Redistribution (Australia)#Notional seat status

Section 59 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 outlines the timing on when redistribution should commence.

A redistribution of divisions in a State, the ACT or Northern Territory is required or triggered in three circumstances:{{cite web|last1=Muller|first1=Damon|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_departments/Parliamentary_Library/Research/Quick_Guides/2022-23/ProcessofFederalRedistributionsQuickGuide|title=The process of federal redistributions: a quick guide|publisher=Parliament of Australia|date=25 August 2022|access-date=1 December 2024}}[https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/cea1918233/s59.html Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, s.59]

• if there has been a change in the number of parliamentary representatives to which the State or Territory is entitled, due to a change in population or an increase in the overall number of members, subject to the minimum number of divisions in original States. Under Sections 46 and 48 of the Act, these are determined by the Electoral Commissioner within 13 months after every first meeting of the House of Representatives ("determination").
• if the number of electors in more than one third of the divisions in the State or one of the divisions in the Territory deviates from the respective State/Territory's average divisional enrolment by more than 10% for a period of more than two months ("malapportionment")
• if seven years has elapsed since the previous redistribution

However, despite the above requirements or triggers, a redistribution is not to commence in a State, the ACT or Northern Territory in two circumstances:

• if a redistribution of divisions is already undergoing in the State or Territory, otherwise the new redistribution would terminate the undergoing redistribution
• if it is within the twelve month period prior to the expiration of the House of Representatives.

For the latter circumstance, if the elapse of seven years since the previous redistribution falls within the twelve month period, the redistribution will instead be automatically deferred and commence within 30 days after the first meeting of the next House of Representatives. This is to prevent a general election from occurring while a redistribution is in progress.

Section 59 also states three additional circumstances:

• if a redistribution is triggered in a State or Territory anytime within 13 months after the first meeting of House of Representatives met (any of the triggers, including within 30 days after the first House of Representatives meeting as above)
• the determination of the seat entitlement has not been made yet (which has to be 12–13 months after the first sitting)
• the three-person Electoral Commission makes a judgement that there may be a change in seat entitlement for the State or Territory

If the three requirements are met, then the Electoral Commission can decide to defer the redistribution for the State and Territory until after the seat entitlement has been determined.

From the above legislative requirements, this means that a redistribution can be deferred up to two times. An example of this was the redistribution in the ACT between 2012–2014. ACT had a redistribution on 9 December 2005, which meant that the following scheduled redistribution was to start around December 2012. The first House of Representatives sitting of the 43rd Parliament was on 27 September 2010, meaning the House of Representatives was due to expire on 27 September 2013. December 2012 fell within the twelve month period prior to the expiration (27 September 2012 to 27 September 2013), which meant that the scheduled redistribution was automatically deferred to within 30 days after the first House of Representatives sitting in the 44th Parliament.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2013/12-06.htm|title=Deferral of federal electoral redistribution for the ACT|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=6 December 2013|access-date=2 December 2014}}

The 44th Parliament eventually began on 12 November 2013. Within the following 30 days, the Electoral Commission made a judgement that there was possibility of a change in seat entitlement for ACT. The Commission then chose to defer the redistribution again until the determination could be made in another twelve months time (November–December 2014). The redistribution for ACT finally commenced in December 2014, two years after its scheduled commencement.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2014/11-13.htm|title=Determination of membership entitlement to the House of Representatives|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=13 November 2014|access-date=2 December 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2014/12-01.htm|title=Commencement of the redistribution of federal electoral boundaries in the ACT|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=1 December 2014|access-date=2 December 2014}}

Under Section 58 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, after the end of every month, the Electoral Commissioner is to ascertain (on the same day):[https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/cea1918233/s58.html Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, s.58]

• the number of electors enrolled in each division (in respect of each State/Territory)
• the average divisional enrolment of each State/Territory (i.e. total enrolment of the State/Territory divided by the number of the divisions in the State/Territory)
• the percentage deviation between the above two for each division

These numbers are required to be published in the Gazette monthly. Ascertainments are based on existing divisions and includes any finalised redistributed boundaries and created divisions at the time of ascertainment. An example of this is the gazette published in November 2024 for the number of electors as of 31 October 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2024G00671/asmade/text|title=Number of Electors Enrolled in Each Division as at 31 October 2024|website=Federal Register of Legislation|date=15 November 2024|access-date=8 December 2024}} The redistributions and boundaries for New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia had just recently been finalised within the month prior. The October 2024 ascertainment included the new seat of Bullwinkel and excluded the abolished seats of Higgins and North Sydney, even though these would not come into effect until the 2025 election.

