Next Australian federal election facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Next Australian federal election

← 2019 On or before 21 May 2022 (half-Senate) On or before 3 September 2022 (House of Representatives) Next →
All 151 seats in the House of Representatives 76 seats are needed for a majority 40 (of the 76) seats in the Senate
Opinion polls
Leader Scott Morrison Anthony Albanese Adam Bandt Party Liberal/National coalition Labor Greens Leader since 24 August 2018 (2018-08-24) 30 May 2019 (2019-05-30) 4 February 2020 (2020-02-04) Leader's seat Cook (NSW) Grayndler (NSW) Melbourne (VIC) Last election 77 seats, 41.44% 68 seats, 33.34% 1 seat, 10.40% Current seats 77 seats 68 seats 1 seat Seats needed 8 75 2019 TPP 51.53% 48.47%   Leader Robbie Katter No federal leader Party Katter's Australian Centre Alliance Leader since 3 February 2020 (2020-02-03) Leader's seat None Last election 1 seat, 0.49% 1 seat, 0.33% Current seats 1 seat 1 seat Seats needed 75 75
Incumbent Prime Minister Scott Morrison Liberal/National coalition

The next Australian federal election is a big event where Australians choose who will run their country. It will happen in or before 2022. During this election, people will vote for members of the 47th Parliament of Australia.

All 151 seats in the House of Representatives (also known as the lower house) will be up for election. Also, 40 out of 76 seats in the Senate (the upper house) will be decided.

The current government is the Coalition, led by Scott Morrison. They are hoping to win a fourth term in power. The main opposition party is the Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese.

What is a Federal Election?

A federal election is when people across Australia vote for their representatives. These representatives then form the government. This happens every three years or so.

Why Do We Have Elections?

Elections are important because they let citizens choose who they want to make decisions for the country. It's how people have a say in how Australia is governed.

The House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is where the main government is formed. Each area of Australia, called an electorate, chooses one person to represent them. There are 151 of these seats. To form a government, a party or group needs to win at least 76 seats.

The Senate

The Senate is like a second check on new laws. It has 76 members, 12 from each state and 2 from each territory. During this election, half of the Senate seats will be up for grabs.

Who are the Main Parties and Leaders?

In Australia, two major political groups usually compete for power.

The Coalition

The Coalition is a group of political parties working together. The main parties in the Coalition are the Liberal Party and the National Party. Their leader is Scott Morrison, who is currently the Prime Minister.

The Labor Party

The Labor Party is the main opposition party. Their leader is Anthony Albanese. They are hoping to win enough seats to form the next government.

Other Parties

There are also other parties that Australians can vote for. These include the Australian Greens, led by Adam Bandt, and Katter's Australian Party, led by Robbie Katter. These parties might win a few seats or influence the bigger parties.

What are Opinion Polls?

Opinion polls are like surveys that ask people who they plan to vote for. They help us understand what the public is thinking before an election.

This graph shows the two-party-preferred vote. This is how people would vote if they only had to choose between the two main groups (Coalition and Labor).

This graph shows the primary vote. This is the first choice people make when they vote for any party.

These graphs show how voting intentions have changed since the last election. The solid lines show the general trends for each party.

How Polls Work

Polling companies ask a group of people who they would vote for. They try to make sure this group is a good mix of people from different backgrounds. This helps them guess how the whole country might vote.

What Polls Show

Polls often show two main things:

• Primary vote: This is the percentage of people who say they will vote for a specific party as their first choice.
• Two-party-preferred vote: This is a special way of looking at votes. It shows how many votes each of the two major groups (Coalition and Labor) would get if all other votes were given to one of them. This helps predict who might win the election.

Polls can change over time. Things like big news events or new policies can affect how people say they will vote. For example, the 2019–20 Australian bushfire season and the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic happened during this polling period.