Timeline of Australian elections
This article provides a timeline of elections in Australia, including all the colonial, state, territorial and federal elections. The information starts from when each state or territory held its first election, and continues through to the present day.
About the tables[]
The background colour indicates which party won the election. All six states and both territories have established limits on the length of a parliamentary term, with the federal parliament limited to three years, and all state and territorial parliaments limited to a four-year term. In addition the federal government have changed to fixed election dates every three years, and both territories and all states except Tasmania have changed to fixed election dates every four years. For these legislatures, the box is shown as running until the next scheduled election, but one could still be earlier if the government falls due to a motion of no confidence.
Colour | Party | Colour | Party |
---|---|---|---|
Labor | Liberal | ||
Country/National | Liberal National | ||
Country Liberal | United Australia | ||
CPNP | Nationalist | ||
Free Trade/Anti-Socialist | Commonwealth Liberal | ||
Progressive | Liberal and Country League | ||
Liberal | Protectionist | ||
Opposition | Liberal Reform | ||
Nonpartisan | Ministerial |
1851–1900[]
Year | WA | SA | Qld | NSW | Vic | Tas |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1856 | 1st | 1st | ||||
1857 | 1st | |||||
1858 | 2nd | |||||
1859 | 3rd | |||||
1860 | 2nd | 1st | 4th | |||
1861 | ||||||
1862 | 3rd | |||||
1863 | 2nd | |||||
1864 | ||||||
1865 | 4th | 5th | ||||
1866 | ||||||
1867 | 3rd | |||||
1868 | 5th | 4th | ||||
1869 | ||||||
1870 | 6th | 5th | 6th | |||
1871 | 7th | 6th | ||||
1872 | 7th | |||||
1873 | 7th | |||||
1874 | ||||||
1875 | 8th | 8th | ||||
1876 | ||||||
1877 | 9th | |||||
1878 | 9th | 8th | ||||
1879 | ||||||
1880 | 10th | |||||
1881 | 10th | |||||
1882 | 11th | |||||
1883 | 9th | |||||
1884 | 11th | |||||
1885 | 12th | |||||
1886 | ||||||
1887 | 12th | 13th | ||||
1888 | 10th | |||||
1889 | 14th | |||||
1890 | 1st | 13th | ||||
1891 | 15th | |||||
1892 | ||||||
1893 | 14th | 11th | ||||
1894 | 2nd | 16th | ||||
1895 | 17th | |||||
1896 | 15th | 12th | ||||
1897 | 3rd | |||||
1898 | 18th | |||||
1899 | 16th | 13th | ||||
1900 | 13th | |||||
Year | WA | SA | Qld | NSW | Vic | Tas |
1901–1973[]
Year | WA | SA | Qld | NSW | Vic | Tas | Federal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1901 | 4th | 19th | 1st | |||||
1902 | 17th | 14th | 19th | |||||
1903 | 14th | 2nd | ||||||
1904 | 5th | 15th | 20th | 20th | ||||
1905 | 6th | 18th | ||||||
1906 | 19th | 15th | 3rd | |||||
1907 | 16th | 21st | 21st | |||||
1908 | 7th | 17th | 22nd | |||||
1909 | 18th | 16th | ||||||
1910 | 20th | 22nd | 4th | |||||
1911 | 8th | 23rd | ||||||
1912 | 21st | 19th | 17th | |||||
1913 | 23rd | 18th | 5th | |||||
1914 | 9th | 24th | 6th | |||||
1915 | 22nd | 20th | ||||||
1916 | 19th | |||||||
1917 | 10th | 24th | 25th | 7th | ||||
1918 | 23rd | 21st | ||||||
1919 | 20th | 8th | ||||||
1920 | 22nd | 25th | 26th | |||||
1921 | 11th | 24th | 27th | |||||
1922 | 26th | 21st | 9th | |||||
1923 | 23rd | |||||||
1924 | 12th | 25th | 28th | |||||
1925 | 27th | 22nd | 10th | |||||
1926 | 24th | |||||||
1927 | 13th | 26th | 28th | 29th | ||||
1928 | 23rd | 11th | ||||||
1929 | 25th | 30th | 12th | |||||
1930 | 14th | 27th | 29th | |||||
1931 | 24th | 13th | ||||||
1932 | 26th | 30th | 31st | |||||
1933 | 15th | 28th | ||||||
1934 | 25th | 14th | ||||||
1935 | 27th | 31st | 32nd | |||||
1936 | 16th | |||||||
