Australians will go to the polls on July 02,2016

Australians will go to the polls on July 02,2016 after the longest election campaign in the country's history.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has called the election several months early after the country's upper house repeatedly blocked legislation.
What is a double dissolution election?
Australia's constitution allows for an early election to be called when the Senate twice blocks a piece of legislation that has been passed by the lower house, the House of Representatives. Although ostensibly designed to resolve political deadlocks, in practice it has largely been used opportunistically by governments who see an advantage in going to the polls early.


On Sunday May 08,2016 the Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asked the Governor-General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, to dissolve both the lower and upper houses of parliament.

Under Australia's political system, the governor-general is the representative of the head of state, Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

In the House of Representatives all 150 seats will be contested, as well as the 76 Senate seats - the first time this has happened in an early election since 1987