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House of Representatives · 150 divisions · full preferential voting

Number
every square.

Each of the 150 divisions elects one member. Voters number every candidate in order of choice; if no one has more than half the formal votes, the candidate with the fewest is excluded and their papers go to the next choice marked, until someone has a majority. In 2025, 11 of 150 divisions were decided on first preferences alone.

Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, ss 240 and 274

From first preferences
to the final two.

  1. 1 · Mark the paper (s 240)

    Write 1 next to the first choice, then 2, 3 and so on until every square has a number. A paper with every square but one numbered still counts: the empty square is read as the last preference.

  2. 2 · Count first preferences

    Papers are sorted by the number 1. A candidate with an absolute majority, more than half of the formal papers (s 274(10)), is elected. In 2025, 15,490,236 House votes were formal and 5.6% informal.

  3. 3 · Exclude the lowest (s 274(7))

    The candidate with the fewest votes is excluded. Each of their papers moves to the next candidate numbered who is still in the count, at full value.

  4. 4 · Repeat until two remain

    Exclusions continue until only two candidates are left. The AEC completes the distribution even when someone already has a majority, which gives every division a two-candidate-preferred (TCP) result. The longest counts in 2025 had 12 counts: Calwell and Riverina.

  5. 5 · Two-party-preferred

    Separately, the AEC counts every division as Labor against the Coalition, whoever the final two were. Added up, that is the national two-party-preferred (TPP) vote: Labor 55.22% in 2025.

The House has used preferential voting since the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918, passed after the Swan by-election that year; voters have had to number every square since then. Some states differ: New South Wales uses optional preferential voting for its Legislative Assembly.

Candidates in ballot order, Bradfield 2025 (AEC). The numbers are an illustration, not a real vote.

The 2025 count, division by division

Follow the papers
count by count.

The AEC's distribution of preferences for any of the 150 divisions. Bradfield, on Sydney's upper North Shore, was the closest: the Liberal candidate led on first preferences, and independent Nicolette Boele won by 26 votes after a full recount.

Count 1 of 7 · first preferences

112,202 formal votes. An absolute majority is 56,102. No candidate has one on first preferences, so the lowest is excluded and their papers go to each voter's next choice.

  1. Gisele KapterianLiberal 42,676 38.0%
  2. Nicolette BoeleIndependent 30,309 27.0%
  3. Louise McCallumLabor 22,768 20.3%
  4. Harjit SinghGreens 7,551 6.7%
  5. Andy YinIndependent 4,635 4.1%
  6. John MantonOne Nation 1,725 1.5%
  7. Samuel Joseph GunningLibertarian 1,376 1.2%
  8. Rosemary MulliganTrumpet of Patriots 1,162 1.0%

Absolute majority: 50% of formal votes plus one (s 274(10))

Take a candidate off the ballot

Recount the same papers without the candidates you tick. Each paper that gave one of them a preference moves on to its next recorded preference. The AEC publishes how each excluded pile was split, not the papers, so this replays one set of papers consistent with every published count; preferences beyond the final two are not published and are not invented.

Full distribution of preferences
CandidateCount 1Count 2Count 3Count 4Count 5Count 6Count 7
Samuel Joseph Gunning · Libertarian 1,3761,513excl.
Harjit Singh · Greens 7,5517,5797,8777,9868,597excl.
Andy Yin · Independent 4,6354,7174,9475,400excl.
Louise McCallum · Labor 22,76822,83622,93823,09624,92428,904excl.
John Manton · One Nation 1,7252,1092,555excl.
Gisele Kapterian · Liberal 42,67642,94443,25444,78646,16946,75856,088
Nicolette Boele · Independent 30,30930,50430,63130,93432,51236,54056,114
Rosemary Mulligan · Trumpet of Patriots 1,162excl.
AEC distribution of preferences, 2025 federal election (final results, 2025-06-16) · CC BY 4.0

Two-party-preferred

Where the minor parties'
preferences flow.

In 2025, 88.2% of Greens preferences reached Labor before the Coalition, against 25.5% of One Nation's and 67.2% of independents'. Change the first preferences, or the flows, and read the national TPP.

Where preferences went · 2025

  • The Greens 88.2% 1,889,977
  • Independent 67.2% 1,126,051
  • Pauline Hanson's One Nation 25.5% 991,814
  • Trumpet of Patriots 36.2% 296,076
  • Family First Party Australia 35.0% 273,681
  • Legalise Cannabis Australia 61.0% 186,335
  • Libertarian Party 27.5% 83,474
  • Gerard Rennick People First 22.1% 71,892
  • Katter's Australian Party (KAP) 37.5% 51,775

to Labor to the Coalition right column: votes distributed

AEC, House TPP flow of preferences by party, 2025 (final, 16 June 2025) · CC BY 4.0

Estimator · first preferences to two-party-preferred

Total 100.0% · shares are scaled to 100%

Preference flows to Labor

Defaults: the 2025 flows. Coalition preferences are counted wholly to the Coalition and Labor's to Labor.

Labor two-party-preferred 55.2% 0.0 pts on 2025

On a uniform swing: Labor 94, Coalition 43, crossbench 13 (held). 76 for a majority.

