2020 Australian Capital Territory general election

2020 Australian Capital Territory general election
	17 October 2020
	17 October 2020
All 25 seats of the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly; 13 seats needed for a majority
Incumbent Chief Minister; Andrew Barr; Labor	;

A general election for the Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly will be held on Saturday, 17 October 2020. The election will be conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission.

The unicameral parliament uses the proportional Hare-Clark system to elect 25 members in five constituencies electing five members each.

Background

The incumbent Labor Party led by Chief Minister Andrew Barr is attempting to win re-election for a sixth term in the 25-member unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly. Labor formed a minority coalition government with the Greens after the 2016 election, with Greens holding the balance of power – Labor 12 seats, Liberal 11 seats, Greens 2 seats. Greens member Shane Rattenbury remained in the cabinet for a second term. Leader of the Opposition and Liberals leader Jeremy Hanson was replaced by Alistair Coe following the election.

All members of the unicameral Assembly faced re-election, with members being elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation. The Assembly is divided into five electorates with five members each:

Brindabella – contains the district of Tuggeranong (except part of the suburb of Kambah east of Drakeford Drive).
Ginninderra – contains the district of Belconnen (except the suburbs of Giralang and Kaleen).
Kurrajong – contains the districts of Canberra Central (excluding Deakin and Yarralumla), Jerrabomberra, Kowen and Majura.
Murrumbidgee – contains the districts of the Woden Valley, Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley, the South Canberra suburbs of Deakin and Yarralumla and the western part of the Tuggeranong suburb of Kambah.
Yerrabi – contains the districts of Gungahlin, Hall and the Belconnen suburbs of Giralang and Kaleen.

Key Dates

Last day to lodge applications for party register: 30 June 2020
Party registration closed: 10 September 2020
Pre-election period commenced and nominations opened: 11 September 2020
Rolls close: 18 September 2020 (8pm)
Nominations close: 23 September 2020 (12pm)
Nominations declared and ballot paper order determined: 24 September 2020
Pre-poll voting commences: 28 September 2020
Polling day: 17 October 2020
Last day for receipt of postal votes: 23 October 2016[1]

Redistribution

Map of electorates to be used for the 2020 ACT election.

A redistribution of electoral boundaries for the ACT took place in 2019 for the 2020 election. The redistribution committee was appointed on 26 October 2018, and its final report was tabled on 13 August 2019.[2]

Changes are as follows:[2]

Brindabella: gains Kambah West from Murrumbidgee.
Ginninderra: gains Belconnen District 2, Evatt, Lawson and McKellar from Yerrabi.
Kurrajong: loses Deakin and Yarralumla to Murrumbidgee.
Murrumbidgee: gains Deakin and Yarralumla from Kurrajong; loses Kambah West to Brindabella.
Yerrabi: loses Belconnen District 2, Evatt, Lawson and McKellar to Ginninderra.

Candidates

Registered Parties

Ten parties are currently registered with the ACT Electoral Commission to run in the October 2020 election.[3]

Animal Justice Party
Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch)
Canberra Progressives
Belco Party (ACT)
Liberal Democratic Party
Liberal Party of Australia (A.C.T. Division)
Sustainable Australia (ACT)
The ACT Greens
The Community Action Party
The Flux Party (ACT)

Retiring Members

Greens

Caroline Le Couteur (Murrumbidgee)[4]