Chronology of Australian federal parliaments

The term of Australian parliaments is determined by the opening and dissolution (or expiration) of the House of Representatives. The Senate is not normally dissolved at all, except at a double dissolution, when the entire parliament is dissolved.

Parliaments do not have a fixed term. The maximum term permitted by section 28 of the Constitution of Australia is three years, counted from the date the parliament first meets after a general election. However, the Governor-General, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister, may dissolve the parliament earlier. This has happened in all but one case (the 3rd Parliament 1907–1910). However, the 18th Parliament (1946–49) was only five days short of the full three years, and eight parliaments have exceeded 2 years, 300 days. The average length of completed parliaments since Federation has been about 2 years, 130 days.

Because there is only an indirect relationship between the dates of elections and the commencement and dissolution dates of parliaments, more than three years can elapse between consecutive elections. This has happened on a number of occasions, most recently between the 2010 and 2013 elections (3 years 17 days). The longest gap between elections was 3 years 122 days, between the 1906 and 1910 elections.

Parliaments may be divided into one or more sessions. Each session except the last must be prorogued before a new session can begin. One of the effects of prorogation is that it prevents the Senate from meeting and conducting its business after the House of Representatives has concluded its business. Between 1928 and 1989, the last or sole session of a parliament was not prorogued, as the parliament was dissolved. Since 1993, the session has been prorogued prior to dissolution.

