Editing Elections in Australia (section)

==Election day==
Each jurisdiction has its own laws and customs as to when elections in the jurisdiction will take place. However, state and territory elections cannot, by federal law, take place within a week before or after a federal election.<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|cea1918233|Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918|394}}</ref>

According to the [[Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918]], federal elections must be held on a Saturday.<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|cea1918233|Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918|158}}</ref>

Although elections for the House of Representatives have usually corresponded to half-elections of the Senate, the rules which determine when the elections occur differ. Under the Constitution, the House of Representatives lasts no more than three years after it first meets, but may be dissolved earlier.<ref name="ahp">{{cite web |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/About_the_House_of_Representatives |title=About the House of Representatives |publisher=Commonwealth of Australia |access-date=19 September 2015 |archive-date=23 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923172620/http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/About_the_House_of_Representatives |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act|28}}</ref> After the House is dissolved or expires, [[writ of election|writs for election]] must be issued within 10 days<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act|32}}</ref> and the election must be held on a Saturday between 33 and 58 days after the writs have been issued. The next House must meet within 30 days of the writs being returned.<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act|5}}</ref>

The terms of senators representing the states are of fixed duration (unless Parliament is dissolved in a [[double dissolution]]), and elections must occur within a year before the term expires. The terms of senators representing the territories are not fixed, and are tied to the dates of elections for the House of Representatives.<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|cea1918233|Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918|42}}</ref> Where a House is dissolved early, House and Senate elections may be asynchronous until either the House is again dissolved sufficiently early or a double dissolution occurs.

The [[Constitution of Australia|Australian Constitution]] requires that in half-Senate elections the election of State senators must take place within one year before the places become vacant.<ref>{{Cite Legislation AU|Cth|act|coaca430|Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act|13}}</ref> As the terms of half the senators end on 30 June, the writs for a half-Senate election cannot be issued earlier than the previous 1 July. There is no constitutional requirement for simultaneous elections for the Senate and the House of Representatives, and elections for half the Senate only have taken place in the past. There is a government and electorate preference for Senate elections to take place simultaneously with those of the House of Representatives. Except in the case of a double dissolution, the Senate is not dissolved when elections for the Senate are called and can continue to sit until the term expires. However, it is now a practice for the Senate to be [[Legislative session#Australia|prorogued]] when the House is dissolved, so that it does not sit during the election period.

By Westminster convention, the decision as to the type of election and date on which an election is to take place is that of the Prime Minister, who advises the Governor-General to set the process in motion by dissolving the House of Representatives (if it has not expired) and then issuing writs for election.

Writs for the election of House of Representatives and territory senators are issued by the [[Governor-General of Australia|Governor-General]], while writs for the election of state senators are issued by the respective state governors.<ref>{{cite book|edition=14th|first=Harry|last=Evans|editor-first=Rosemary|editor-last=Laing|via=[[Clerk of the Australian Senate|Department of the Senate]]|location=Canberra|isbn=978-1-76010-503-7|year=2016|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/about_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Odgers_Australian_Senate_Practice/Chapter_04|title=Odgers' Australian Senate Practice - Chapter 4 - Elections for the Senate|publisher=Parliament of Australia|access-date=15 April 2022|archive-date=18 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190518072345/https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Odgers_Australian_Senate_Practice/Chapter_04|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url-access=subscription|first=Doug|last=Dingwall|url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7690812/all-the-key-steps-and-dates-now-we-have-an-election-date/|title=Key dates and timelines for the 2022 federal election|work=The Canberra Times|date=10 April 2022|access-date=15 April 2022|archive-date=15 April 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220415023110/https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/7690812/all-the-key-steps-and-dates-now-we-have-an-election-date/|url-status=live}}</ref>
{{as of|2025}}, Australia has never held a federal election in January, February or June.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://antonygreen.com.au/will-australia-have-its-first-february-election-and-what-about-the-wa-election-date/ |access-date=18 December 2024 |title=Will Australia have its first February Election? And what about the WA Election Date? |first=Antony |last=Green |author-link=Antony Green |date=13 December 2024 |publisher=Antony Green's Election Blog |archive-date=18 December 2024 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241218032827/https://antonygreen.com.au/will-australia-have-its-first-february-election-and-what-about-the-wa-election-date/}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:96%" style="text-align:center"
! Month
! Election
|-
|align=left| January   
| None 
|-
|align=left| February 
| None
|-
|align=left| March  ('''5''')
|  [[1901 Australian federal election|1901]], [[1983 Australian federal election|1983]], [[1990 Australian federal election|1990]], [[1993 Australian federal election|1993]], [[1996 Australian federal election|1996]]
|-
|align=left| April  ('''2''')
|  [[1910 Australian federal election|1910]], [[1951 Australian federal election|1951]]
|-
|align=left| May  ('''7''')
|  [[1913 Australian federal election|1913]], [[1917 Australian federal election|1917]], [[1954 Australian federal election|1954]], [[1974 Australian federal election|1974]], [[2019 Australian federal election|2019]], [[2022 Australian federal election|2022]], [[2025 Australian federal election|2025]] 
|-
|align=left| June
|  None 
|-
|align=left| July  ('''2''')
|  [[1987 Australian federal election|1987]], [[2016 Australian federal election|2016]]
|-
|align=left| August  ('''2''')
|  [[1943 Australian federal election|1943]], [[2010 Australian federal election|2010]]
|-
|align=left| September  ('''5''')
|  [[1914 Australian federal election|1914]], [[1934 Australian federal election|1934]], [[1940 Australian federal election|1940]], [[1946 Australian federal election|1946]], [[2013 Australian federal election|2013]]
|-
|align=left| October  ('''6''')
|  [[1929 Australian federal election|1929]], [[1937 Australian federal election|1937]], [[1969 Australian federal election|1969]], [[1980 Australian federal election|1980]], [[1998 Australian federal election|1998]], [[2004 Australian federal election|2004]]
|-
|align=left| November  ('''7''')
| [[1925 Australian federal election|1925]], [[1928 Australian federal election|1928]], [[1958 Australian federal election|1958]], [[1963 Australian federal election|1963]], [[1966 Australian federal election|1966]], [[2001 Australian federal election|2001]], [[2007 Australian federal election|2007]]
|-
|align=left| December  ('''12''')
|  [[1903 Australian federal election|1903]], [[1906 Australian federal election|1906]], [[1919 Australian federal election|1919]], [[1922 Australian federal election|1922]], [[1931 Australian federal election|1931]], [[1949 Australian federal election|1949]], [[1955 Australian federal election|1955]], [[1961 Australian federal election|1961]], [[1972 Australian federal election|1972]], [[1975 Australian federal election|1975]], [[1977 Australian federal election|1977]], [[1984 Australian federal election|1984]]
|}