How long do Australian federal parliaments serve?
Answer
Up to 3 years from the date of the election
Explanation
Australian federal parliaments serve a maximum term of three years from the first sitting day of the House of Representatives after a federal election. The three-year maximum is set by section 28 of the Australian Constitution. In practice, federal elections are often called slightly before the three-year limit by the Prime Minister of the day.
The Prime Minister advises the Governor-General to dissolve the House of Representatives and call an election. The dissolution can be at any time before the three-year limit, subject to practical considerations of weather, school holidays, sporting events, and political timing. Recent federal elections have been called at various points in the three-year cycle: the 2019 election was held on 18 May 2019 after the 45th Parliament's House of Representatives was dissolved on 11 April 2019, about two years and eight months after its first sitting.
The Senate operates on a different cycle. State senators serve six-year terms, with half elected at each ordinary federal election. The Senate as an institution is therefore continuous rather than fully renewed at each election. Territory senators (two each from the ACT and Northern Territory) serve three-year terms aligned with the House of Representatives. A double dissolution under section 57 dissolves both Houses simultaneously and elects all 151 House members and all 76 senators at once.
Several reform proposals have aimed to lengthen federal parliamentary terms. The 1988 referendum proposed four-year House terms, alongside other constitutional changes, and was defeated. State terms have been lengthened in several jurisdictions: New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, the ACT, and the Northern Territory all now use four-year fixed terms for their lower houses. Calls for federal four-year terms continue but would require a constitutional amendment passed at a referendum under section 128, requiring a national majority and majorities in a majority of states.
Why this matters for your test
The three-year federal term is frequent enough that new citizens will likely vote in their first federal election within months of their ceremony, and recognising the cycle plus the difference from state four-year terms helps them follow the political calendar.
Source: Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond (2024)
