Information factsheet: Nominations process for 2007 federal election

Updated: 27 July 2011

24 October 2007

Nominations for the 2007 federal election are open until Thursday 1 November and will be declared on Friday 2 November.

To nominate for either the Senate or the House of Representatives, nominees must be at least 18 years old, an Australian citizen and an elector entitled to vote or a person qualified to become an elector.

Nominations for the Senate are made to the Australian Electoral Officer (AEO) for the State or Territory for which the candidate is nominating.

Nominations for the House of Representatives are made to the Divisional Returning Officer (DRO) for the division in which the candidate is nominating.

No one can nominate for more than one election held on the same day. This means that it is not possible to nominate for more than one division, for more than one State or Territory or both.

The registered officer of a registered political party may make a bulk nomination of all their endorsed House of Representatives candidates for a particular State or Territory at the one time. Bulk nominations must be received by the AEO by Tuesday 30 October.

The nomination deposit per candidate for the House of Representatives is $500, while the nomination deposit per candidate for the Senate is $1000. Candidates will receive a refund on their deposit if they gain 4 per cent or more of the formal first preference vote, or if they are in a Senate group which polls at least 4 per cent.

To be a valid nomination, both the nomination form and deposit must be received before 12noon on Thursday 1 November.

Key dates for nominations for the 2007 federal election

Close of Nominations: 12noon on Thursday 1 November

Candidates can nominate for election once the writs have been issued up until the close of nominations date.

People wishing to nominate may obtain a nomination form from any AEC office or from the AEC website www.aec.gov.au. Nominations cannot be withdrawn after the closing date.

Declaration of Nominations: 12noon on Friday 2 November

The nominations are publicly declared 24 hours after the close of nominations and are followed by a random draw for ballot paper positions.

Lodgement of Group Voting Tickets: 12noon on Saturday 3 November

Senate candidates who are grouped (that is two or more candidates standing together) must lodge their group voting ticket by 12noon on Saturday 3 November if they wish to have a box above the line.

Nomination facts:

  • At the issue of the writ for the 2007 election there were 53 political parties registered.
  • At the issue of the writ for the 2004 election there were 61 political parties registered. Candidates were from 56 of these parties.
  • In 2004, 1091 candidates contested 150 House of Representatives seats.
  • In 2004, 330 candidates contested 40 Senate seats.
  • To win a House of Representatives seat, a candidate had to win an absolute majority (50 per cent plus 1 vote).
  • Anything more than the majority was the swing required for the seat to change hands (for example, if a Member holds a seat with 56 per cent of the vote, a swing of 6 per cent is required for the seat to change hands).
  • To win a Senate seat, a candidate obtained a quota (or proportion) of the total formal vote. The quota for a half Senate election was approximately 14 per cent in each State and approximately 33 per cent in ACT and NT.

Further information about the nominations process can be found at www.aec.gov.au or by phoning 13 23 26.

Media contacts:
Phil Diak
Director Media and Communication Strategy
Ph. (02) 6271 4415
Mobile: 0413 452 539