ELECTION 2019 KEY POINTS
* Will be a half Senate and full House election, unlike the last election in 2016 when it was a double dissolution.
* Polls show Labor is the favourite, averaging 53 per cent of the two-party result.
* To be held under new House of Representatives seat boundaries
* 151 seats instead of current 150, due to population growth
* Victoria (Fraser) and ACT (Bean) gain a seat. SA loses a seat (Port Adelaide; Sitting member Labor's Mark Butler to run in Hindmarsh instead)
* Liberal-Nationals government starts with 74 seats, Labor 69, 7 others - four independent (Wilkie, McGowan, Phelps, Banks), one Centre Alliance (Sharkie), one Green (Bandt), one Katter's Australian Party (Katter).]
* Under redrawn boundaries, Labor expected to start favourite in new seats in ACT and Victoria, giving it a two-seat head start.
* It is the first major electoral test for Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Last one in 2016 ended in a one-seat majority for the coalition under Malcolm Turnbull.
* Bill Shorten is longest serving opposition leader since Kim Beazley. His seat of Maribyrnong has been made more marginal due to boundary changes.
* Senate numbers (76 total): 31 coalition; 26 Labor; 9 Greens; 2 Pauline Hanson's One Nation; 2 Centre Alliance; 1 Liberal Democrats; 1 Derryn Hinch's Justice Party; 1 Australian Conservatives; 1 Katter's Australian Party; 1 United Australia Party; 1 Independent.
* Minor parties will find it harder to win or retain seats as there is a higher vote quota in the half-Senate election than during the double-dissolution election.
* First time in four decades that the PM and Treasurer are working dads with young children. Last pair of this nature was Malcolm Fraser and John Howard.
[The full story is available on the podcast above]
