It Begins: Your Guide To The 2016 Federal Election (On July 2!)

Are you ready for an eight-week pre-election period?

Thrones

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has made it official, asking Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove to dissolve Federal Parliament and calling a double dissolution election for July 2.

Immediately, Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten began making their pitch to the Australian public.

Even Tony Abbott got in on the act, despite the fact, you may recall, he is no longer Prime Minister.

Seeking re-election in his electorate of Warringah, the former PM handed out flyers outside the Manly ferry wharf. (He was not, sadly, singing “Suspicious Minds” at the time.)

It doesn’t end there. Ads featuring Turnbull and Shorten are already on the loose, with both major parties calling on your vote this July.

The Liberal party is making a case for “jobs and growth” this election cycle.

Labor, for their part, is spruiking “100 positive policies”.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale, meanwhile, took to the beach to make his big pitch.

Now, if you’re not yet enrolled to vote, you better get cracking.

If you’re over the age of 16, you can enrol right now, though you can only vote if you’re 18 by the time of the election (we're talking to you, 17-and-10-month year-olds).

Head to the Australian Electoral Commission’s website to enrol online. It only takes a few minutes. More than 400,000 unenrolled Aussies aged 18-24 were unable to cast a ballot at the 2013 Federal Election, simply because they had neglected to register. Make sure you’re heard this time around.

Shia