Under Section 59 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act, if the number of electors in more than one third of the divisions in a State or one of the divisions in a Territory deviates from the respective State/Territory's average divisional enrolment by more than 10% for a period of more than two months, this is considered malapportionment and is one of the three possible triggers for redistribution for that State or Territory.

Section 24 of the Constitution specifies that the total number of members of the House of Representatives shall be "as nearly as practicable" twice as many as the number of senators. High Court rulings have later interpreted this section of the Constitution to apply to state members and senators. However, the principle of the House of Representatives roughly double of the Senate can still be applied when including territory members and senators.

As there are 72 state senators, there should be roughly 144 state members of the House of Representatives. When including the 4 territory senators, there should be roughly 152 members of the House of Representatives. The total number of members of the House of Representatives, and consequently electorates, varies from time to time. Every time there is a change in the number of members, a redistribution is required to be undertaken, except in Tasmania which has always had the constitutional minimum number of five members. At the first federal election there were 65 members of the House of Representatives. In 1949, the number was increased from 74 to 121 (excluding the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory),{{Cite web|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/Elections/Australian_Electoral_History/reform.htm|title = AEC redirection page}} and in 1984 it was increased from 125 to 148.Representation Act 1983 Following the 2017 apportionment, the total number of members increased from 150 to 151. Following the 2023 apportionment, the total number of members will decrease from 151 back to 150.

The AEC determines the number of members to which each state and territory is entitled, which is based on the population of each state and territory. The day when it is exactly one year and one day after the first sitting day for a new House of Representatives is known as the "reference day". On this day (or the next earliest weekday if the reference day is a weekend or public holiday in the ACT), the Electoral Commissioner ascertains the most recent population estimate for each state and territory from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, in a process termed "ascertainment".[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/cea1918233/s46.html Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, Section 46: Ascertainment of numbers of people of Commonwealth, States and Territories] Based on these figures, the AEC then makes its apportionment determination ("determination"), which is to be done "as soon as possible" after the ascertainment .The absolute latest a determination could be made is one month after the ascertainment.[https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/legis/cth/consol_act/cea1918233/s48.html Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, s.48]

Section 24 of the Constitution requires that electorates be apportioned among the states in proportion to their respective populations; provided that each Original State has at least 5 members. Section 29 of the Constitution forbids electorate boundaries from crossing state lines. The current apportionment method is now found in section 48 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.Australian Electoral Commission.[http://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/publications/Strategy_Research_Analysis/paper4/page03.htm Research Report 4 – Australian Federal Redistributions 1901–2003.] Accessed 5 May 2008.

Under the current method, the AEC firstly calculates a quota, as follows:

: $\backslash mbox\{Quota\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{\backslash mbox\{Total\; population\; of\; the\; six\; states\}\}\{\backslash mbox\{Number\; of\; senators\; for\; the\; states\; x\; 2\}\; \}$

After the quota is calculated, the number of members to be chosen in each State is the number of people of the State divided by the quota, and if on such division there is a remainder greater than one-half of the quota, one more member shall be chosen in the State.[http://www.aec.gov.au/electorates/Redistributions/calculating-entitlements.htm Calculating representation entitlements of states and territories]

: $\backslash mbox\{Quotient\; of\; each\; state\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{\backslash mbox\{Population\; of\; each\; state\; \}\}\{\backslash mbox\{Quota\}\; \}$

In simpler terms, the entitlement of each state is the quotient rounded to the nearest whole number. However, each Original State is entitled to a minimum of five members under the Australian Constitution, thus giving Tasmania two more seats than its population would normally justify.

Until 2020, the quotient and entitlement of each territory was obtained using a similar rounding method to the one used for the states. In 2003, a statistical error margin — equal to twice the standard error of the population estimate, as provided by the Australian Bureau of Statistics — was added to the quotient for each territory. The quotient and the error margin were added and rounded to the nearest whole number to determine the entitlement for each territory.

