Labor and Liberal have opened nominations this month for candidates to stand in next year's federal election but the search for candidates is complicated by the ACT election coinciding with the federal one.
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The ACT Assembly will elect a record 25 candidates in October 2016 – and the major parties will each field a full set of candidates. The increase in numbers not only means Labor and Liberal are on the search for more local candidates than ever before, it is also the best chance for election for many years, with the major parties confident of winning a core of 10 spots each.
Historically, candidates have thrown their hat in both local and federal elections but both elections are due in the second half of next year - the Assembly in October, and the federal election due in September 2016, but it can be held any time in the six months from August 2016.
The timing means candidates must choose one or the other and, with the need for so many local candidates and a decent chance of election, many wannabe politicians are expected to put their hands up for the ACT. This is an issue especially for the Liberals, whose chances of gaining a federal lower house seat or a second Senate seat are minimal.
The two senators, Katy Gallagher (Labor) and Zed Seselja (Liberal), both confirmed they will stand again and are seeking their parties' endorsements at preselections this month.
Senator Seselja conceded the timing of the ACT election would complicate the search for other Liberal candidates to run as a second Senate candidate and two lower house candidates.
"A lot of talent in the party will be putting their hand up for a lot of winnable spots in the ACT assembly," he said, encouraging "good people to have a go".
In 2013, the second Liberal candidate was Merinda Nash, but Ms Nash, who also stood in the last ACT election, said she was heading to the Smithsonian Institute in Washington for a post-doctoral position later this year and would not stand for either parliament next year.
Gary Humphries formerly held Senator Seselja's seat before being beaten in a bitter preselection battle but has resigned the party for his new job with the federal Administrative Appeals Tribunal, and confirmed he would not attempt a challenge.
Elizabeth Lee and Tom Sefton stood in the lower house seats for the Liberals in 2013. Neither could be reached this week.
Labor has a more straightforward preselection, with lower house MPs Gai Brodtmann and Andrew Leigh expected to stand again, along with Ms Gallagher. Labor normally nominates one candidate from its left faction and one from the right for the Senate. Ms Gallagher is in the left. Chris Sant stood as the second Senate candidate last time.
Labor closes its nominations for the lower and upper house seats on May 15. The Liberals have opened nominations for the Senate; they close on May 20.
The Greens' 2013 Senate candidate, Simon Sheikh, referred inquiries about whether he would stand to party convenor Sophie Trevitt, who said the party was actively seeking candidates but was yet to decide on a preselection timetable.
