What is a hung parliament?

A hung parliament is the situation in which no single political party or stable coalition holds a clear majority in the House of Representatives after an election. It produces minority government, with the largest party or coalition forming government with the support of independents and minor parties on confidence and supply.

The most prominent recent example is the 2010 federal election, which produced 72 seats for Labor (led by Julia Gillard), 72 seats for the Coalition (led by Tony Abbott), one Greens MP (Adam Bandt in Melbourne), and four independents (Andrew Wilkie in Denison, Tony Windsor in New England, Rob Oakeshott in Lyne, and Bob Katter in Kennedy). After more than two weeks of negotiation, the Gillard Labor government formed with the support of Bandt, Wilkie, Windsor, and Oakeshott on confidence and supply. The arrangement lasted the full three-year term to 2013, producing major reforms including the National Disability Insurance Scheme, the carbon price, and the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

Hung parliaments are more common at state level. The 1989 to 1995 Tasmanian Field government and the 1996 to 1998 Court government operated as minority governments. The 2014 to 2018 Coalition government in Tasmania, the 2015 to 2018 Labor government in Queensland, and the 2024 Tasmania Liberal government all formed minority governments after hung parliaments. State minority governments have been particularly common given the smaller chamber sizes (typically 47 to 93 seats) that make individual elections more variable.

Hung parliaments require negotiation. The Governor-General (or relevant state Governor) invites whichever party leader can demonstrate the support of a majority in the House to form a government. Confidence and supply agreements set out what the supporting independents or minor parties will provide (vote for budget, vote against no-confidence motions) in exchange for specified policy commitments. Minority governments can be stable when agreements are honoured, but are vulnerable to collapse if any supporting member withdraws. The political skill required to manage a minority government has been described as Australia's particular contribution to Westminster parliamentary craft, drawing on the country's strong tradition of crossbench negotiation.