These provisions enabled the Northern Territory to retain its second seat at the 2004 federal election, and the Australian Capital Territory to gain a third seat at the 2019 federal election.{{cite web|last1=Green|first1=Antony|url=https://www.aph.gov.au/DocumentStore.ashx?id=1b4cbf9e-6763-437b-bf78-78626b6ad8de&subId=686254|title=Fair Representation for the Territories - A Submission to the Joint Standing Committee of Electoral Matters|website=Parliament of Australia|date=July 2020|access-date=11 December 2020}}

The Electoral Amendment (Territory Representation) Act 2020, passed on 9 December 2020,{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-10/nt-keeps-two-federal-seats-after-electoral-amendment-bill-passes/12969366|title=NT to keep two federal House of Representative seats at next election after legislation passes Parliament|work=ABC News|date=9 December 2020}}{{cite news |title='A shame job': Bill to safeguard two federal members for the NT a step closer to reality |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-12-03/bill-to-secure-two-nt-federal-members-passes-senate/12941366 |access-date=9 December 2020 |work=www.abc.net.au |date=3 December 2020 |language=en-AU}} amended the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 to additionally apply the harmonic mean method in calculating each territory's entitlement; the method is also known as Dean’s Method.{{cite web|last1=Green|first1=Antony|url=https://antonygreen.com.au/2020-apportionment-of-seats-part-2-allocating-to-the-territories/|title=2020 Apportionment of Seats: Part 2 – Allocating to the Territories|website=Antony Green's Election Blog|date=9 June 2020|access-date=11 December 2020}} The inclusion of the statistical error margin was also abolished.

The calculation of the territory's quotient is first determined in the same way used for state entitlement:

: $\backslash mbox\{Quotient\; of\; each\; territory\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{\backslash mbox\{Population\; of\; each\; territory\; \}\}\{\backslash mbox\{Quota\}\; \}$

In accordance with Section 48 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, the calculation of the entitlement of each territory varies on the quotient calculated:

• If the quotient is less than or equal to 0.5, then the territory is not entitled to have any members in the House of Representatives, except in the case of the Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory (both are entitled to a minimum of one member each).
• If the quotient is greater than 0.5, but less than or equal to 1, the territory is entitled to one member in the House of Representatives.
• If the quotient is more than 3, then the entitlement of the territory is the quotient rounded to the nearest whole number (the same method as state entitlement).
• If the quotient is more than 1, but less than or equal to 3, the entitlement is calculated via the harmonic mean method below. If the quotient is larger than its corresponding harmonic mean, then the entitlement is the quotient rounded up to the nearest whole number; otherwise, the entitlement is the quotient rounded down to the nearest whole number.{{cite web|url=https://parlinfo.aph.gov.au/parlInfo/download/legislation/bills/s1280_first-senate/toc_pdf/2014120.pdf;fileType=application%2Fpdf|title=Electoral Amendment (Territory Representation) Bill 2020|website=Parliament of Australia|access-date=11 December 2020}}{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2020/12-10.htm|title=Two Northern Territory seats to again be contested at the next federal election|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=10 December 2020|access-date=19 January 2021}}

: $\backslash mbox\{Minimum\; number\; of\; members\}\; =\; \backslash mbox\{Quotient\; rounded\; down\; to\; the\; nearest\; whole\; number\}$

: $\backslash mbox\{Harmonic\; mean\}\; =\; \backslash frac\{\backslash mbox\{2\; x\; Minimum\; number\; of\; members\; x\; (Minimum\; number\; of\; members\; +\; 1)\}\}\{\backslash mbox\{Minimum\; number\; of\; members\; +\; (Minimum\; number\; of\; members\; +\; 1)\}\; \}$

:

Under these new rules adopted in December 2020, the Northern Territory, with a quota of 1.4332, will retain two seats at the 2022 Australian federal election.{{cite web |last1=Muller |first1=Damon |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/FlagPost/2020/December/Electoral_Amendment_Territory_Representation_Bill_2020|title=Electoral Amendment (Territory Representation) Bill 2020 |publisher=Parliament of Australia|date=2 December 2020|access-date=11 December 2020}} It would have lost one of these seats under the AEC determination made in July 2020.[https://www.sbs.com.au/news/reshuffle-leaves-nt-with-one-seat-in-federal-parliament-s-lower-house Reshuffle leaves NT with one seat in federal parliament's lower house]

The entitlement calculation applies to every territory of Australia except Jervis Bay Territory, which is taken to be part of the Australian Capital Territory. If the territory of Norfolk Island is not entitled to a seat, its population is added to the Australian Capital Territory for an adjusted calculation of the latter's quotient. Similarly, if either or both the territories of Christmas Island and Coco (Keeling) Islands is not entitled to a seat, the island's (or both islands') population is added to the Northern Territory for an adjusted calculation of the latter's quotient. {{as of|2024}}, Norfolk Island is part of the Australian Capital Territory's Division of Bean, while Christmas Island and Coco (Keeling) Islands are part of the Northern Territory's Division of Lingiari.

