McKinnon releases Discussion Paper on 4-year terms
McKinnon, an independent think-tank has released a Discussion Paper outlining the options and benefits of moving to 4-year terms. The Paper highlights that Australia’s unfixed three-year terms means that in practice elections are called on average every two years and eight months. That constant churn leaves governments in permanent campaign mode and limits their ability to plan and deliver long-term reforms.
Every state and territory has already adopted four-year terms, most of them fixed, leaving the Commonwealth as the outlier. Globally, only a small handful of democracies still use three-year terms for their lower houses — Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, the Philippines, Nauru and El Salvador — and in those countries terms are fixed, unlike Australia’s unfixed model. New Zealand is also proposing to move to 4-year terms.
The discussion paper highlights the case for change. Longer terms would give governments space to focus on long-term policy rather than permanent campaigning, reduce the economic uncertainty that surrounds frequent elections, and cut costs for taxpayers and parties.
Still, there are tradeoffs that should be considered. Less frequent elections mean voters have fewer chances to remove underperforming governments, and some critics argue that short cycles keep Australia’s democracy accountable. The paper also notes that longer terms don’t guarantee better governance, and that any change would require a referendum — historically a very high bar. The 1988 attempt to extend terms failed decisively, partly because it was bundled with unrelated reforms.
Design choices would also matter: should terms be fixed or unfixed? Should the Senate remain at six years, be extended to eight, or reduced to four? And should simultaneous elections be mandated?
McKinnon does not prescribe a model. Instead, it poses the core question: are three-year terms still the right balance between accountability and stability, or should Australia join the overwhelming majority of democracies with longer parliamentary cycles?
