Australian State and Federal Elections

• The Western Australian State election will be held on Saturday 08/03/2025
• The Federal election will be held on or before 17/05/2025
• Australian and British citizens over 18 who are permanent Australian residents will be voting

State Election Details

• The state election for Western Australia is held every 4 years
• The intention is to elect members to Western Australia's Bilateral Parliament
• Voters use two ballot papers to elect candidates to the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council
• Candidates for the Legislative Assembly differ for each voting district
• Legislative Council candidates are the same across the whole of Western Australia

Legislative Assembly

• Known as the "Lower House" of the State Government
• The political party with 50% + 1 (30) of the seats, makes the state government
• There are 59 seats available to represent the 59 districts in Western Australia
• If a political party cannot make up 30 seats, they may create a Coalition (alliance) with another party

Voting Districts

• Consist of 59 districts in Western Australia
• They are determined by the population in each district
• Each district has a voting population within 10% of 30,432 (the average district enrolment, total voters divided by 59)
• Areas of low density have larger district areas than more densely populated areas
• Voters in each district will have at least four candidates to choose from
• The candidate receiving the most votes through preferential voting becomes representative of the district for the next 4 years
• Some districts near us include;
  • Murray-Wellington
  • Darling range
  • Dawesville
  • Mandurah
  • Secret Harbor
  • Baldivis
  • Kwinana
  • Rockingham
  • Oakford

Legislative Council

• Known as the "Upper House" of the State Government
• There will be 37 members (previously 36) in the Legislative Council after the next election
• Members of the Legislative Council review decisions made in the Legislative Assembly
• A State law cannot be made or changed without approval of both houses
• The makeup of this house does not affect which party is in power
• All Western Australian voters will have the same voting choices on the ballot paper

Ways to Vote

• In person at a voting location in your district (usually a local primary school)
  • Requires drivers license or passport as identification
• Early voting locations will open weeks before election day
• Apply for postal voting via the WAEC website before 05/03/2025
  • The WAEC need to receive your vote by the 13/03/2025, it is recommended you mail your votes by 10/03/2025

Consequences of Not Voting

• A valid reason not to vote is needed for the WAEC to accept an absence
• The consequences of not voting if you are eligible, are a set of fines
• The first offence is a $50 fine
• Receiving a second fine means failing to pay the original can lead to an increased fine of $75
• Continued failure to pay, will result in a final notice which includes a further prosecuting authority fee
• Failure to respond entirely to the fines will lead to enforcement action which will add further fines and potentially suspend your driver's licence
• Not enrolling to vote has no consequence, however you will receive the same consequences as someone who did not vote