Fixed election dates have been passed into law in Western Australia, meaning future governments cannot choose a polling day for their own advantage.
State elections will be held every four years on the second Saturday in March, following the passing of the Electoral and Constitutional Amendment Bill 2011 in the WA parliament.
The date for the next election is set for March 9, 2013.
The law is based on the existing fixed four-year term of the Legislative Council, providing for a joint general election when the Legislative Assembly is dissolved or expires after November 1 in the year before the Legislative Council election.
Electoral Affairs Minister Norman Moore said the WA Electoral Commission would now have certainty in planning for the next election and subsequent polls.
He said the new law fulfilled a promise made by the Liberal Party before the 2008 election and it had attracted support from other parties.
Under the law, the WA governor's constitutional right to dissolve the Legislative Assembly remains but if such a dissolution occurs before November 1, 2012, it will apply only to the assembly and not to both houses.
A separate election for the Legislative Council will still need to be held on the fixed date of the second Saturday in March.
"Clearly the electors would reject any government that deliberately causes an additional expensive election for its political advantage," Mr Moore said.
"Governments would therefore be unable to manipulate the date of an election, whether to avoid scrutiny or to ambush the opposition."
