The Electoral Commission of Queensland is an independent and impartial body set up to run free and democratic elections in Queensland.

In addition to State elections, the Commission conducts referendums and industrial elections, and it also conducts local government elections for Brisbane City Council.

Parliamentary Terms

Queensland has three-year parliamentary terms, with an election announced usually towards the end of each term. There is, however, no statutory minimum period between State elections, so a government can choose to hold an election at any time within its three-year term.

An election is held when the Governor (or the Speaker) issues a writ setting the date for the election. The writ also supplies other important dates in the election timetable – for example the date for close of rolls, close of nominations and the return of the writ with the names of the newly elected Members of Parliament. The generic election timetable is specified in the Electoral Act 1992.

Local governments are elected for a fixed four-year term, and elections must be held every fourth year on the last Saturday in March, unless the Governor approves an alternative date. The government has announced that the 2008 Local Government Elections will take place on Saturday 15th March 2008.

Federal House of Representatives members are also elected for a three year maximum term with the election date set by the government. All other State and territory governments have four year maximum terms with New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory enjoying the certainty of a fixed term so that the next election date is known at all times.