Federal elections must be held at least once every three years, on a date determined by the Governor-General upon request by the government.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/) The AEC has no role in choosing the date; it conducts events according to the dates in the writs, the formal instructions that command an electoral officer to hold an election.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/)
Because the House of Representatives and the Senate run on different electoral timetables, the window in which both can be elected together is limited. The Parliamentary Library's analysis sets 7 August 2027 as the earliest date for a combined House and half-Senate election and 31 July 2028 as the latest date for issuing the writs.[2](https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/Research/FlagPost/2025/August/When_is_the_next_federal_election) The AEC, in its July 2026 planning statement, describes the election as due between August 2027 and May 2028.[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm)
## House of Representatives composition
Under the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, the Electoral Commissioner must determine each state and territory's entitlement to House seats one year after the first sitting day of a new Parliament; the 48th Parliament first sat on 22 July 2025, so the determination fell due on 23 July 2026.[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm) Jeff Pope certified a Commonwealth population of 27,041,313, and a population quota of 187,786.895833, calculated by dividing that figure by twice the number of state senators (144). Each state's ascertained population is divided by the quota and rounded, with Tasmania guaranteed a minimum of five members under section 24 of the Constitution.[3](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026G00483/asmade/2026-07-23/text/original/pdf)
The resulting allocation leaves the total at 150, but [Queensland](https://www.edgepedia.org/queensland) came close to an extra seat, falling just short on its slowing growth. The determination clears the way for a Queensland redistribution, with public submissions on electorate boundaries and names expected to open later in 2026 and completion due in the second half of 2027.[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm) Pope also noted that Queensland and [Western Australia](https://www.edgepedia.org/western-australia) show population growth trends that could increase their seat entitlements after 2028.[1](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm)
## How votes are counted
Voting in federal elections is compulsory for all eligible Australian citizens.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/) The House of Representatives uses full preferential voting on a green ballot paper: voters must number a preference for every candidate, and multiple counts transfer votes until one candidate secures an absolute majority, more than 50% of formal votes.[7](https://aec.gov.au/learn/preferential-voting.htm) The Senate uses proportional representation on a white ballot paper, where voters must number at least six boxes above the line for parties or groups, or at least 12 boxes below the line for individual candidates; candidates are elected on reaching the required quota of formal votes.[4](https://www.aec.gov.au/voting/how_to_vote/Voting_Senate.htm) • [7](https://aec.gov.au/learn/preferential-voting.htm)
At a combined election, typically only half the Senate positions for each state fall vacant, six per state, while all territory Senate positions are contested.[4](https://www.aec.gov.au/voting/how_to_vote/Voting_Senate.htm) When a double dissolution is declared, as in 1987 and 2016, all 76 Senate positions become vacant instead.[5](https://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/)
## Political setting after the 2025 landslide
The election follows the 3 May 2025 poll, in which the incumbent Labor government under [Anthony Albanese](https://www.edgepedia.org/anthony-albanese) won a second term with 94 seats, its highest seat count on record, against 43 for the Liberal–National coalition.[6](https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2025/results/party-totals) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/8cf65380812f7751b03afa16a6ff01d9) Labor's two-party-preferred vote of 55.2% represented a 3.1% swing to the party; the Greens won 12.2% of first preferences with one seat, One Nation 6.4% with none, and other parties and independents 13.1% with 12 seats.[6](https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2025/results/party-totals) Opposition leader [Peter Dutton](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-dutton) lost his own parliamentary seat, the only Australian opposition leader to have done so at an election.[8](https://apnews.com/article/8cf65380812f7751b03afa16a6ff01d9)
[Cost of living](https://www.edgepedia.org/cost-of-living), housing shortage, energy policy and relations with China dominated the 2025 campaign's public debate, according to AP reporting before that election.[9](https://apnews.com/article/b73f3a4bb9cbbc300cd797f34d4cc23b) A large governing majority means the timing decision rests substantially with the government within the constitutional window.[2](https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/Research/FlagPost/2025/August/When_is_the_next_federal_election)
## References
1. [House of Representatives composition unchanged for next federal election, Australian Electoral Commission, 23 July 2026](https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2026/07-23.htm)
2. [When is the next federal election?, Parliamentary Library FlagPost, Parliament of Australia](https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/Research/FlagPost/2025/August/When_is_the_next_federal_election)
3. [Section 49 Certificate, Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, Commonwealth of Australia Gazette C2026G00483](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2026G00483/asmade/2026-07-23/text/original/pdf)
4. [Voting in the Senate, Australian Electoral Commission](https://www.aec.gov.au/voting/how_to_vote/Voting_Senate.htm)
5. [Frequently asked questions, Australian Electoral Commission](https://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/)
6. [Party Results from the 2025 Federal Election, ABC News](https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal/2025/results/party-totals)
7. [Preferential voting, Australian Electoral Commission](https://aec.gov.au/learn/preferential-voting.htm)
8. [Australian Cabinet sworn in after landslide election victory, AP News, 13 May 2025](https://apnews.com/article/8cf65380812f7751b03afa16a6ff01d9)
9. [What are the major issues in Australia's election?, AP News, 27 March 2025](https://apnews.com/article/b73f3a4bb9cbbc300cd797f34d4cc23b)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Politics and government › Elections and representation › Elections and referendums › National and subnational elections outside the US and UK › Australian, New Zealand, and Pacific election events › Australian federal elections*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license