How will Australia choose its next prime minister?

Australia's 2025 election began with a false start.

When a cyclone blew the government's preferred date, April 12, off course, everyone was poised and ready to go. Instead, Albanese settled on a polling day on May 3, when the gun finally went off toward the end of March. As the campaign progressed, both leaders struggled to compete for Australia's attention despite promises to cut fuel taxes, health-related announcements, and housing-related proposals. They had to contend with Donald Trump and his massive tariffs scheme for headlines, coordinate their campaigns with Easter, temporarily suspend them to commemorate the Pope's death, and then resume them ahead of a long weekend that most Australians would not have spent thinking about politics. "It has been hard to cut through... but the major parties have lost the trust of the voters which has amplified their problems of communications," says John Warhurst, an Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University's School of Politics.

"The government has been timid and the opposition has been shambolic."

So now, after five weeks of campaigning, Australia's 18 million citizens are facing a choice between Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his rival Peter Dutton, both of whom may need to form the next government by securing the support of independent MPs or minor parties.

Here's everything you need to know about Australia's 2025 vote.

Who are the frontrunners for prime minister?

Australia has two major parties: the left-leaning Australian Labor Party and the conservative Liberal-National coalition.

Anthony Albanese, the leader of the Labor Party, is running for re-election. He has been the prime minister since 2022. After coming to power, he enjoyed a period of widespread popularity and remained steadfast in parliament for nearly 30 years. However, in recent times he has come under pressure over his handling of divisive topics like housing, Indigenous affairs, antisemitism and Islamophobia.Peter Dutton, who assumed leadership of the Liberal-National coalition following their defeat in 2022, is challenging Albanese. He is running for opposition leader for the first time. Known as a staunch conservative, Dutton has years of experience in important ministerial portfolios - like defence and home affairs - but has been a controversial figure at times, particularly on social issues.

Because there is no separate ballot for leadership, Australians are unable to vote for the PM candidates. The leader of the party that receives the most seats in the House of Representatives becomes prime minister.

In the Australian election, what are the most important issues?

The cost of living is the biggest concern for many voters.

Since the election in 2022, inflation, which is now slowing down, has increased the cost of everyday necessities like food and utilities, leaving many households feeling stretched financially. The Albanese government has implemented a string of policies that it says are aimed at providing relief, such as keeping the cost of medications down, and offering tax cuts, energy rebates and rental assistance to those eligible.

However, since Albanese was elected in May 2022, Australia has raised interest rates 12 times—something that occurs independently of the government but is seen as a reflection of their economic management. Borrowers and mortgage holders have been put under even more stress as a result.Housing affordability will also be a key issue, with several Australian cities among the most expensive in the world for homebuyers.

Another major source of concern for voters is Australia's universal healthcare system, which is currently struggling due to staff shortages and skyrocketing costs. Politicians across the spectrum admit there's a crisis, with many Australians delaying or skipping care - and both parties have promised billions in additional funding to fix it.

There are also global issues voters will consider, including the US President Donald Trump's tariffs, and his trade war with China.

Australia, like many other nations, maintains a strong trading relationship with China while also maintaining a close strategic alliance with the United States. The new government of the country will have to deal with a world order that is very different and much more unpredictable.

How does Australia's voting system work?

Australia famously has a unique electoral system - and some quirky polling day traditions.

Voting is mandatory for all citizens over 18 and picking up a "democracy sausage" - a barbecued sausage typically served on bread and sold at polling booths - is an election day custom.

Australia uses a preferential voting system, where candidates are ranked in order of preference.

If no candidate wins more than 50% of the vote in the first tally, the votes from the least popular candidates are redistributed, and that process is repeated until someone secures a majority.

In races for the House of Representatives, voters are required to mark a preference down for every single candidate listed on the ballot in their area.

However, in Senate races, voters only need to mark down a designated number of preferences.

What do the parties need to do to win?

All 150 House of Representatives seats and 40 of the 76 Senate seats will be up for grabs in this election. To form a majority government, one party must win 76 House seats or more. It must attempt to gain support from independent MPs or minor parties if that is not possible. Labor formed a majority government after winning the 2022 election, which delivered the biggest loss for the Liberal Party since its inception.

Labor currently holds 78 seats in the House of Representatives, while the coalition holds 57, with independents and minor parties sharing the remaining seats. But with one House seat abolished, Labor will be stripped of its majority in parliament if it loses just two seats.

The coalition will need to win 19 seats to form its own government, likely including many of the seats it lost to independent candidates in the 2022 election. In Australia, the vote share of minor parties and independents has been steadily rising for decades in state and federal elections. One in three Australians cast votes for candidates outside of the two major parties in the 2022 federal election, a record number.

When will we know the results?

Once polls close, counting begins right away and results are updated in real time on the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) website - in what is known as an unofficial preliminary counting.

Historically, Australians will know who forms government on election night based off this – and the result will usually be called by media commentators, election experts or even the candidates themselves.

The AEC must go through a rigorous counting process, counting approximately 18 million ballot papers by hand, including postal and overseas ballot papers. As a result, official results can take days or even weeks to arrive.