History repeats as Australia heads for minority government

Thursday 13 February 2025

At the 2010 Australian federal election, the Julia Gillard-led Labor Party won a second term after Labor formed a minority government with the support of three independent MPs and one Australian Greens MP.

Labor and the Coalition each won 72 seats in the 150-seat House of Representatives, four short of the requirement for a majority government. This resulted in the first hung parliament since the 1940 election.

This year’s election appears to be headed for another hung parliament.

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About the author

Leith van Onselen is Chief Economist at the MB Fund and MB Super. He is also a co-founder of MacroBusiness. Leith has previously worked at the Australian Treasury, Victorian Treasury and Goldman Sachs.