Model: one national flow per group and a uniform swing in every division. Crossbench seats are held as they are. When One Nation outpolls the Coalition, many divisions would not end Labor against the Coalition and the TPP says less about seats.

Poll average: simple mean of national polls whose fieldwork ended in the 30 days to the latest poll (Wikipedia's tables, secondary; see /au/parties).

The Mackerras pendulum · 2025

A uniform swing
takes the marginals first.

Malcolm Mackerras's pendulum lines up every seat by its two-party-preferred margin. 17 of Labor's 94 seats and 15 of the Coalition's 43 are marginal, held by less than 6 points (the AEC's band). Drag the swing: every seat the bob passes changes hands.

0.0 pts

Labor 94 · Coalition 43 · crossbench 13 · 76 for a majority

2025 two-party-preferred margins (AEC, final results); crossbench seats by two-candidate-preferred margin, not swept. Labor on the left, the Coalition on the right.

The pendulum as a table

Labor · 94

  1. Bullwinkel WA 0.5
  2. Menzies VIC 1.1
  3. Petrie QLD 1.2
  4. Solomon NT 1.3
  5. Bendigo VIC 1.4
  6. Forde QLD 1.8
  7. Banks NSW 2.4
  8. Deakin VIC 2.8
  9. Moore WA 2.9
  10. Hughes NSW 3.1
  11. Aston VIC 3.4
  12. McEwen VIC 4.8
  13. Bonner QLD 5.0
  14. Gilmore NSW 5.1
  15. Chisholm VIC 5.7
  16. Blair QLD 5.7
  17. Dickson QLD 6.0
77 seats on 6 points or more
  1. Leichhardt QLD 6.1
  2. Whitlam NSW 6.3
  3. Pearce WA 6.4
  4. Sturt SA 6.6
  5. Werriwa NSW 6.8
  6. Paterson NSW 6.9
  7. Tangney WA 7.0
  8. Dunkley VIC 7.1
  9. Braddon TAS 7.2
  10. Eden-Monaro NSW 7.2
  11. Hawke VIC 7.6
  12. Macquarie NSW 7.7
  13. Bass TAS 8.0
  14. Corangamite VIC 8.0
  15. Lingiari NT 8.1
  16. Brisbane QLD 9.0
  17. McMahon NSW 9.0
  18. Bennelong NSW 9.3
  19. Robertson NSW 9.4
  20. Dobell NSW 9.4
  21. Hunter NSW 9.5
  22. Richmond NSW 10.0
  23. Gorton VIC 10.3
  24. Ballarat VIC 10.7
  25. Boothby SA 11.1
  26. Shortland NSW 11.5
  27. Lyons TAS 11.6
  28. Macnamara VIC 11.8
  29. Reid NSW 12.0
  30. Parramatta NSW 12.5
  31. Maribyrnong VIC 12.6
  32. Jagajaga VIC 12.9
  33. Lalor VIC 13.2
  34. Corio VIC 13.2
  35. Cowan WA 13.6
  36. Greenway NSW 13.8
  37. Swan WA 14.0
  38. Holt VIC 14.0
  39. Scullin VIC 14.3
  40. Isaacs VIC 14.3
  41. Lilley QLD 14.5
  42. Bruce VIC 14.6
  43. Makin SA 14.7
  44. Calwell VIC 14.7
  45. Gellibrand VIC 15.1
  46. Spence SA 15.3
  47. Rankin QLD 15.5
  48. Macarthur NSW 15.6
  49. Burt WA 15.7
  50. Griffith QLD 15.9
  51. Hasluck WA 16.0
  52. Barton NSW 16.0
  53. Moreton QLD 16.1
  54. Hindmarsh SA 16.3
  55. Perth WA 16.5
  56. Hotham VIC 16.9
  57. Brand WA 16.9
  58. Kingsford Smith NSW 17.2
  59. Cunningham NSW 17.5
  60. Fremantle WA 18.7
  61. Adelaide SA 19.1
  62. Oxley QLD 19.2
  63. Bean ACT 19.3
  64. Franklin TAS 19.4
  65. Chifley NSW 19.8
  66. Kingston SA 20.7
  67. Newcastle NSW 20.8
  68. Blaxland NSW 21.9
  69. Fraser VIC 22.0
  70. Fenner ACT 22.1
  71. Watson NSW 22.9
  72. Melbourne VIC 24.0
  73. Canberra ACT 26.4
  74. Sydney NSW 28.1
  75. Cooper VIC 28.5
  76. Grayndler NSW 30.2
  77. Wills VIC 30.9