The latest apportionment determination was made in July 2023. Following its timeline, the AEC on 27 July 2023 announced an apportionment determination based on the population figures for December 2022. The determination resulted in a reduction of one seat in New South Wales to 46, a reduction of one seat in Victoria to 38 and an increase of one seat in Western Australia to 16. The total number of seats in the House of Representatives will decrease from 151 to 150 at the 2025 Australian federal election.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2023/07-27.htm|title=House of Representatives to return to 150 members|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=27 July 2023|access-date=18 October 2023}}

On 18 June 2020, the Bureau of Statistics had provided the AEC with population figures for December 2019. In the 2020 apportionment, Western Australia lost a seat to 15 seats and Victoria gained a seat to 39. Under the determination, the Northern Territory would have lost one of its two seats. However, an amendment in December 2020 changed the method for determining the apportionment for the territories, which had the effect of reversing the loss of the seat for the Northern Territory. The number of seats by States in the House of Representatives arising from the 2020 determination, with the change in law relating to the territories, were as follows:

The population quota is 173,647 (25,005,200 divided by 144). The resulting redistributions must take place by July 2021{{Cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2020/09-16.htm|title=Victorians have chance to shape new federal electorates}} for them to be in place in time for the 2022 federal election, due by May 2022.

The first sitting of the House of Representatives following the July 2016 election took place on 31 August 2016, and the three-year term was scheduled to expire on 29 August 2019. Following its timeline, the AEC on 31 August 2017 announced an apportionment determination following the completion of processing of the 2016 census. The determination resulted in a reduction of one seat in South Australia to 10, an increase of one seat in Victoria to 38 and an additional seat in the ACT to 3. The total number of seats in the House of Representatives increased from 150 to 151 at the 2019 federal election.[http://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2017/08-31.htm Determination of membership entitlement to the House of Representatives]{{cite web|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2017/08-31.htm|title=Determination of membership entitlement to the House of Representatives|work=aec.gov.au|date=31 August 2017}} The number of seats by States in the House of Representatives arising from the 2017 determination were as follows:

A draft redistribution in Victoria was released on 6 April 2018, and the final distribution was released on 12 July.[https://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/2017/vic/ Victorian federal redistribution]{{cite web |title=Labor could be sitting pretty after planned electoral boundary changes |date=2018-04-06 |website=The Age |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220810204009/https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-could-be-sitting-pretty-after-planned-electoral-boundary-changes-20180406-p4z87r.html |archive-date=2022-08-10 |url-status=live |url=https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/labor-could-be-sitting-pretty-after-planned-electoral-boundary-changes-20180406-p4z87r.html}} There were also three scheduled redistributions of electoral boundaries, as seven years had elapsed since the last time these boundaries were reviewed.

On 13 November 2014, the AEC made an apportionment determination that resulted in Western Australia's entitlement increasing from 15 to 16 seats, and New South Wales's decreasing from 48 to 47 seats. The number of seats by States in the House of Representatives arising from the 2014 determination were as follows:

:

A redistribution of electoral boundaries in New South Wales and Western Australia was undertaken before the 2016 election.[http://www.aec.gov.au/electorates/Redistributions/ Redistributions] The redistribution in New South Wales was announced on 16 October 2015, with the Labor-held Division of Hunter proposed to be abolished.The Age, 16 October 2015: [http://www.theage.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/labors-joel-fitzgibbon-loses-his-seat-in-redistribution-by-australian-electoral-commission-20151016-gkar7q.html Labor's Joel Fitzgibbon loses his seat in redistribution by Australian Electoral Commission] The Division of Charlton was renamed Hunter to preserve the Hunter name used since federation. This effectively meant that the Division of Charlton was abolished and the Division of Hunter was retained.{{cite web|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/federal-election-2016/guide/hunt/|title=Federal Election 2016 - Electorate: Hunter|website=ABC News|date=27 July 2016|access-date=6 January 2021}} A redistribution also occurred in the Australian Capital Territory, as seven years had elapsed since the last time the ACT's boundaries were reviewed.{{cite news|title=Determination of membership entitlement to the House of Representatives|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2014/11-13.htm|accessdate=14 November 2014|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=13 November 2014}}

The historical apportionment entitlement of seats for the various states and territories is:{{Cite web|title=State/territory entitlement to electoral divisions|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/electorates/Redistributions/calculating-entitlements.htm|website=Australian Electoral Commission|language=en-AU}}

The entitlements of the external territories are less than 0.05 and are not shown in the table. Therefore, these territories are not entitled to any seats. The apportionment entitlements shown for Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory have accounted for the populations of Norfolk Island, Christmas Island and Coco (Keeling) Islands.

