2028 Australian Capital Territory election

The 2028 Australian Capital Territory election is expected to be held on 21 October 2028 to elect all 25 members of the unicameral ACT Legislative Assembly.^[2]

2028 Australian Capital Territory election

← 2024 21 October 2028[1] 2032 →
All 25 seats in the ACT Legislative Assembly 13 seats needed for a majority
Leader Andrew Barr Mark Parton Party Labor Liberal Leader since 11 December 2014 10 November 2025 Leader's seat Kurrajong Brindabella Last election 10 seats, 34.1% 9 seats, 33.5% Current seats 10 9 Seats needed 3 6   FCI Leader Shane Rattenbury Fiona Carrick Party Greens Fiona Carrick Leader since 20 October 2012 7 June 2024 Leader's seat Kurrajong Murrumbidgee Last election 4 seats, 12.2% 1 seat, 2.7% Current seats 4 1 Seats needed 9 N/A
Incumbent Chief Minister Andrew Barr Labor

The Labor Party, led by chief minister Andrew Barr, has been in government in the ACT since 2001 and will be seeking an eighth consecutive term in office.^[3] They are expected to be challenged by the Liberal Party, the Greens, several other minor parties and independents.^[4][5]

Background

Assembly composition

Independents for Canberra (IFC) won 8.5% of the vote at the 2024 election, with one candidate – party leader Thomas Emerson – elected in the Kurrajong electorate. On 5 February 2025, Emerson resigned from IFC.^[6] The party was subsequently voluntarily deregistered on 10 July 2025.^[7][8]

On 28 October 2025, then opposition leader Leanne Castley suspended Peter Cain and Elizabeth Lee from the Liberal Party caucus because of their decision to cross the floor and vote for a longer parliamentary sitting calendar.^[9][10] Castley, along with her deputy, resigned on 10 November 2025 and was replaced by Mark Parton under who Cain and Lee returned to the partyroom.

Electoral system

The election will be conducted by the ACT Electoral Commission (also known as Elections ACT).^[11]

All members of the Legislative Assembly are elected by the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation, with the parliament divided into five electorates, each electing five members:

• Brindabella – contains the district of Tuggeranong
• Ginninderra – contains the district of Belconnen (except the suburbs of Giralang and Kaleen)
• Kurrajong – contains the districts of Canberra Central (excluding Deakin, Forrest, Red Hill, and Yarralumla), Jerrabomberra, Kowen and Majura
• Murrumbidgee – contains the districts of the Woden Valley, Weston Creek, Molonglo Valley, and the South Canberra suburbs of Deakin, Forrest, Red Hill, and Yarralumla
• Yerrabi – contains the districts of Gungahlin, Hall and the Belconnen suburbs of Giralang and Kaleen

Political parties

See also: List of political parties in Australia § Australian Capital Territory

As of November 2025^[update], 13 political parties are registered with Elections ACT.^[12] Additionally, the Canberra Socialists and Pauline Hanson's One Nation have stated their intentions to contest the 2028 election.^[13][14]

• Animal Justice Party
• Australian Labor Party (ACT Branch)
• Australian Multicultural Party
• Belco Party (ACT)
• Canberra Progressives
• Democratic Labour Party (DLP)
• Family First Party (ACT)
• Fiona Carrick Independent
• Liberal Party of Australia (A.C.T. Division)
• Libertarian Party
• Sustainable Australia Party
• The ACT Greens
• The Community Action Party