The 2007 Australian federal election was held in Australia on 24 November 2007. All 150 seats in the House of Representatives and 40 of the seats in the 76-member Senate were up for election. The election featured a 39-day campaign, with 13.6 million Australians enrolled to vote. The centre-left Australian Labor Party opposition, led by Kevin Rudd and deputy leader Julia Gillard, defeated the incumbent centre-right Coalition government, led by Liberal Party leader and Prime Minister, John Howard, and Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister, Mark Vaile. The election marked the end of the 11 year Howard Liberal-National Coalition government that had been in power since the 1996 election. This election also marked the start of the six-year Rudd-Gillard Labor government. Future Prime Minister Scott Morrison, future opposition leader Bill Shorten and future Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles entered parliament at this election. This would be the last time the Labor Party would win a majority at the federal level until the 2022 election. This remains the most recent election in which both major parties won over 40% of first preference votes. Rudd became the third Labor leader after World War II to lead the party to victory from opposition, after Gough Whitlam in 1972, Bob Hawke in 1983, and before most recently Anthony Albanese in 2022. Key dates Prorogation of 41st Parliament: 12 noon, 15 October Dissolution of House of Representatives: 12 noon, 17 October Issue of electoral writs: 17 October Close of rolls (if not currently on roll): 8 p.m., 17 October Close of rolls (if currently on roll and updating details): 8 p.m., 23 October Close of nominations: 12 noon, 1 November Declaration of nominations: 12 noon, 2 November Polling Day: 24 November Territory senators begin their terms: 24 November 2007 Return of writs: 21 December First meeting of the 42nd Parliament: 12 February 2008 New state senators begin their terms: 1 July 2008 Under the provisions of the Constitution, the current House of Representatives may continue for a maximum of three years from the first meeting of the House after the previous federal election. The first meeting of the 41st Parliament after the 2004 election was on 16 November 2004, hence the parliament would have expired on 15 November 2007 had it not been dissolved earlier. There must be a minimum of 33 days and a maximum of 68 days between the dissolution of the House