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Electing the Parliament

Electing the Parliament

​​In New South Wales, general elections are held on the fourth Saturday in March every four years. At general elections, the people of New South Wales elect Members of Parliament to represent them in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council. After the election the political party, or coalition of parties, that has the majority of Members elected to the Legislative Assembly, becomes the Government.

Who can vote in New South Wales?

All eligible persons are required to enrol once they have lived at their present address for at least one month. It is compulsory to vote at Federal, State and local elections. “Eligible persons” means all Australian citizens aged 18 years or more.

To enrol for the first time, or to get back on the electoral roll, enrol online via the Australian Electoral Commission website. More information about enrolling and voting can also be found on the AEC's website.


Electoral districts in New South Wales

Elections for both Houses of the Parliament of New South Wales are held on the fourth Saturday in March every four years. The fixed parliamentary term is set out in the New South Wales Constitution Act 1902 (the New South Wales Constitution). Voters vote for each of the two Houses of Parliament and each has a different electoral arrangement and method of election.

Legislative Assembly

The State of New South Wales is divided into 93 Legislative Assembly electoral districts. Each electoral district is represented in Parliament by a Member of the Legislative Assembly.

State electoral district boundaries are determined by a distribution process which provides for an equal number of electors in each electoral district, allowing for a maximum of 10% variation more or less than the average.

A redistribution is carried out

  • when the number of Members of the Legislative Assembly changes; 
  • after every second New South Wales general election;
  • when more than a quarter of the electoral districts do not have an equal number of voters (within a margin of 5% more or less); or
  • at other times as provided by law.


Redistributions are conducted by an Electoral Districts Redistribution Panel consisting of:

  • a current or former judge appointed by the Governor as the Chairperson of the Redistribution Panel;
  • the New South Wales Electoral Commissioner; and
  • the Surveyor-General of New South Wales.

A redistribution is required to be conducted after the 2019 election.

Legislative Council 

The Legislative Council (Upper House) does not have separate electoral boundaries, Members are elected on a proportional basis across the whole state, as though the State were a single electoral district.​​






Electing the Legislative Council and the Legislative Assembly 
Steps i​n an Election for the New South Wales Parliament - Diagram

Federal electorates and elections

New South Wales elects 47 Members to the Australian House of Representatives and 12 Senators to the Australian Senate. Federal elections take place every three years or less. They can occur at any part of the year but would not be conducted at the same time as State elections. The boundaries of the 47 Federal electorates are different to the 93 State Electorates.

The voting system for the Australian House of Representatives is a full preferential system, not an optional preferential system like the one that is used to elect the New South Wales Legislative Assembly. In this system the voter is required to place a number in the square against the names of every candidate, indicating their order of preference from "1" (first choice) downwards.

Voting for the Australian Senate is more like the system that is used to elect the New South Wales Legislative Council, with the option of voting for groups or individual candidates. However, there are some differences in the rules and methods of counting.

For more information on Federal Elections, visit the Australian Electoral Commission website.​


Local government

​New South Wales local government areas vary in size and character, an can consist of a group of suburbs, a town or a rural area. Local government areas are often divided into several wards, with electors in each ward electing a number of councillors. Local government area boundaries are changed from time to time and are determined through legislation and processes managed by the Office of Local Government.

For more information about local government in New South Wales visit the Office of Local Government or Local Government NSW websites.

Local government elections

All local government elections are held throughout New South Wales on the second Saturday in September every four years. A preferential voting system is used to elect councillors.

As a general rule the councillors elect one of their number to be the Mayor. However, in some councils it has been decided by referendum that the voters will elect the Mayor. Where this is the case, the Mayor is said to be 'elected by popular vote' or 'a directly elected Mayor'. In this situation the optional preferential method of voting is used.

A mayor is elected by the councillors holds the office of mayor for two years, and a mayor elected by the electors holds the office of mayor for four years.

For more information on local government elections have a look at the Local Government Act 1993 and the New South Wales Electoral Commission (NSWEC) website.​


Referendums

National referendums are conducted by the Australian Parliament to approve Parliament-proposed changes to the Australian Constitution.

State referendums, on the other hand, may be held to gauge voter opinion on an issue, to approve proposed changes to the New South Wales Constitution, or to resolve a deadlock between the two Houses of Parliament in relation to the passing of a bill.

For referendums, voters write 'Yes' or 'No' in the box opposite the proposed change on their ballot-paper.

Click here for the results of all the referendums conducted in New South Wales.​


Electoral funding

The Election Funding Act 2018 provides for the public funding of part of the cost of NSW state election campaigns. Parties and candidates who intend to seek reimbursement from public funds for expenditure incurred in an election campaign are required to lodge a claim with the New South Wales Electoral Commission.

The New South Wales Electoral Commission publishes reports of payments made to parties, candidates and Independent Members of Parliament on its website and its annual reports.​​












The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges and respects the traditional lands of all Aboriginal people, and pays respects to all Elders past and present. We acknowledge the Gadigal people as the traditional custodians of the land on which the Parliament of New South Wales stands.