The historical apportionment of seats for the various states and territories is:{{Cite web|title=Australian Federal Redistributions 1901 -2003|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/About_AEC/research/files/research_paper4.pdf}}{{Cite web|title=Previous redistributions|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/dates.htm|access-date=2020-07-12|website=Australian Electoral Commission|language=en-AU}}

The most recent redistribution of federal electoral divisions in the Australian Capital Territory commenced on 4 September 2017, due to changes in the territory's representation entitlement. The AEC released a proposed redistribution on 6 April 2018, and the final determination on 13 July 2018.{{cite web |title=Step 6 – announcement of names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in the Australian Capital Territory |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/2017/act/announce-names-boundaries.htm |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |accessdate=6 July 2018}} The redistribution resulted in the creation of a third ACT electoral division named Bean (notionally fairly safe Labor), after historian Charles Bean.{{cite web|title=Proposed federal electoral divisions for ACT released|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2018/04-06a.htm|website=Australian Electoral Commission|accessdate=6 April 2018|language=en-AU}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/act/|title=2017-18 Federal Redistribution - Australian Capital Territory|work=ABC Elections|date=20 June 2018}}

The next scheduled redistribution will begin within 30 days from 13 July 2025, seven years after the previous redistribution.

New South Wales last underwent a redistribution on 25 February 2016, before the May 2016 federal election.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/electorates/redistributions/dates.htm|title=Previous redistributions|website=Australian Electoral Commission|access-date=20 January 2021}}

Due to another change in the state's representation entitlement, New South Wales underwent a redistribution in 2024 which would abolish a seat and reducing the entitlement to 46. If there had been no change in entitlement, the state would still have undergone a scheduled redistribution anyway (seven years since the previous redistribution). In the draft redistribution announced on 14 June 2024, the seat of North Sydney was proposed to be abolished.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2024/06-14.htm|title=Proposed federal electoral divisions for New South Wales released|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=14 June 2024|access-date=14 June 2024}} The redistribution was formalised and gazetted on 10 October 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2024/10-10.htm|title=Federal electoral divisions in New South Wales formalised|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=10 October 2024|access-date=1 December 2024}}

On 7 December 2016, the Electoral Commission for the Northern Territory announced the results of its deliberations into the boundaries of Lingiari and Solomon, the two federal electoral divisions in the Northern Territory. New boundaries gazetted from 7 February 2017 saw the remainder of the Litchfield Municipality and parts of Palmerston (the suburbs of Farrar, Johnston, Mitchell, Zuccoli and part of Yarrawonga) transferred from Solomon to Lingiari.{{cite web|title=Media release: Augmented Electoral Commission decides names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in the Northern Territory|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2016/12-07.htm|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|accessdate=7 December 2016}}

The following scheduled redistribution began on 22 February 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2024/02-22.htm|title=Commencement of the redistribution of federal electoral divisions in the Northern Territory|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=22 February 2024|access-date=3 June 2024}} The number of seats for the Northern Territory (two seats) remained unchanged. The redistribution was formalised and gazetted on 4 March 2025.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2025/03-04.htm|title=Federal electoral divisions in the Northern Territory formalised|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=4 March 2025|access-date=6 March 2025}} The outer suburbs of Palmerston that had been transferred from Solomon to Lingiari in 2017 were transferred back to Solomon. This also meant that the entirety of City of Palmerston was within Solomon.

A scheduled redistribution began in Queensland on 6 January 2017, and was finalised on 27 March 2018. Changes were made to the boundaries of 18 of Queensland's 30 electoral divisions, and no division names were changed.{{cite web|title=Queensland redistribution indicative timetable|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/2017/qld/timetable.htm|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|accessdate=31 August 2017}}

The next scheduled redistribution was supposed to begin within 30 days from 27 March 2025, seven years after the previous redistribution. However, under Section 59(3) of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, as the date fell within the last 12 months of the 47th Parliament (due to expire 25 July 2025), the redistribution was deferred to after the 2025 election. It will commence within 30 days after the start of the 48th Parliament in accordance with Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, unless the Electoral Commission deems that the next determination may alter the number of members for the state. In this case, the redistribution may be further deferred until a determination is made one year after the start of the 48th Parliament, in accordance with Section 59(5) of the act.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/redistributions/2025/qld/Deferral.html|title=Queensland redistribution Deferral of redistribution|website=Australian Electoral Commission|access-date=31 March 2025}}

