The next Australian legislative election is expected to take place in 2007.

The opposition Australian Labor Party will be challenging the incumbent Coalition government.

To gain outright control of the House of Representatives, the ALP will require a net gain of 16 seats from their current 60 seats. To be able to pass bills through the Senate without Coalition support, the ALP and minor parties would need to win back two seats from the Coalition, a somewhat unlikely scenario.

Australian Greens Senators Bob Brown and Kerry Nettle will both face re-election. There is some speculation about whether or not Brown will stand again, as if he were to stand for another term he would be 69 by the end of his third term. The Australian Democrats risk losing all of their remaining Senate representation.

Given the nature of the 2004 election result, it is more likely than not that the 2007 election will be a regular election, and not a double dissolution election.

Election timetable

The last date on which the next election can be held is calculated in the following way:

Section 28 of the Constitution says: "Every House of Representatives shall continue for three years from the first sitting of the House."

Section 32 of the Constitution says: "The writs shall be issued within ten days from the expiry of a House of Representatives or from the proclamation of a dissolution thereof."

Section 156 (1) of the Electoral Act says: "the date fixed for the nomination of the candidates shall not be less than 10 days nor more than 27 days after the date of the writ."

Section 157 of the Electoral Act says: "The date fixed for the polling shall not be less than 23 days nor more than 31 days after the date of nomination."

This parliament first met on 16 November 2004. Therefore it expires on 16 November 2007. The writs must therefore be issued by 26 November 2007 (ten days after the expiry). The last date on which nominations can close is therefore 23 December 2007 (27 days after the writs). The last Saturday on which polling can take place therefore is 19 January 2008 (30 day period following the nomination would expire on the 22nd.). However, no Australian Prime Minister has yet called an election to take place in January.

• Australian Parliamentary Library research note