1937 | 33rd | 26th | 15th | |||||
1938 | 29th | 28th | 32nd | |||||
1939 | 17th | |||||||
1940 | 34th | 16th | ||||||
1941 | 30th | 29th | 33rd | 27th | ||||
1942 | ||||||||
1943 | 18th | 35th | 17th | |||||
1944 | 31st | 30th | 34th | |||||
1945 | 36th | |||||||
1946 | 28th | 18th | ||||||
1947 | 19th | 32nd | 31st | 35th | 37th | |||
1948 | 29th | |||||||
1949 | 19th | |||||||
1950 | 20th | 33rd | 32nd | 36th | 38th | 30th | ||
1951 | 20th | |||||||
1952 | 39th | |||||||
1953 | 21st | 34th | 33rd | 37th | ||||
1954 | 21st | |||||||
1955 | 40th | 31st | 22nd | |||||
1956 | 22nd | 35th | 34th | 38th | 32nd | |||
1957 | 35th | |||||||
1958 | 41st | 23rd | ||||||
1959 | 23rd | 36th | 39th | 33rd | ||||
1960 | 36th | |||||||
1961 | 42nd | 24th | ||||||
1962 | 24th | 37th | 40th | |||||
1963 | 37th | 25th | ||||||
1964 | 43rd | 34th | ||||||
1965 | 25th | 38th | 41st | |||||
1966 | 38th | 26th | ||||||
1967 | 44th | |||||||
1968 | 26th | 39th | 42nd | |||||
1969 | 39th | 35th | 27th | |||||
1970 | 40th | 45th | ||||||
1971 | 27th | 43rd | ||||||
1972 | 40th | 36th | 28th | |||||
1973 | 41st | 44th | 46th | |||||
Year | WA | SA | Qld | NSW | Vic | Tas | Federal |
1974–present[]
Year | WA | SA | NT | Qld | NSW | ACT | Vic | Tas | Federal | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1974 | 28th | 1st | 41st | 29th | ||||||
1975 | 42nd | 30th | ||||||||
1976 | 45th | 47th | 37th | |||||||
1977 | 29th | 43rd | 2nd | 42nd | 31st | |||||
1978 | 46th | |||||||||
1979 | 44th | 48th | 38th | |||||||
1980 | 30th | 3rd | 43rd | 32nd | ||||||
1981 | 47th | |||||||||
1982 | 45th | 49th | 39th | |||||||
1983 | 31st | 4th | 44th | 33rd | ||||||
1984 | 48th | 34th | ||||||||
1985 | 46th | 50th | ||||||||
1986 | 32nd | 45th | 40th | |||||||
1987 | 5th | 35th | ||||||||
1988 | 49th | 51st | ||||||||
1989 | 33rd | 47th | 46th | 1st | 41st | |||||
1990 | 6th | 36th | ||||||||
1991 | 50th | |||||||||
1992 | 47th | 2nd | 52nd | 42nd | ||||||
1993 | 34th | 48th | 37th | |||||||
1994 | 7th | |||||||||
1995 | 48th | 51st | 3rd | |||||||
1996 | 35th | 53rd | 43rd | 38th | ||||||
1997 | 49th | 8th | ||||||||
1998 | 49th | 4th | 44th | 39th | ||||||
1999 | 52nd | 54th | ||||||||
2000 | ||||||||||
2001 | 36th | 9th | 50th | 5th | 40th | |||||
2002 | 50th | 55th | 45th | |||||||
2003 | 53rd | |||||||||
2004 | 51st | 6th | 41st | |||||||
2005 | 37th | 10th | ||||||||
2006 | 51st | 52nd | 56th | 46th | ||||||
2007 | 54th | 42nd | ||||||||
2008 | 38th | 11th | 7th | |||||||
2009 | 53rd | |||||||||
2010 | 52nd | 57th | 47th | 43rd | ||||||
2011 | 55th | |||||||||
2012 | 12th | 54th | 8th | |||||||
2013 | 39th | 44th | ||||||||
2014 | 53rd | 58th | 48th | |||||||
2015 | 55th | 56th | ||||||||
2016 | 13th | 9th | 45th | |||||||
2017 | 40th | 56th | ||||||||
2018 | 54th | 59th | 49th | |||||||
2019 | 57th | 46th | ||||||||
2020 | 14th | 57th | 10th | |||||||
2021 | 41st | 50th | ||||||||
2022 | 55th | 60th | 47th | |||||||
2023 | 58th | |||||||||
2024 | 15th | 58th | 11th | |||||||
2025 | 42nd | next | ||||||||
Year | WA | SA | NT | Qld | NSW | ACT | Vic | Tas | Federal |
See also[]
- List of Australian federal elections
- List of New South Wales state elections
- List of Northern Territory general elections
- List of elections in South Australia
- List of elections in Victoria
- List of Western Australian Legislative Assembly elections
References[]
"Australian Politics and Elections Database, The University of Western Australia". Australian Politics and Elections Database. University of Western Australia. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
- Lists of elections in Australia
- Political timelines