The redistribution in South Australia commenced on 4 September 2017. The proposed redistribution report was released on 13 April 2018, and the final determination on 20 July 2018. The AEC abolished the division of Port Adelaide.{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-06-26/electoral-commission-abolishes-labor-held-seat-of-port-adelaide/9910524|title=Electoral Commission scraps seat of Port Adelaide held by Labor MP Mark Butler|work=ABC News|date=25 June 2018}} The hybrid urban-rural seat of Wakefield became the entirely urban seat of Spence, after Catherine Helen Spence.{{cite web|title=Proposed federal electoral divisions for South Australia released|url=https://aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2018/04-13.htm|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|accessdate=13 April 2018|language=en-AU}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/sa/|title=2017-18 Federal Redistribution - South Australia|work=ABC Elections|date=26 June 2018}} The more rural portions of Wakefield transferred to Grey and Barker.{{cite web |url=https://aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2018/07-20.htm |title=Federal electoral divisions in South Australia formalised |date=20 July 2018 |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |accessdate=28 July 2018}}

Port Adelaide was abolished due to population changes since the state's last redistribution in 2011. Although South Australia's population was still increasing, faster increases in other states saw a reduction in South Australia's representation from 11 to 10 seats. This was the third time South Australia lost a seat since the 1984 enlargement of the parliament, with Hawker abolished in 1993 and Bonython in 2004.{{cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1617/Redist45thParl|title=Electoral redistributions during the 45th Parliament: APH Statistics and Mapping|date=2016-08-25|publisher=Aph.gov.au|accessdate=2018-03-19}}{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-08-25/south-australia-potentially-lose-federal-seat-future-aec/7785584|title=South Australia to potentially lose federal seat under future redistribution|date=2016-08-25|publisher=Abc.net.au|accessdate=2018-03-19}}{{cite web|url=http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/south-australia-set-to-be-reduced-to-10-federal-electorates/news-story/337378c8c52a640714c99c380d3a4282|title=South Australia set to be reduced to 10 federal electorates|date=2016-08-25|publisher=The Advertiser|accessdate=2018-03-19}}

The next scheduled redistribution will begin within 30 days from 20 July 2025, seven years after the previous redistribution.

A scheduled redistribution began in Tasmania on 1 September 2016.{{cite web|title=Tasmanian redistribution indicative timetable |url=http://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/2016/tas/timetable.htm|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|accessdate=31 August 2017}} The determinations were announced on 27 September 2017, involved boundary changes, and the Division of Denison was renamed the Division of Clark.{{cite web|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|title=Names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in Tasmania decided|url=http://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2017/09-27.htm|accessdate=27 September 2017|language=en-AU}} Final determination was on 14 November 2017.

The next scheduled redistribution was supposed to begin within 30 days from 14 November 2024, seven years after the previous redistribution. However, under Section 59 of the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, as the date fell within the last 12 months of the 47th Parliament (due to expire 25 July 2025), the redistribution was deferred to after the 2025 election. It will commence within 30 days after the start of the 48th Parliament in accordance with Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/redistributions/2024/tas/Deferral.html|title=Tasmanian redistribution Deferral of redistribution|website=Australian Electoral Commission|access-date=26 November 2024}}

A redistribution of federal election divisions in Western Australia was undertaken in 2020, due to changes in the state's representation entitlement. The determinations were made on 2 August 2021, and abolished the Division of Stirling.

Due to changes in the state's representation entitlement, Western Australia gained a seat in the 2024 redistribution. In the draft redistribution announced on 31 May 2024, the new seat was proposed to be named Bullwinkel.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2024/05-31a.htm|title=Proposed federal electoral divisions for Western Australia released|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=31 May 2024|access-date=3 June 2024}} The redistribution was formalised and gazetted on 24 September 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2024/09-24.htm|title=Federal electoral divisions in Western Australia formalised|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=24 September 2024|access-date=1 December 2024}}

A redistribution of federal electoral divisions in Victoria commenced on 4 September 2017, due to changes in the state's representation entitlement. The determinations were made on 13 July 2018, and created a 38th electoral division named Fraser (notionally a safe Labor).{{cite web|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/vic/|title=2017-18 Federal Redistributions - Victoria|work=ABC Elections|date=20 June 2018}}

Several divisions were also renamed: Batman to Cooper (after William Cooper), McMillan to Monash (after Sir John Monash), Melbourne Ports to Macnamara (after Dame Jean Macnamara) and Murray to Nicholls (after Sir Douglas and Lady Nicholls). A proposal to rename Corangamite to Cox (after swimming instructor May Cox) did not proceed.{{cite web|title=Names and boundaries of federal electoral divisions in Victoria decided|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/media-releases/2018/06-20.htm|website=Australian Electoral Commission|accessdate=20 June 2018|language=en-AU}}

