Australians are set to return to the polls for the next federal election, which MUST be held on or before 17 May 2025. This date aligns with the constitutional requirements governing the timing of federal elections.
The Australian Constitution mandates that the House of Representatives‘ term lasts for three years from its first sitting, which was on 26 July 2022. Consequently, the House is due to expire on 25 July 2025. Following this expiration, writs for a new election must be issued within ten days, and the election itself must occur between 23 and 31 days after the close of nominations. Given these timelines, the latest possible date for a House of Representatives election would be 27 September 2025. However, to synchronise with the half-Senate election, which must be held by 17 May 2025, the federal election is expected to be held on or before this earlier date.
Historically, federal elections are typically held on Saturdays, and it’s customary for the Prime Minister to announce the election date several weeks in advance. As of now, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has not specified an exact date, but political analysts anticipate the election will be scheduled between March and May 2025.
The upcoming election will determine the composition of the 48th Parliament of Australia, with all 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the 76 seats in the Senate up for contest.
Albanese or Dutton?
The national polls are showing that Albanese and Dutton are neck and neck. However, history favours the incumbent, particularly first-term governments, and Albanese will have only served one term. There has been only one true single-term government—Gough Whitlam’s from 1972 to 1975. That being said, never say never—these are unprecedented times. Many Australians are feeling the economic pinch and dissatisfaction with the Albanese Government s at an all time low. On the other hand, Dutton has struggled to appeal to majority voters, often coming across as cold. Despite multiple attempts over the years to soften his image, there are many on both sides of politics that believe he is unelectable as Prime Minister. An educated guess would suggest a return to government for Albanese, but likely at the cost of substantial gains for the Coalition.
