Australians are heading to the polls to decide the make-up of the next government. As you prepare to cast your vote, here is everything you need to know.
When is it and how do I vote?
The 2022 Australian federal election is on Saturday 21 May. You can vote at any polling place between 8am and 6pm in your state or territory.
Polling places are located around your community – normally in schools, church halls and public buildings.
You can find your nearest polling place on the Australian Electoral Commission website.
At this election, extra provision has been made to ensure those affected by the recent floods in Queensland and New South Wales, and people affected by Covid are not disenfranchised.
For more information check our voters’ guide.
On Wednesday the AEC announced it won’t have as many polling places open as it had planned, because of a lack of staff in some regional areas.
The list of polling places impacted will be small, the AEC said, but make sure you check your nearest voting booth is open before you head out to vote.
Which seat am I in?
To vote on Saturday you’re going to need to know which seat you live in and where your local polling booths are. Good thing the AEC has you covered.
If you’re unsure, you can check which electorate you’re voting in here.
Don’t worry if you aren’t in the area on Saturday, you can still cast your vote at any polling booth.
Seats to watch
Speaking of seats, there are some particularly interesting ones to watch this year. With more independents in the field, retirements of sitting members and minor parties joining the fray, previously safe seats are less predictable.
To form a majority government Labor needs to gain at least seven seats while the Coalition must offset any losses with gains elsewhere to stay in power.
In Queensland, the LNP’s hold on the seat of Brisbane is being threatened by both Labor and the Greens, and in the central seat of Flynn, the retirement of popular LNP MP Ken O’Dowd means One Nation and the United Australia party will have a big influence on Saturday.
In NSW both Labor and the Liberals are confident of picking up seats off each other. Lindsay, in Sydney’s west, has consistently swung with the winner for 13 of the past 14 elections.
The Liberal incumbent, Melissa McIntosh, holds the seat with a 5% margin but Labor’s Trevor Ross is hoping to flip it red.
In Victoria, there’s a showdown between teal independents and the Liberal party. Monique Ryan is trying to oust the treasurer, Josh Frydenberg, in Kooyong and former journalist Zoe Daniel is up against Liberal Tim Wilson in Goldstein.
There is also a close contest in Chisholm, which Liberal Gladys Liu won in 2019 with a slim 1,100 votes. She needs to keep every single one of them to stop Labor’s candidate Carina Garland snagging it.
And in Tasmania, the Liberal-held seat of Bass is under threat from Labor. The Liberal MP, Bridget Archer, won the seat in 2019 by just 600 votes. She’s been popular in the electorate, but that doens’t mean she can fend off former member Ross Hart.
Who is leading the polls?
This week the Guardian Essential poll showed the race was tightening. On Wednesday Labor held a two-point lead in the two-party-preferred option, sitting on 48% and the Coalition on 46%. Undecided voters made up 7%.
Labor has led the polls since the beginning of the campaign – but the Coalition seems to be closing in. Two weeks ago Labor was ahead of the Coalition 49% to 45% with 6% undecided.
The most recent Newspoll, which is commissioned by the Australian and conducted by YouGov, also has Labor ahead, predicting there would be a +5.53 swing towards the ALP if the election was held today.
On Tuesday the Resolve Strategic survey, which is commissioned by the Sydney Morning Herald and the Age, showed Labor’s primary vote had also slipped from 34% to 31% over the last two weeks. In the same time, the Coalition made small gains, going from 33% to 34%.
You can read more on the latest Essential poll from political editor Katharine Murphy here.
Can we trust the polls?
It’s a good question. Last time around all of the major polls predicted a Labor win and we know how that turned out.
But after Scott Morrison’s shock win in 2019 polling companies introduced new techniques to try to improve accuracy.
We won’t have to wait long to see if that has worked.
Elias Visontay has more on how polls have changed.
How do preferences work?
Australian citizens vote for their local members of parliament in the House of Representatives and their state Senate representatives via a preferential voting system.
In close contests, preferences could prove crucial to deciding which candidate is elected so it’s important to understand how it works.
In this TikTok Matilda Boseley explains everything you need to know before you hit the ballot box:
Some parties have done preference deals. For instance, the Queensland Liberal National party has decided to direct Senate preferences to One Nation and in return, the latter’s leader, Pauline Hanson, has said her party will direct preferences to help conservative Coalition members.
The Greens have said they will suggest their voters preference Labor before the Liberals across the country.
Labor is preferencing the Greens second for the Senate in every state and territory except Tasmania, where the Jacqui Lambie Network has been gifted the second spot, and the ACT, where independent David Pocock will get it.
Labor is also giving second spots to some teal independents in key battleground seats Wentworth, Kooyong and Curtin.
What is strategic voting and does it matter for me?
The number of campaigns from independents and minor parties this election means it will likely come down to preferences in key battleground seats.
This piece from Ben Raue outlines everything you need to know about preferences before you vote.
Who are all these minor parties in the Senate?
The focus this election has been on the battle to win government in the lower house. But the Senate will be crucial to what the new government will and won’t be able to do.
On Saturday your Senate ballot paper is likely to have a range of micro parties, all with niche interests. Josh Butler takes you through the minor parties and what they support.
Which media organisations are backing which parties?
It is customary for media outlets to publish an editorial backing one of the major parties before Saturday. You can read Guardian Australia’s view urging voters to say no to spin and inaction.
Nine’s Melbourne and Sydney mastheads are also backing Labor. The SMH argues a Coalition devoid of imagination does not deserve another term, even though it “shares the public’s lack of enthusiasm for Albanese and his timid opposition”. The Age says integrity is the overarching theme of the campaign and Morrison has failed on that.
However, the AFR, also owned by Nine, does not believe Albanese has made the case against Morrison or for himself.
The Australian is also backing a re-elected Coalition government, pointing to Morrison’s handling of the economy, the pandemic and national security.
Where can I watch/follow the election on the night?
The Guardian Australia live blog will bring you coverage from across the nation.
Antony Green will join Leigh Sales, David Speers, Annabel Crabb, Andrew Probyn and Laura Tingle to broadcast results on the ABC’s Australia Votes from 6pm on Saturday.
Over on Sky, Kieran Gilbert will anchor coverage from 5pm, along with Andrew Clennell, election analyst Tom Connell and Sky After Dark host Peta Credlin.
On Seven, political editor Mark Riley will lead coverage along with Natalie Barr and Michael Usher, also from 5pm.
Nine’s election programming also begins at 5pm with a panel hosted by Peter Overton and Alicia Loxley, and analysis from political editor Chris Uhlmann.
Ten’s coverage starts at 6pm and is hosted by Sandra Sully, Peter van Onselen, Waleed Aly, Hugh Riminton, Jan Fran and Narelda Jacobs.
ABC radio is offering live coverage too, hosted by Raf Epstein and Sabra Lane, with Thomas Oriti covering all the latest news on the night. Listen live via your ABC local radio station, ABC NewsRadio, RN or on the ABC Listen app.