Coalition · 43

  1. Longman QLD · LNP 0.1
  2. Berowra NSW · Liberal 1.6
  3. La Trobe VIC · Liberal 2.1
  4. Forrest WA · Liberal 2.2
  5. Bowman QLD · LNP 2.4
  6. Lindsay NSW · Liberal 2.8
  7. Casey VIC · Liberal 2.9
  8. Fairfax QLD · LNP 3.2
  9. Mitchell NSW · Liberal 3.8
  10. Goldstein VIC · Liberal 4.0
  11. Monash VIC · Liberal 4.1
  12. McPherson QLD · LNP 4.4
  13. Grey SA · Liberal 4.6
  14. Flinders VIC · Liberal 4.8
  15. Capricornia QLD · LNP 5.8
28 seats on 6 points or more
  1. Fisher QLD · LNP 6.0
  2. Hinkler QLD · LNP 6.3
  3. Canning WA · Liberal 6.5
  4. Fadden QLD · LNP 6.9
  5. Cook NSW · Liberal 7.2
  6. Wide Bay QLD · LNP 7.6
  7. Wright QLD · LNP 8.0
  8. Hume NSW · Liberal 8.1
  9. Moncrieff QLD · LNP 8.8
  10. Cowper NSW · Nationals 9.1
  11. Page NSW · Nationals 9.3
  12. Lyne NSW · Nationals 9.8
  13. Durack WA · Liberal 10.1
  14. Flynn QLD · LNP 10.2
  15. Wannon VIC · Liberal 10.9
  16. Dawson QLD · LNP 11.8
  17. Riverina NSW · Nationals 12.6
  18. Farrer NSW · Liberal 12.9
  19. Parkes NSW · Nationals 13.0
  20. Barker SA · Liberal 13.0
  21. O'Connor WA · Liberal 13.3
  22. Groom QLD · LNP 13.4
  23. Herbert QLD · LNP 13.4
  24. Nicholls VIC · Nationals 14.4
  25. New England NSW · Nationals 17.1
  26. Mallee VIC · Nationals 19.0
  27. Gippsland VIC · Nationals 19.4
  28. Maranoa QLD · LNP 24.0

Crossbench · 13

  1. Bradfield Independent v Liberal 0.0
  2. Kooyong Independent v Liberal 0.7
  3. Fowler Independent v Labor 2.7
  4. Curtin Independent v Liberal 3.3
  5. Ryan Greens v LNP 3.3
  6. Mackellar Independent v Liberal 5.7
  7. Calare Independent v Nationals 6.8
  8. Wentworth Independent v Liberal 8.3
  9. Indi Independent v Liberal 8.6
  10. Warringah Independent v Liberal 11.2
  11. Mayo Centre Alliance v Labor 14.9
  12. Kennedy Katter's Australian v LNP 15.8
  13. Clark Independent v Labor 20.4

Margins in points above 50%. Bands as the AEC uses them: marginal under 6 points, fairly safe 6 to 10, safe over 10.

What if first past the post?

15 divisions
won from behind.

Under first past the post, as in the United Kingdom or Canada, the candidate with the most first preferences wins. On the same 2025 votes, that would have changed 15 of 150 results. Voters would have marked their papers differently under another system, so this is a count of where preferences decided the seat, not a forecast.

Preferential (actual) 94 13 43
First past the post 86 8 56

Labor · crossbench · Coalition · 76 for a majority

Division Led on first preferences First pref. Won after preferences First pref. Behind by
Bradfield NSW Gisele Kapterian (Liberal) 38.0% Nicolette Boele (Independent) 27.0% 11.0 pts
Kooyong VIC Amelia Hamer (Liberal) 43.1% Monique Ryan (Independent) 33.9% 9.2 pts
Melbourne VIC Adam Bandt (Greens) 39.5% Sarah Witty (Labor) 31.3% 8.1 pts
Curtin WA Tom White (Liberal) 40.3% Kate Chaney (Independent) 32.2% 8.1 pts
Calare NSW Sam Farraway (Nationals) 29.7% Andrew Gee (Independent) 23.7% 6.0 pts
Menzies VIC Keith Wolahan (Liberal) 40.6% Gabriel Ng (Labor) 34.7% 5.9 pts
Ryan QLD Maggie Forrest (LNP) 34.6% Elizabeth Watson-Brown (Greens) 29.0% 5.6 pts
Fowler NSW Tu Le (Labor) 37.6% Dai Le (Independent) 33.5% 4.1 pts
Deakin VIC Michael Sukkar (Liberal) 38.7% Matt Gregg (Labor) 34.8% 4.0 pts
Solomon NT Lisa Bayliss (CLP) 36.0% Luke John Gosling (Labor) 32.9% 3.1 pts
Banks NSW David Coleman (Liberal) 39.1% Zhi Soon (Labor) 36.4% 2.7 pts
Brisbane QLD Trevor Evans (LNP) 34.3% Madonna Jarrett (Labor) 32.2% 2.1 pts
Petrie QLD Luke Howarth (LNP) 37.8% Emma Comer (Labor) 36.4% 1.4 pts
Dickson QLD Peter Dutton (LNP) 34.7% Ali France (Labor) 33.6% 1.1 pts
Aston VIC Manny Cicchiello (Liberal) 37.7% Mary Doyle (Labor) 37.3% 0.4 pts

Of the 15, 9 were won by Labor, 5 by independents and 1 by the Greens; 0 by the Coalition. Independents won 10 seats in 2025; 5 of them (Bradfield, Kooyong, Curtin, Calare, Fowler) trailed on first preferences.