2010 Australian federal election

2010 Australian federal election
© Commonwealth of Australia (National Archives of Australia) 2019. · CC BY 3.0 au · source
Election name	2010 Australian federal election
Country	Australia
Type	parliamentary
Previous election	2007 Australian federal election
Previous year	2007
Next election	2013 Australian federal election
Next year	2013
Election date	21 August 2010
Turnout	93.6%

2010 Australian federal election

The 2010 Australian federal election elected members of the House of Representatives and half of the Senate on 21 August 2010. It produced a near-even contest between the incumbent Australian Labor Party led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd (later succeeded by Julia Gillard before polling), and the opposition Liberal Party of Australia led by Tony Abbott, in coalition with the National Party of Australia under Warren Truss. The result was the first hung parliament at the federal level since 1929 Australian federal election, leading to negotiations with minor parties and independents including members from Australian Greens and several rural independents.

Background

The election followed the landslide victory of the Australian Labor Party at the 2007 Australian federal election which brought Kevin Rudd to the prime ministership and saw long-serving Liberal Party of Australia leader John Howard defeated. During the Rudd government, events such as the global financial crisis, the Apology to the Stolen Generations, and policy initiatives like the Emissions trading debate shaped public debate. Tensions within Labor culminated in a leadership change from Kevin Rudd to Julia Gillard in June 2010, which became a central pre-election controversy involving figures such as Wayne Swan, Chris Bowen, Greg Combet, and Bob Carr.

Electoral system and redistributions

Australia uses preferential voting for the House of Representatives and proportional representation by single transferable vote for the Senate. Redistributions undertaken by the Australian Electoral Commission adjusted boundaries in several states, affecting seats such as Mayo, Lyne, Werriwa, Braddon, and Dawson. Compulsory enrolment and compulsory voting rules applied under the Electoral Act framework, and the voting method featured optional preferential voting differences that influenced informal vote rates in contests like Indi and Greenway.

Candidates and parties

Major party tickets were the Australian Labor Party, the Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia in coalition, while significant minor parties and groups included The Greens (Australia), the Country Liberal Party, the Liberal Democratic Party, and Family First. High-profile candidates included sitting MPs such as Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Tony Abbott, Malcolm Turnbull (not contesting a seat in this election but influential in factional debate), and crossbench independents like Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott, and Andrew Wilkie. The Australian Electoral Commission endorsed ballot papers listing dozens of candidates across electorates including prominent contests in Werriwa, Bennelong, note: not used.

Campaign and key issues

Campaign debates focused on climate policy after the failed passage of an Emissions Trading Scheme and proposals for carbon pricing, with prominent policy exchanges involving Tony Abbott, Julia Gillard, Kevin Rudd, Peter Garrett, and Greg Hunt. Economic management in the wake of the global financial crisis featured Wayne Swan and Joe Hockey as chief treasury spokespeople, while asylum seeker policy drew attention to events like the Tampa affair precedent and proposals for regional processing involving neighboring states such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Other salient issues included health funding debates referencing the Medicare system, education policy involving the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, and rural infrastructure raised by Nationals leaders including Warren Truss and regional independents.

Results and seat outcomes

The House of Representatives result produced no party with an absolute majority: Labor won fewer seats than the Coalition but remained the largest party in the House. The final count saw influential crossbenchers Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott, and Andrew Wilkie hold the balance of power alongside the Australian Greens representation under figures such as Bob Brown and Christine Milne in the Senate. Notable seat results included gains and losses in electorates such as Bass, Cowper, Mayo, Banks, and Blaxland. Senate outcomes altered the legislative arithmetic in the upper house, affecting the prospects for legislation from ministries led by Julia Gillard and ministers including Wayne Swan, Julia Gillard herself, and Lindsay Tanner.

Aftermath and government formation

Following the indecisive result, extensive negotiations occurred between Labor and crossbenchers. On 7 September 2010, an agreement was announced with crossbench MPs Tony Windsor, Rob Oakeshott, and Andrew Wilkie enabling Julia Gillard to form a minority government, supported by cabinet- and policy-level accords covering regional investment, transparency, and asylum seeker policy. The arrangement produced a minority Labor ministry that faced ongoing challenges from the Coalition, legal considerations in the High Court of Australia jurisdiction, and internal party tensions later evident in leadership disputes involving Kevin Rudd and Julia Gillard. The new parliament influenced subsequent legislative efforts including carbon pricing debates and reshaped the careers of politicians such as Tony Abbott, Bob Brown, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Wayne Swan, Malcolm Turnbull, and several crossbenchers.

Category:Federal elections in Australia