The Coalition notionally lost the seat of Dunkley and Corangamite to Labor in the redistribution.{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Antony |title=2017–18 Federal Redistributions |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/ |website=ABC Elections |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=25 August 2018}}

Another redistribution in Victoria was finalised and gazetted on 26 July 2021, creating a 39th electoral division named Division of Hawke (notionally a safe Labor). None of the existing 38 divisions were notionally lost in the redistribution.{{cite web|last1=Green|first1=Antony|url=https://antonygreen.com.au/2021-federal-redistribution-boundaries-finalised-for-victoria/|title=2021 Federal Redistribution – Boundaries Finalised for Victoria|publisher=Antony Green's Election|date=26 July 2021|access-date=26 July 2021}}

Due to another change in the state's representation entitlement, Victoria underwent a third consecutive redistribution in 2024 which would abolish a seat and returning the entitlement to 38 seats. In the draft redistribution announced on 31 May 2024, the seat of Higgins was proposed to be abolished.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2024/05-31b.htm|title=Proposed federal electoral divisions for Victoria released|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=31 May 2024|access-date=3 June 2024}} The redistribution was formalised and gazetted on 17 October 2024.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/2024/10-17.htm|title=Federal electoral divisions in Victoria formalised|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=17 October 2024|access-date=1 December 2024}}

A redistribution is undertaken on a State-by-State basis. After the redistribution process commences, a Redistribution Committee — consisting of the Electoral Commissioner, the Australian Electoral Officer for the State concerned (in the ACT, the senior Divisional Returning officer), the State Surveyor General and the State Auditor General — is formed. The Electoral Commissioner invites public suggestions on the redistribution which must be lodged within 30 days. A further period of 14 days is allowed for comments on the suggestions lodged. The Redistribution Committee then divides the State or Territory into divisions and publishes its proposed redistribution. A period of 28 days is allowed after publication of the proposed redistribution for written objections. A further period of 14 days is provided for comments on the objections lodged. These objections are considered by an augmented Electoral Commission — consisting of the four members of the Redistribution Committee and the two part-time members of the Electoral Commission.

At the time of the redistribution the number of electors in the divisions may vary up to 10% from the 'quota' or average divisional figure but at a point 3.5 years after the expected completion of the redistribution, the figures should not vary from the average projected quota by more or less than 3.5%. Thus the most rapidly growing divisions are generally started with enrolments below the quota while those that are losing population are started above the quota.

Neither the Government nor the Parliament can reject or amend the final determination of the augmented Electoral Commission.

{{see also|Australian electoral system#Gerrymandering and malapportionment}}

Boundaries for the Australian House of Representatives and for the six state and two territorial legislatures are drawn up by independent authorities, at the federal level by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) and in the states and territories by their equivalent bodies. Politicians have no influence over the process, although they, along with any other citizen or organisation, can make submissions to the independent authorities suggesting changes.

There is significantly less political interference in the redistribution process than is common in the United States. In 1978, federal Cabinet minister Reg Withers was forced to resign for suggesting to another minister that the name of a federal electorate be changed to suit a political ally.[http://www.naa.gov.au/collection/publications/papers-and-podcasts/cabinet-release/jim-stokes-transcript-78.aspx National Archives of Australia: Background to the 1978 Cabinet records]. Retrieved 19 November 2014

There have been examples of malapportionment of federal and state electoral districts in the past, often resulting in rural constituencies containing far fewer voters than urban ones and maintaining in power those parties that have rural support despite polling fewer popular votes. Past malapportionments in Queensland, Western Australia and the 'Playmander' in South Australia were notorious examples of the differences between urban and rural constituency sizes than their population would merit. The Playmander distorted electoral boundaries and policies that kept the Liberal and Country League in power for 32 years from 1936 to 1968.[https://archive.today/20120709065419/http://www.history.sa.gov.au/history/Democracy%20Conference/JaenschPARTIES.pdf Labor and Liberal Parties, SA, Dean Jaensch], "A 2:1 ratio of enrolments in favour of the rural areas was in force from 1936." In extreme cases, rural areas had four times the voting value of metropolitan areas. Supporters of such arrangements claimed Australia's urban population dominates the countryside and that these practices gave fair representation to country people.{{citation needed|date=September 2017}}

The redistribution, creation and abolition of divisions is the responsibility of the AEC. When new divisions are created, the AEC will select a name. Most divisions are named in honour of prominent historical people, such as former politicians (often Prime Ministers), explorers, artists and engineers, and rarely for geographic places.

