section_path: Background/Previous election
section_name: Previous election
paragraph_text: Previous election
  
  At the previous election in May 2022, the Labor Party, led by Anthony Albanese, formed a government after nine years in opposition, winning 77 seats in the House of Representatives, enough for a two-seat majority. The Liberal – National Coalition that had previously governed won only 58 seats and went into opposition. The crossbench, made up of other parties and independents, expanded to 16 seats: ten held by independents (including seven held by a loose grouping of teal independents), four by the Greens, and one each by the Centre Alliance and Katter's Australian Party.
  
  In the Senate, Labor made no gains and remained steady at 26 seats overall, thus requiring 13 additional votes in the Senate to pass legislation. The Coalition lost four seats and retained only 32 seats. The Greens gained three seats to 12. One Nation also remained steady with two seats, Centre Alliance and Rex Patrick Team each lost their Senate seats, while the Jacqui Lambie Network gained a second seat. David Pocock was elected as an independent senator on his own ticket, and the United Australia Party also gained one seat.