9.1.4. Nature of Elections

A national general election must be held within three years of the first meeting of a new federal Parliament. The average life of Parliaments is about two-and-a-half years. In practice, general elections are held when the Governor-General agrees to a request from the Prime Minister, who selects the date of the election.

The governing party has changed almost every five years on an average, since federation in 1901. The Liberal Party led a coalition with the longest hold on government—23 years—from 1949 to 1972. Prior to World War II, several governments lasted less than a year, but since 1945 there have been only seven changes in the government.