Election Report

The Election Results

Coalition - 42.1%

Labor - 34.8%

Greens - 10.1%

Xenophon Team - 1.9%

Palmer United - 0.0%

One Nation - 1.3%

Others - 11.2%

Australia has had as many prime ministers, plus a brief restoration period for Kevin Rudd, in the last three terms as it had in the previous three decades.

The political instability of the last nine years is in stark contrast to the preceding 32 years, Australia having had just four prime ministers between 1975 and 2007 - Malcolm Fraser, Bob Hawke, Paul Keating and John Howard.

At only two of the 14 elections between 1974 and 2007 did Australia go to the polls with a prime minister not in office at the previous election.

It was December 2006 when Kevin Rudd deposed Kim Beazley and set out on Labor's quest to bring down John Howard.

Less than a decade later, after coups and counter-coups, once-deposed Liberal Leader now Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has carefully navigated the constitution's shoals to call a double dissolution for July 2.

The election was Australia's seventh double dissolution election and only the nation's fourth winter campaign. The only previous July election was the last double dissolution election in 1987.

The 2016 election was the latest in a parliamentary term that the constitution's deadlock provisions have been used to call a double dissolution election. 

By Callum Mann