How to vote: Federal elections

Federal elections are always held on a Saturday and are independently conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission (external link).

The last Federal election was held on Saturday, 21 August 2010. The next Federal election can be called at any time within the following three years.

Australian Federal Parliament is made up of two Houses - the House of Representatives (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House). Australia is divided into 150 Representative divisions, with one member elected from each division. Of these 150 representatives, Victorian voters elect 37 representatives to serve for a term of up to three years.

At each Federal election, Victorian voters also elect six of the 12 Victorian Senators to serve for six years in the Upper House. In certain circumstances, all 12 Victorian Senators stand for election at the same time. This is known as a double dissolution of the Parliament.

Information about where and how to vote in Federal elections is available from the Australian Electoral Commission