Number and Session	Date of general election (time since last election)	Date of opening	Last sitting day of the House of Representatives	Date of prorogation[1]	Date of dissolution (or expiration)	Length of Parliament
1st Parliament	29 & 30 March 1901
First Session		9 May 1901	10 October 1902	10 October 1902
Second Session		26 May 1903	22 October 1903	22 October 1903	23 November 1903	2 years 199 days
2nd Parliament	16 December 1903 (2 years 261 days)
First Session		2 March 1904	15 December 1904	15 December 1904
Second Session		28 June 1905	21 December 1905	21 December 1905
Third Session		7 June 1906	12 October 1906	12 October 1906	5 November 1906	2 years 249 days
3rd Parliament	12 December 1906 (2 years 361 days)
First Session		20 February 1907	21 February 1907	22 February 1907
Second Session		3 July 1907	5 June 1908	11 June 1908
Third Session		16 September 1908	11 December 1908	15 December 1908
Fourth Session		26 May 1909	8 December 1909	13 December 1909	19 February 1910 (expired)[2]	3 years
4th Parliament	13 April 1910 (3 years 122 days)
First Session		1 July 1910	25 November 1910	29 November 1910
Second Session		5 September 1911	19–21 December 1911	22 December 1911
Third Session		19 June 1912	20–21 December 1912	8 January 1913	23 April 1913	2 years 297 days
5th Parliament	31 May 1913 (3 years 48 days)
First Session		9 July 1913	18–19 December 1913	19 December 1913
Second Session		15 April 1914	26 June 1914	27 June 1914	30 July 1914[3]	1 year 22 days
6th Parliament	5 September 1914 (1 year 97 days)
First Session		8 October 1914	16–17 March 1917	20 March 1917	26 March 1917	2 years 203 days
7th Parliament	5 May 1917 (2 years 242 days)
First Session		14 June 1917	14 June 1917	16 June 1917
Second Session		11 July 1917	24 October 1919	28 October 1919	3 November 1919	2 years 143 days
8th Parliament	13 December 1919 (2 years 222 days)
First Session		26 February 1920	9–10 December 1921	5 January 1922
Second Session		28 June 1922	12–14 October 1922	18 October 1922	6 November 1922	2 years 254 days
9th Parliament	16 December 1922 (3 years 3 days)
First Session		28 February 1923	9 March 1923	21 March 1923
Second Session		13 June 1923	9–10 October 1924	30 April 1925
Third Session		10 June 1925	23–25 September 1925	28 September 1925	3 October 1925	2 years 218 days
10th Parliament	14 November 1925 (2 years 333 days)
First Session		13 January 1926	21–22 September 1928	not prorogued	9 October 1928	2 years 271 days
11th Parliament	17 November 1928 (3 years 3 days)
First Session		6 February 1929	12 September 1929	not prorogued	16 September 1929	0 years 223 days
12th Parliament	12 October 1929 (0 years 329 days)
First Session		20 November 1929	26 November 1931	not prorogued	27 November 1931	2 years 8 days
13th Parliament	19 December 1931 (2 years 68 days)
First Session		17 February 1932	1–2 August 1934	not prorogued	7 August 1934	2 years 172 days
14th Parliament	15 September 1934 (2 years 270 days)
First Session		23 October 1934	11 December 1936	27 May 1937
Second Session		17 June 1937	15 September 1937	not prorogued	21 September 1937	2 years 334 days
15th Parliament	23 October 1937 (3 years 38 days)
First Session		30 November 1937	7–8 December 1939	14 March 1940
Second Session		17 April 1940	21–22 August 1940	not prorogued	27 August 1940	2 years 272 days
16th Parliament	21 September 1940 (2 years 333 days)
First Session		20 November 1940	1 July 1943	not prorogued	7 July 1943	2 years 230 days
17th Parliament	21 August 1943 (2 years 334 days)
First Session		23 September 1943	30–31 March 1944	5 July 1944
Second Session		17 July 1944	1 December 1944	8 February 1945
Third Session		21 February 1945	9 August 1946	not prorogued	16 August 1946	2 years 328 days
18th Parliament	28 September 1946 (3 years 38 days)
First Session		6 November 1946	17–18 June 1948	4 August 1948
Second Session		1 September 1948	27 October 1949	not prorogued	31 October 1949	2 years 360 days
19th Parliament	10 December 1949 (3 years 73 days)
First Session		22 February 1950	16 March 1951	not prorogued	19 March 1951[3]	1 year 26 days
20th Parliament	28 April 1951 (1 year 139 days)
First Session		12 June 1951	22 October 1953	30 October 1953
Second Session		10 November 1953	2–3 December 1953	4 February 1954
Third Session		15 February 1954	14 April 1954	not prorogued	21 April 1954	2 years 314 days
21st Parliament	29 May 1954 (3 years 31 days)
First Session		4 August 1954	27–28 October 1955	not prorogued	4 November 1955	1 year 93 days
22nd Parliament	10 December 1955 (1 year 195 days)
First Session		15 February 1956	8 November 1956	7 March 1957
Second Session		19 March 1957	5 December 1957	11 February 1958
Third Session		25 February 1958	1–2 October 1958	not prorogued	14 October 1958	2 years 242 days
23rd Parliament	22 November 1958 (2 years 347 days)
First Session		17 February 1959	3 December 1959	10 February 1960
Second Session		8 March 1960	8–9 December 1960	20 February 1961
Third Session		7 March 1961	26–27 October 1961	not prorogued	2 November 1961	2 years 259 days
24th Parliament	9 December 1961 (3 years 17 days)
First Session		20 February 1962	30 October 1963	not prorogued	1 November 1963	1 year 255 days
25th Parliament	30 November 1963 (1 year 356 days)
First Session		25 February 1964	28 October 1966	not prorogued	31 October 1966	2 years 249 days
26th Parliament	26 November 1966 (2 years 361 days)
First Session		21 February 1967	8–9 November 1967	9 February 1968
Second Session		12 March 1968	26 September 1969	not prorogued	29 September 1969	2 years 221 days
27th Parliament	25 October 1969 (2 years 334 days)
First Session		25 November 1969	25–26 November 1969	23 February 1970
Second Session		3 March 1970	26 October 1972	not prorogued	2 November 1972	2 years 344 days
28th Parliament	2 December 1972 (3 years 38 days)
First Session		27 February 1973	13 December 1973	14 February 1974
Second Session		28 February 1974	10 April 1974	not prorogued	11 April 1974[3]	1 year 44 days
29th Parliament	18 May 1974 (1 year 167 days)
First Session		9 July 1974	11 November 1975	not prorogued	11 November 1975[3]	1 year 126 days
30th Parliament	13 December 1975 (1 year 209 days)
First Session		17 February 1976	24 February 1977	28 February 1977
Second Session		8 March 1977	8 November 1977	not prorogued	10 November 1977	1 year 267 days
31st Parliament	10 December 1977 (1 year 362 days)
First Session		21 February 1978	18 September 1980	not prorogued	19 September 1980	2 years 212 days
32nd Parliament	18 October 1980 (2 years 312 days)
First Session		25 November 1980	14–15 December 1982	not prorogued	4 February 1983[3]	2 years 72 days
33rd Parliament	5 March 1983 (2 years 138 days)
First Session		21 April 1983	11 October 1984	not prorogued	26 October 1984	1 year 189 days
34th Parliament	1 December 1984 (1 year 271 days)
First Session		21 February 1985	4 June 1987	not prorogued	5 June 1987[3]	2 years 105 days
35th Parliament	11 July 1987 (2 years 222 days)
First Session		14 September 1987	22 December 1989	not prorogued	19 February 1990	2 years 159 days
36th Parliament	24 March 1990 (2 years 256 days)
First Session		8 May 1990	17–18 December 1992	8 February 1993	8 February 1993	2 years 277 days
37th Parliament	13 March 1993 (2 years 356 days)
First Session		4 May 1993	30 November- 1 December 1995	29 January 1996	29 January 1996	2 years 271 days
38th Parliament	2 March 1996 (2 years 356 days)
First Session		30 April 1996	15 July 1998	31 August 1998	31 August 1998	2 years 124 days
39th Parliament	3 October 1998 (2 years 215 days)
First Session		10 November 1998	27 September 2001	8 October 2001	8 October 2001	2 years 333 days
40th Parliament	10 November 2001 (3 years 38 days)
First Session		12 February 2002	12–13 August 2004	31 August 2004	31 August 2004	2 years 202 days
41st Parliament	9 October 2004 (2 years 333 days)
First Session		16 November 2004	20 September 2007	15 October 2007	17 October 2007	2 years 336 days
42nd Parliament	24 November 2007 (3 years 46 days)
First Session		12 February 2008	24 June 2010	19 July 2010[4]	19 July 2010[4]	2 years 158 days
43rd Parliament	21 August 2010 (2 years 270 days)
First Session		28 September 2010[5]	27 June 2013[6]	5 August 2013	5 August 2013	2 years 312 days
44th Parliament	7 September 2013 (3 years 17 days)
First Session		12 November 2013[7]	18 March 2016	15 April 2016[8]
Second Session		18 April 2016[8]

Notes

1. Some sessions have been prorogued more than once. This table shows only the first date in each case.
2. The 3rd Parliament 1907–1910 is the only one that was allowed to run for three years from the date of its first sitting, the maximum period allowed by s.28 of the Australian Constitution; all the others were dissolved earlier by the Governor-General on the advice of the Prime Minister, as permitted by s.28.
3. This was a double dissolution, where both the House of Representatives and the Senate were dissolved.
4. Special Gazette S136, 19 July 2010
5. Sydney Morning Herald, 9 September 2010
6. House of Representatives, Hansard, 27 June 2013; Retrieved 9 August 2013
8. 2016 Election Document. Retrieved 21 March 2016

See also

• Australian federal election, 2013

Sources

• House of Representatives Practice, Appendix 15: Chronology of Parliaments