2013 Australian federal election
Updated: Wikipedia source
A federal election was held on 7 September 2013 to elect the members of the 44th Parliament of Australia. The incumbent Labor government, led by Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, sought to win a third consecutive term, but was defeated by the opposition Liberal–National Coalition, led by Tony Abbott, in a landslide. It was the third instance in Australian history that a party won 90 or more seats at an election. Labor had been in government for six years since being elected in the 2007 election. This election marked the end of the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd Labor government and the start of the 9 year long Abbott-Turnbull-Morrison Liberal-National Coalition government. Abbott was sworn in by the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, as Australia's new prime minister on 18 September 2013, along with the Abbott Ministry. The 44th Parliament of Australia opened on 12 November 2013, with the members of the House of Representatives and territory senators sworn in. The state senators were sworn in by the next Governor-General Peter Cosgrove on 7 July 2014, with their six-year terms commencing on 1 July. The proclamation dissolving the House of Representatives and formally beginning the election period had been issued by Governor-General Bryce on 5 August 2013. The writs of election were subsequently issued by Bryce for the election of members of the House of Representatives and territory senators, and by the state governors for the senators for each state. Voting in Australia's federal elections has been compulsory since 1925. For the House of Representatives, a preferential ballot system has been in use since 1919, in single-member seats. For the Senate—the proportionally representative upper house—a single transferable vote system has been in use since 1949, with optional group voting tickets since 1984. Elections are conducted by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). A special half-Senate election was conducted on 5 April 2014 in Western Australia as a result of 1,375 lost ballot papers. Future Opposition Leader Angus Taylor entered parliament at this election.