Senate · 76 senators · single transferable vote
Twelve a state,
two a territory.
Each state elects 12 senators, whatever its population; the ACT and the Northern Territory elect two each. Senators are chosen by proportional representation, a quota at a time, on the white ballot paper voters call the tablecloth. Labor has governed since 2022 without a Senate majority: 39 of 76 votes pass a bill.
Constitution ss 7, 13 and 57
Six-year terms,
half at a time.
- 72 state senators
12 for each of the six states (since 1984; 10 from 1949), for fixed six-year terms that start on 1 July. Six of each state's twelve are elected at a time, normally with the House: a half-Senate election.
- 4 territory senators
Two each for the ACT and the Northern Territory since 1975. Their terms run with the House: they are elected at every House election and serve until the next one.
- 14.29% quota, half-Senate
A state's quota is ⌊formal votes ÷ (vacancies + 1)⌋ + 1. Six vacancies: one seventh of the vote. In the territories, with two, a third (33.33%).
- 7.69% quota, double dissolution
If the Senate twice rejects a bill the House has passed, three months apart, the Governor-General may dissolve both houses (s 57). All 12 senators per state are then elected at once, on half the quota. There have been 7 double dissolutions; the last election after one was on 2 July 2016.
Single transferable vote · s 273
Fill the quota,
pass on the surplus.
- 1 · Quota
Any candidate whose first preferences reach the quota is elected.
- 2 · Surplus
Votes beyond the quota are passed on: all of the elected candidate's papers move to their next preference at a reduced transfer value, surplus ÷ papers. A party's surplus usually goes to its own next candidate.
- 3 · Exclusion
When no one is over the quota, the lowest candidate is excluded and their papers move on at the value they carry.
- 4 · Last seats
The count goes on until every vacancy is filled. Papers with no preference left for anyone still in the count exhaust, so the last senators are often elected short of a quota.
The 2016 reform
Group voting tickets abolished
From 1984 a single 1 above the line adopted the group's registered ticket: preferences the party, not the voter, had chosen. Deals between micro-parties could then elect a candidate from a small primary vote: in Victoria in 2013, Ricky Muir of the Australian Motoring Enthusiast Party won with 0.51% of first preferences.
The Commonwealth Electoral Amendment Act 2016 ended tickets. Voters now number their own preferences:
- 1–6Above the line: at least 6 group boxes (s 239(2)). A paper with only a 1 above the line still counts (s 269(1)(b)).
- 1–12Below the line: at least 12 candidate boxes (s 239(1)). A paper numbered 1 to 6 still counts (s 268A(1)(b)).
In 2025, 3.45% of Senate papers were informal nationally. In New South Wales, 95.8% of formal papers were marked above the line.
New South Wales · 2025 · six vacancies
18 groups,
56 candidates.
The New South Wales paper, laid out in ballot order. Each group's first preferences stand on its box in quotas of 712,405 votes; gold frames mark the seats it won. Labor (2.63 quotas) and the Liberals and Nationals (2.06) won two each on full quotas; the Greens and One Nation won the last two on preferences.
One block = one quota (712,405 votes) · gold frame = seat won · drag to turn
| Group | Party | First preferences | Share | Quotas | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Labor | 1,876,713 | 37.63% | 2.63 | 2 |
| N | Liberal & Nationals | 1,467,940 | 29.44% | 2.06 | 2 |
| R | Greens | 557,610 | 11.18% | 0.78 | 1 |
| F | One Nation | 302,438 | 6.06% | 0.42 | 1 |
| J | Legalise Cannabis | 174,280 | 3.49% | 0.24 | |
| M | Trumpet of Patriots | 119,670 | 2.40% | 0.17 | |
| I | Libertarian / HEART / Gerard Rennick People First | 92,892 | 1.86% | 0.13 | |
| E | Family First | 80,560 | 1.62% | 0.11 | |
| G | Animal Justice | 60,029 | 1.20% | 0.08 | |
| H | Australian Christians | 59,146 | 1.19% | 0.08 |
Largest ten of 19 columns shown (including the ungrouped candidates).
Simulator · half-Senate or double dissolution
Halve the quota,
widen the door.
The same 2025 votes counted for 12 vacancies instead of 6: with a quota of 7.7% rather than 14.3%, smaller parties need half as many votes for a seat. The preference flows are a model you can change, not measured flows.
Quota 712,405 votes (14.29% of 4,986,832 formal votes).
| Group | First prefs | Quotas | Model seats | Won in 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labor | 1,876,713 | 2.63 | 2 | |
| Liberal & Nationals | 1,467,940 | 2.06 | 2 | |
| Greens | 557,610 | 0.78 | 1 | |
| One Nation | 302,438 | 0.42 | 1 | |
| Legalise Cannabis | 174,280 | 0.24 | ||
| Trumpet of Patriots | 119,670 | 0.17 | ||
| Libertarian / HEART / Gerard Rennick People First | 92,892 | 0.13 | ||
| Family First | 80,560 | 0.11 | ||
| Animal Justice | 60,029 | 0.08 |
9 smaller groups not shown
2025 half-Senate election · 40 seats
Who won,
state by state.
- Labor 16
- Liberal 6
- Greens 6
- Liberal & Nationals 4
- One Nation 3
- LNP 2
- CLP 1
- Independent 1
- Lambie Network 1
| State | Formal | Informal | Quota | Elected, in order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 4,986,832 | 4.45% | 712,405 |
|
| Victoria | 4,101,762 | 3.08% | 585,967 |
|
| Queensland | 3,224,436 | 3.05% | 460,634 |
|
| Western Australia | 1,622,016 | 2.60% | 231,717 |
|
| South Australia | 1,164,072 | 3.16% | 166,297 |
|
| Tasmania | 371,790 | 3.30% | 53,113 |
|
| Australian Capital Territory | 293,474 | 1.76% | 97,825 |
|
| Northern Territory | 106,807 | 3.25% | 35,603 |
|
State senators elected in 2025 serve from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2031; territory senators until the next House election. AEC final results, generated 2025-06-16.
The Senate now · Parliamentary Handbook, 6 November 2026
Thirty-nine
to pass.
Questions are decided by a majority of the senators voting; with all 76 present that is 39, and a tie fails. The government's routes to 39:
Squares in seat order · the gold line falls after the 39th seat, a majority of the 76
- Labor 30
- Greens 10
- One Nation 4
- Independent 2
- Australia's Voice 1
- Lambie Network 1
- United Australia 1
- Liberal 23
- Nationals 4
Party room labels as the Handbook lists them: Liberal National Party and Country Liberal senators sit with the Liberals or the Nationals.