The 2010 federal election resulted in the first hung Commonwealth parliament and minority government for almost 70 years, though hung parliaments are common at the state and territory level.

This background note provides a discussion of the hung Commonwealth parliament and associated matters including forming the minority Labor Government, voting dynamics in the House of Representatives, the next federal election, and the last hung parliament of 1940-43. A listing of hung parliaments and minority governments in the states and territories since 1989 is also provided, together with a discussion of minority government agreements in the states and territories and some information on the overseas context.