Federal Election Timetable
A number of essential steps are involved in holding a general election or by-election. These steps begin with the issue of the writs and end with the return of the writs after the votes have been counted.
| Expiry or dissolution of House of Representatives | Minimum number of days | Maximum number of days |
|---|---|---|
Expiry or dissolution of Parliament Parliament is dissolved and the Prime Minister announces the intention to hold an election |
||
|
Writs are issued within 10 days of dissolution of House of Representatives (Constitution s.32, CEA s.151) Double Dissolution (Constitution s.12) |
0 days | 10 days |
|
Rolls close at 8pm, 3 working days after issue of writs, but new names are not added after 8pm on day of issue of writ. (CEA ss.102 [4], 155) |
0-3 days | 13 days |
|
Nominations close at 12 noon, between 10 & 27 days after issue of writs (CEA ss.156, 175) |
10 days | 37 days |
|
Declaration of nominations is 24 hours after nominations close (CEA s.175) |
11 days | 38 days |
|
Polling day is fixed between 23 & 31 days after the close of nominations (CEA s.157) |
33 days | 68 days |
|
Writs must be returned within 100 days of their issue. (CEA s.159) |
110 days | |
|
New parliament meets within 30 days of the day appointed for the return of the writs (Constitution s.5) |
140 days |
Note: The House of Representatives expires 3 years after its first meeting but can be dissolved earlier (Constitution s.28). Senators for the States serve terms of 6 years which are staggered so that half of the 72 Senators retire every 3 years. The terms of Senators for the Territories coincide with those of the House of Representatives.
Expiry or dissolution of House of Representatives
The Prime Minister decides when an election is to be held and gets the approval of the Governor General. When this is done the Prime Minister can announce the intention to hold an election. The Governor General will then dissolve the House of Representatives and issue the writs for the election.
Issue of writs
The issue of a writ triggers the election process. An electoral writ is a document commanding an electoral officer to hold an election and contains dates for the close of rolls, the close of nominations, polling day and the return of the writ.
Close of rolls
Rolls close at 8pm, 3 working days after issue of writs, but new names are not added after 8pm on day of issue of writ.
Close of nominations
The electoral writs must be issued before candidates can lodge a nomination for election. Nominations must be lodged by candidates by 12 noon on the date specified on the writs as close of nominations.
Declaration of nominations
The public declaration of candidates for the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Polling day
The day on which the majority of electors cast their vote at a polling place. It must be a Saturday and at least 33 days after the issue of the writs.
Return of writs
After the Senate polls are declared, the Australian Electoral Officer for each State and Territory returns the writ endorsed with the names of the successful candidates to the State Governor (or Governor-General in the case of the Territories).
For the House of Representatives, the Electoral Commissioner endorses on the writ the name of each candidate elected for each division and returns the writs to the Governor-General.
Meeting of parliament
The new parliament must meet within 30 days of the day appointed for the return of the writs.
