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] 5 May 2016 9 May 2016 9 May 2016[3] 2 years 180 days
45th Parliament 2 July 2016
(2 years 300 days)
First Session 30 August 2016 4 April 2019[9] 11 April 2019 11 April 2019[10] 2 years 225 days
46th Parliament 19 May 2019
(2 years 322 days)
First Session 2 July 2019[11]

See also

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 Archived 14 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  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
  9. House of Representatives, Votes and Proceedings, 4 April 2019; Retrieved 11 April 2019
  10. Documents relating to the calling of the election for 18 May 2019 Archived 11 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine; Retrieved 11 April 2019

Sources
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