What You Need to Know About the 2022 Australian Federal Election

In 2022, Australia is due for another federal election. The previous election, held in May 2019, saw Scott Morrison elected as Prime Minister, marking the third consecutive win for the Liberal party. This year, Australia will head to the polls again to determine which party, and candidate, will lead the country for the next term.

Here’s what we know about Australia’s next federal election in 2022.

When is the next federal election in Australia?

As per the rules outlined in the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and the Australian Constitution, the federal election for 2022 must be held before 21 May 2022.

There must be at least 33 days between when the election is called and the day when the vote takes place. This means at this point in time, the earliest it could be held is a Saturday in April.

According to the Parliamentary Library Blog (FlagPost), federal government elections generally avoid the months of January and February as well as school holidays. It’s also unlikely to occur on the Easter or ANZAC Day weekends.

Given the parliamentary sitting calendar, FlagPost outlines that May 7, May 14 and May 21 are the most likely dates for the 2022 federal election.

This means the election would likely be called some time in early to mid-April with the last possible date for an announcement being April 18.

Campaigning for the election usually begins as soon as the election has been called. This means campaigns can last anywhere upwards of those 33 days required between the calling and the polling day.

How often does Australia have a federal election?

Federal elections are held every three years in Australia.

This means that after the 2022 election the elected candidates will be in term until the next federal election takes place in 2025.

Who are the candidates for election in 2022?

When Australians head to the polls they will vote for their preferred party candidate for their federal area.

The main parties on the ballot include the Australian Labor Party, the Coalition (Liberal and National parties), the Greens, the United Australia Party, the Liberal Democrats and One Nation.

The major battle will be fought between the leaders of the ALP and LNP parties, that being Anthony Albanese and Scott Morrison, respectively.

A number of Independent candidates also typically win a few seats and can end up holding influence on a number of issues.

How is a winner determined?

Australia is made up of 151 federal electorates, meaning a party needs a majority of 76 seats to win. If neither party can secure 76 seats it can lead to a hung parliament.

When Aussies head to the polls for the federal election, they will be given two voting papers, one for the House of Representatives and one for the Senate. Voters need to fill out their boxes in order of preference.

Election polls: Which party is currently favoured?

Opinion polls are a big thing in the lead up to the election, but Australia won’t truly know the results of the federal election until the vote actually happens.

Recent Newspoll results (as of March), which is conducted by The Australian, have Labor as the preferred party with 55% and the Liberals at 45%. When it comes to Prime Minister preferences, it’s currently a dead tie with 42% throwing their support towards Anthony Albanese and 42% believing Scott Morrison would be a better PM.

Roy Morgan polling data for late-March shows the ALP (Australian Labor Party) at 55.5% preferred with the LNP (The Liberal National Party) at 44.5%.

The Guardian also conducts Essential polls on a number of voter issues. One, for instance, asks for public opinion on Scott Morrison’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which currently stands at 40% thinking it’s been good management and 34% characterising it as poor management. When it comes to the recent floods across Australia, Guardian polls showed that 26% of respondents thought the Coalition’s response was good, 40% considered it poor and 34% characterised it as neither good nor poor.

Bear in mind these polls aren’t always an accurate reflection of the entire country’s opinion, hence we’ll have to wait and see the actual results on election day, but it’s certainly interesting to consider.

How can you vote in the Australian federal election?

It is compulsory for Australians over the age of 18 to enrol to vote. Voting can be done in-person on election day at polling booths (where you’ll also get a democracy sausage) or pre-polling and mail voting options are available.

If you’re eligible to vote and haven’t enrolled yet you can do so on the AEC website.

Pre-polling usually commences about 12 days prior to the election date.

Given COVID-19 is a thing this year there might be a few changes in the typical voting process. Things like wearing masks, checking in and social distancing are all expected restrictions, but we’ll know more closer to the date.

We’ll keep you posted as more information about the Australian federal election is announced.

This article has been updated since its original publish date. 

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