An election follows a fixed sequence. The date is set, campaigning begins, candidates are selected and nominated, Parliament is dissolved, the writ is issued, voting opens in advance, election day arrives, votes are counted twice, parties negotiate if needed, a government wins the confidence of Parliament, and the new Parliament opens.
An election follows a fixed sequence. The date is set, campaigning begins, candidates are selected and nominated, Parliament is dissolved, the writ is issued, voting opens in advance, election day arrives, votes are counted twice, parties negotiate if needed, a government wins the confidence of Parliament, and the new Parliament opens.
Most of the order is set by law, not by choice.
Parliament stops existing weeks before election day.
Counting happens twice: preliminary, then official.
The government forms after the votes, not on the night.
Every stage has to finish before the next one starts. The exact dates for 2026 are on the key-dates page.
The election date is announced.
The regulated advertising period begins.
Parties select their candidates and publish their lists.
Parliament is dissolved.
The Governor-General issues the writ.
Candidate nominations close.
Overseas voting begins.
Advance voting begins.
Election day.
Preliminary votes are counted on the night.
Special votes are checked and counted.
Final results are declared and the writ is returned.
Parties negotiate if no group has a majority.
A government gains the confidence of Parliament.
The Prime Minister and ministers are appointed.
The new Parliament opens and the Government sets out its programme.
You cannot have MPs and candidates for the same seats at the same time, so Parliament is closed down before the final stretch of the campaign. Ministers keep running the country in the meantime, which is why the machine does not stop.
Once a government is formed, MPs are sworn in, a Speaker is elected, and the Governor-General reads a speech setting out the Government's plans. That speech is written by the Government, not by the Governor-General.
Who decides the election date?
The Prime Minister recommends it, within the limits set by law.
How long until Parliament opens again?
Usually about six weeks after election day, depending on negotiations.