FAQs

Why switch to 4 year terms?

Better Government decision-making

At just three years —and often less due to elections being called early —Australia's federal parliamentary term is among the shortest in the world. In practice, Australian governments average 2 years and 8 months before an election is called. This limits the ability to plan, consult and deliver meaningful policy reform.

Only 8 of 184 countries have parliamentary terms of three years or less, with the vast majority having four or five year terms. These longer cycles provide time for considered policymaking and reduce the constant churn of electoral politics. It also provides much greater certainty and stability for businesses and communities to make their own decisions.

Alignment with State and Territory elections

Every state, territory and local government in Australia now has four year terms. Almost all also have fixed terms. Aligning federal terms with the rest of the country will avoid constantly having to navigate Federal Elections around those of the states and territories and improve long-term planning across all levels of government.

Billions in cost savings and economic benefits

With longer, fixed terms, governments can shift focus from immediate political gain to meaningful reform. Fixed terms also give governments, the public and businesses much more certainty and stability. This can deliver benefits of over $60 billion over the next 20 years.

How do we switch to 4 year terms?

We need a referendum

To change the term length of the House of Representatives, we need to amend the Australian Constitution—this requires a national referendum. The Australian people must vote "Yes" to the change by a double majority: a majority of voters nationally and a majority in at least four of the six states. A referendum can only be called by the Federal Government, meaning Parliament must first pass a bill proposing the constitutional change.

A referendum will only happen when there is public support

While politicians and government officials of all stripes generally support a move to 4 year terms, they aren’t convinced the public cares all that much. It’s a bit complex, a bit dry, and difficult to achieve. So they rarely make it a priority.

That’s why your voice matters. If more Australians speak up, we can show politicians that this is an issue worth putting on the national agenda.

Has there ever been a referendum on 4 year terms?

Yes and it failed. But we’ve learned from it

In 1988 a Referendum was held on extending House terms to four years as part of a package of four constitutional amendments (which also covered Senate terms, local government recognition, and rights provisions). It failed to gain a majority in every state.

A major reason for this failure was the bundling of a long list of complicated proposals into one referendum. Voters who opposed one part of the package rejected the whole thing. Later inquiries concluded that a clear, standalone referendum on four year terms would have had a better chance. 

A lot has changed since 1988 and the need for longer terms is now more apparent than ever. But to make sure that a referendum is successful it must be simple and focus entirely on 4 year terms.

How would 4 year terms impact voting for the Senate?

There are three main options

Australian Senators currently serve six year terms and voting for Senators happens at the same time as the House of Representatives. This means every Federal election only half the Senate is up for election.

Moving the House to four year terms would not automatically change the Senate's structure, but would no longer occur at the same time as general elections. This leaves three potential options outlined below:

  1. Have a full Senate election every 4 years

    Shorten Senate terms to 4 years and have a full Senate vote at every general election (instead of half currently).

  2. Extend Senate terms to 8 Years with a half Senate vote every 4 years

    Extend Senator terms to 8 years to align with 4 year general election terms. At every general election only half of the Senate seats would be up for a vote, the same as at present. This keeps the tradition of half Senate votes, but gives individual Senators longer terms.

  3. Keep existing 6 year Senate terms

    Keep Senate terms at 6 years. The major downside is it means many Senate elections that would be independent of general election. This potentially adds confusion and additional admin to the election process.

For more details about these models and their relative advantages see the McKinnon’s report on four-year terms. Our campaign supports the Parliament investigating which Senate model would work best ahead of any referendum.

Why does Australia have unfixed, 3 year terms?

A colonial throwback?

The choice of three years dates back to Federation in the 1890s. In a fledgling democracy still being run by the UK, there was concern that longer terms might give too much power to those in charge on the ground. It was also how the majority of the colonies that made up Australia were being run at the time.

Some local politicians strongly argued this was too short to govern effectively and the draft Constitution even briefly included four-year terms. However, 3-years was decided to because more frequent accountability and reducing the risk of power concentrating.

Issues with 3 year-terms were already being realised by the late 1920s, the Royal Commission on the Constitution concluded three years was inadequate for a country as large and complex as Australia, recommending terms be extended “to at least four years”. More than 100 years later, we still haven’t fixed it.

How do our parliamentary terms compare to other countries?

Most countries have 4 or 5 year terms

Over 70 countries including Canada, Germany, Japan, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, South Korea, Indonesia, Chile, Israel have 4 year terms. While others such as France, India, Ireland, South Africa, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Poland, Brazil, UK have 5 year terms. Both have a mix of fixed and unfixed terms.

A small handful of countries have 3 year fixed terms. Almost none have unfixed 3 year terms.

Only a small handful of countries with 3 year terms include Mexico, El Salvador, Nauru, Philippines, Bhutan, and Tonga. However, all of these countries have fixed terms where Governments are required to see out the full 3 years. New Zealand also has 3 year terms, but is holding a referendum on four year terms following recommendations of a 2023 Independent Electoral Review.

Would 4 year terms make politicians less accountable?

4 year terms will improve political accountability

Longer terms don’t remove accountability — they can improve it. Politicians still face voters at the end of every term, and Parliament would continue to operate under the same checks and balances, including Question Time, Senate, courts and the media. What 4 year terms change is the quality of accountability: instead of politicians spending half their time in campaign mode, they’d have more time to focus on governing, implementing policies, and delivering real results.

Bad governments can still be removed early

A 4 year term doesn’t protect bad governments, it just gives good ones time to deliver. If a government loses the confidence of the Parliament, it can still be replaced at any time. Longer terms mean more stability, not less accountability.

Longer terms mean we get better politicians

When governments aren’t forced into constant campaign mode, politics attracts people who want to govern, not just win elections. Longer terms give ministers time to learn their portfolios, make informed decisions, and see policies through. It encourages long-term thinking — the kind of leadership Australia needs.