Some of the criteria the AEC uses when naming new divisions are:Australian Electoral Commission. [http://www.aec.gov.au/Electorates/Redistributions/guidelines.htm Guideline for Naming Divisions.] Updated 20 July 2011. Accessed 1 February 2012.

• divisions are named after deceased Australians who have rendered outstanding service to their country, with consideration given to former Prime Ministers
• the original names of Divisions proclaimed at Federation in 1901 are to be retained where possible
• geographical place names are to be avoided
• Aboriginal names can be used as appropriate
• names that duplicate names of state electoral districts are not to be used.

Divisions with Indigenous names and the remaining 34 of the 65 original divisions (i.e those that were contested at the 1901 federal election, note that 32 of the 65 have since been abolished) should not be renamed or abolished.

There are several divisions named after geographical locations, including bodies of water, islands, settlements. For example, the seat of Werriwa in Western Sydney is named after Lake George (which is not located in the seat of Werriwa), which is known as {{lang|xul|Weereewa}} in the Ngunnawal language.

Several deceased individuals have been honoured with divisions named after them, including several Indigenous Australians.

Every deceased former Prime Minister had a division named after them.{{cite web | url=https://michaelwest.com.au/the-electorate-of-abbott-and-howard-and-rudd-and-turnbull/ | title=Future shock: The electorates of Abbott, and Howard, and Rudd, and Turnbull | date=25 December 2021 }} The Division of Cook in Sydney was originally only named after Captain James Cook, and not former Prime Minister Sir Joseph Cook. However, in 2024, the namesake was altered to be joint between both men, to give recognition to Joseph Cook and have a division named after him.{{cite web|url=https://www.aec.gov.au/redistributions/2023/nsw/final-report/files/Redistribution-of-New-South-Wales-into-electoral-divisions-October-2024.pdf|title=Redistribution of New South Wales into electoral divisions|publisher=Australian Electoral Commission|date=October 2024|access-date=1 December 2024}}

There are seven former Prime Ministers who are still alive (Paul Keating, John Howard, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull and Scott Morrison), who therefore do not have divisions named after them as they are still alive. However, divisions named after Prime Ministers are not necessarily divisions that have been renamed, generally a new division is created instead, sometimes even in a different city or region (e.g Malcolm Fraser served as the member for Wannon in western Victoria, but the Division of Fraser in western Melbourne). While it is unlikely for any former Prime Minister to have their exact division they served whilst in office renamed in honour of them (as opposed to creating a new division), for some divisions it is impossible due to the practice of keeping the names of the original divisions and those of divisions with Indigenous names. For example, the Bennelong (the seat John Howard held as Prime Minister) and Warringah (the seat Tony Abbott held as Prime Minister) will not be renamed "Howard" and "Abbott", respectively due to these names being Indigenous, while Wentworth (the seat Malcolm Turnbull held as Prime Minister) will not be renamed "Turnbull" due to Wentworth being one of the 34 remaining original divisions created.

The AEC guidelines explicitly prohibit the use of names that are also used for state electoral districts. However, due to the fact that the names of the original divisions should remain the same, there are still some divisions that share the names of state electoral districts because they are among the original divisions, as well as some that were created after 1901 but before this guideline was implemented. Thus, the following divisions share the same name as a state electoral district (Tasmanian electorates share the same names on both levels of politics and are thus not included as pairs of examples):

After a redistribution is carried out in a state or territory, the AEC calculates "notional" margins for the redistributed divisions by modelling the outcome of the previous election as if the new boundaries had been in place. These notional margins are used as the baseline for the electoral swings calculated and published in the AEC's virtual tally room at the following election.{{cite web |title=National seat status |url=https://www.aec.gov.au/media/national-seat-status.htm |publisher=Australian Electoral Commission |accessdate=13 May 2019}} In some cases, the change in electoral boundaries can see the party which notionally holds the seat differ from the party which won it at the election.{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Antony |title=2017–18 Federal Redistributions |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/elections/federal-redistribution-2018/ |website=ABC Elections |publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation |accessdate=13 May 2019}}

{{reflist|30em}}

• [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/a/australia/divisions/divisions.shtml Adam Carr's Electoral Archive: Index of House of Representatives Divisions 1901-2001]

Category:Voting theory

Category:Elections in Australia

Category:Electoral redistributions