How Labor elects a new leader

THE LABOR LEADERSHIP BALLOT EXPLAINED

- Bill Shorten will stay on as acting leader while the Labor national executive starts the process of finding his replacement

- Shorten will remain in parliament

- All shadow ministers will remain in their current portfolios

- Nominations open at a parliamentary party meeting (caucus), and remain open for a week.

- Need to get support of 20 per cent of caucus to get nominated

- If there is only one nomination there is no ballot

- If there are two or more nominations there is a ballot of both the parliamentary party and grassroots members

- Ballot is open to all financial members of the party, with no restrictions on time served

- Each of the two voting blocs is weighted equally in determining the winner. That is, 50 per cent each. Last time Anthony Albanese won the grassroots vote but didn't get enough caucus votes and Bill Shorten won.

- The organisational ballot takes 20 days

- During the ballot process the two candidates can campaign and debate each other

- It is expected there would be a candidate from Right and Left factions

- About 30,400 members voted in 2013

- Once the postal ballot is over, the caucus votes

- In 2013, nominations opened September 13 and the caucus voted October 10