Australia - May 2025

On 3 May, Australia held the 48th federal election for both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, secured a second consecutive term, winning 94 of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, with the opposition Liberal-National Coalition securing 43 seats. Voter turnout stood at 90.7 per cent, a slight increase from 89.7 per cent in the previous 2022 election. Voting is compulsory in Australia. Preliminary election results show that approximately 69 (49.1 per cent) women will be elected to parliament, an increase from 58 (38 per cent) women elected to the 47th Parliament. According to media reports, the election was conducted efficiently and transparently, with no instance of irregularities. However, some challenges during the campaigning period were noted, including misinformation, resource allocation, and political parties intervening in the postal voting process. 

Sources: Australian Election Commission, ABC News, Australian Financial Review, Institute of Community Directors, The Australia Institute 

Preliminary election results indicate that approximately 69 women (out of 151 total seats), representing 45.7 per cent, were elected to the House of Representatives in Australia’s federal election held on 3 May. This marks an increase from the previous polls in 2022, when 58 women (38.4 per cent) were elected. Political analysts note that the Labor Party’s gender quota for the candidate nomination process established decades ago helped drive this progress, whereby 56 per cent of the newly elected Labor MPs are women. Approximately 43 women (out of 76 total seat), representing 56.6 per cent, were elected to the Senate, marking an increase from 32 (42.1 per cent) in the 2022 election. Additionally, the new federal cabinet of election winner Prime Minister Anthony Albanese includes a record-breaking 12 women and 11 men.

Sources: The Conversation, ABC News, Institute of Community Directors, The Australia Institute