The last time only a half-Senate election was held was in 1970. As the 42nd Parliament first met on Tuesday, 12 February 2008, it is therefore due to expire on Friday, 11 February 2011. The terms of senators elected in 2004 expire on 30 June 2011. The Parliament of Australia consists of two chambers, the House of Representatives (commonly also referred as the lower house) and the Senate (also referred as the upper house). AEST = Australian Eastern Standard Time which is 10 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). They include such things as the government losing the confidence of parliament, parliament failing to pass a money bill for the ordinary services of government, parliament failing to pass a Bill of special importance on two occasions, the date of the election clashing with the date for the Commonwealth election, or if there is a natural disaster. It can range from a postal vote to the whole party membership through to a decision made by a small select committee.
This is to allow sufficient time for the Senate writs to be returned by 30 June 2011, so that the senators may take their seats on 1 July.[3]. The seat of Labor MLC Lynda Voltz is vacant as she is contesting the lower house seat of Auburn. This period begins after the announcement of the election date, when the Governor-General of Australia dissolves the federal parliament on advice from the Prime Minister. [2], The latest realistic date for a half-Senate election is Saturday 21 May 2011.

In 1991, the Legislative Assembly reduced from 109 to 99 Members and then to 93 members in 1999. [9] The deadline for enrolment is taken with reference to the date an election is called and not the actual election date, and a person not enrolled by the deadline cannot vote. [5] 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. [1], Candidate selection, in Australia typically called preselection, is a significant factor in the democratic process in Australia because the majority of voters base their decision at election time on the party rather than the candidate.
Elections in all jurisdictions follow similar principles, though there are minor variations between them. The South Australian House of Assembly has a fixed term. As House of Representatives and half-Senate elections are usually held together, the earliest date for a simultaneous election would be Saturday, 7 August 2010. Opinion polling for the next Austrian legislative election, "Das Verhältniswahlrecht und das Ermittlungsverfahren bei der Nationalratswahl", "Vorzugsstimmenvergabe bei einer Nationalratswahl", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Next_Austrian_legislative_election&oldid=979044545, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 18 September 2020, at 12:45. Unlike the House of Representatives, the Senate is a continuing body. Parliamentary Library staff are available to discuss the contents of publications with Senators and Members and their staff.

Western Australia has two houses of State Parliament, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The Legislative Assembly has a fixed term. It's been an 'ongoing torment' ever since, Woman treated 'like a dog' in Sydney pub arrest, court hears, Union accused of 'holding country to ransom' over wharves pay dispute, 'Don't wait for us to knock on your door': Police seek witnesses to stabbing that killed Canberra teen, CHRISTIAN DEMOCRATIC PARTY (FRED NILE GROUP), David Clarke (retiring), Catherine Cusack, Scot MacDonald (retiring), Natasha Maclaren-Jones, Taylor Martin (*), Peter Phelps, Natalie Ward (*), Niall Blair, Rick Colless (retiring), Wes Fang (*), Sarah Mitchell, Greg Donnelly, Daniel Mookhey (*), Peter Primrose, Penny Sharpe (*), Ernest Wong (*) (retiring), Jeremy Buckingham (Resigned from Greens in late 2018), John Ajaka, Lou Amato, Scott Farlow, Don Harwin, Shayne Mallard, Matthew Mason-Cox, Trevor Khan, Bronnie Taylor, one vacancy (*), John Graham (*), Courtney Houssos, Shaoquett Moselmane, Adam Searle, Walt Secord, Mick Veitch, one vacancy (*). [1] Rather than a procedure where the best policies win the day, elections are contests where parties fight for power.