Australian Federal Election, 2016 (Casting Shadows)

The 2016 Australian Federal Election was the parliamentary election to determine the members of the 45th Parliament of Australia. Held on 20 August 2016, it saw the return of the prime minister Tony Abbott's centre-right/conservative coalition against the Labor party, led by the moderate Bill Shorton.

The results saw a loss of 11 seats in the house of representatives for the Liberal/National coalition, with many electorates witnessing re-counts due to an upsurge in indepedent and minor political party activity. The Labor Party on the other hand saw a marked increase in the popular vote as well as gaining 4 seats in the upper house. This would leave 12 seats to minor groups, these being the Palmer United Party (3 seats), the Greens (2 seats), Katter's Australian Party (2 seats) and various independent politicians (7 seats). Despite the losses however, Abbott and the Liberal/National coalition held onto their majority.

In the senate, similar minor party action saw the balance of power shift from the liberal independents and Green politicians, to the conservative/economic liberal parties. The Democratic Labour Party saw large primary gains, winning 3 seats, whilst the Family First Party gained 1 seat for a total of 2. Palmer United managed to gain an eventually 3 seats at the loss of 1, ending up with 5.