Parliaments of the Australian states and territories

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The Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia.

All the parliaments are based on the Westminster system, and each is regulated by its own constitution. Queensland and the two territories have unicameral parliaments, with the single house being called Legislative Assembly. The other states have a bicameral parliament, with a lower house called the Legislative Assembly (New South Wales, Victoria and Western Australia) or House of Assembly (South Australia and Tasmania), and an upper house called the Legislative Council.

Background[]

Before the formation of the Commonwealth in 1901, the six Australian colonies were self-governing colonies, with parliaments which had come into existence at various times between 1825, when the New South Wales Legislative Council was created, to 1891, when Western Australia became the last of the colonies to gain full self-government.

The colonies ratified the Constitution of Australia, becoming States of the Commonwealth in the new federation, and ceding certain of their legislative powers to the Commonwealth Parliament, but otherwise retaining their self-governing status with their own constitutions and parliaments. The state parliaments were all created by legislation of the British Imperial Parliament, and their original constitutions were contained in Acts of that Parliament; however now the power to amend state constitutions resides with the respective state parliaments, in accordance with its constitution. The Commonwealth Parliament cannot amend a state's constitution.

The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, by contrast, are territories of the Commonwealth, and their parliaments were created by way of legislation of the Commonwealth Parliament. Although the Commonwealth treats the territories as though they were states for many purposes, they are not states, and the legislative powers of their parliaments can be altered or even abolished by the Commonwealth Parliament. The Commonwealth can also overturn legislation passed by the territory parliaments.

States and territories[]

New South Wales[]

The Parliament of New South Wales is a bicameral legislature comprising the New South Wales Legislative Council, the Legislative Assembly and the Queen, represented by the Governor of New South Wales. The Legislative Council has 42 members elected for eight-year terms with half the members facing re-election every four years. They are elected by proportional voting with the whole state being one electorate. The Legislative Assembly has 93 members elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using optional preferential voting.

Victoria[]

The Parliament of Victoria is a bicameral legislature comprising the Victorian Legislative Council, the Legislative Assembly and the Queen, represented by the Governor of Victoria. The Legislative Council has 40 members, elected for four-year terms, elected from eight multi-member constituencies, each with five members, using proportional voting. The Legislative Assembly has 88 members elected for fixed four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using preferential voting. Voting is compulsory, and elections take place on the third Saturday of November every four years.

Queensland[]

The Parliament of Queensland is a unicameral legislature comprising the Legislative Assembly and the Queen, represented by the Governor of Queensland. The Legislative Assembly has 93 members elected for fixed four-year terms in single-member constituencies using preferential voting.^[1] Voting is compulsory, and elections take place on the last Saturday of October every four years.

South Australia[]

The Parliament of South Australia is a bicameral legislature comprising the South Australian Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. According to the South Australian Constitution, unlike the Federal Parliament, and the parliaments of the other states and territories of Australia, neither the Sovereign nor the Governor is considered to be a part of the South Australian Parliament.^[2] The Legislative Council has 22 members, elected for eight-year terms by proportional voting with half the members facing re-election every four years, and the House of Assembly which has 47 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using preferential voting. Voting is compulsory.

Western Australia[]

The Parliament of Western Australia is a bicameral legislature comprising the Western Australian Legislative Council, the Legislative Assembly and the Queen, represented by the Governor of Western Australia. The Legislative Council has 36 members, elected for fixed four-year terms from six multi-member electoral regions by "community of interest" —3 metropolitan and 3 rural—each electing 6 members by proportional voting.^[3][4] There is a significant malapportionment in the Legislative Council in favour of rural regions. The Legislative Assembly has 59 members, elected for fixed four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using preferential voting. Voting is compulsory, with elections being held every four years on the second Saturday in March,^[5][6] though the term of the Legislative Council does not expire until May after the election.

Tasmania[]

The Parliament of Tasmania is a bicameral legislature comprising the Tasmanian Legislative Council, the House of Assembly and the Governor of Tasmania.^[7] The Legislative Council has 15 members, elected for six-year terms, elected from single-member constituencies on a rotational basis with either two or three being elected each year, using full preferential voting. The House of Assembly has 25 members elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies, using the Hare-Clark system of proportional representation. Voting is compulsory.

Australian Capital Territory[]

The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly has 25 members, elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies, using the Hare-Clark system of proportional voting.

Northern Territory[]

The Parliament of the Northern Territory is a unicameral legislature comprising the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly and the Administrator. The Legislative Assembly has 25 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using preferential voting. The head of government is called the Chief Minister.

Norfolk Island[]

In the external territory of Norfolk Island located in the South Pacific Ocean, the local legislative body is the Norfolk Island Regional Council, established in 2016. The island was previously governed by a Norfolk Legislative Assembly. Formed after the Norfolk Island Act 1979 was passed in the Australian parliament, its first members were elected on the tenth of August 1979.^[8] The assembly consisted of 9 members elected every three years by popular vote. It was abolished in June 2015 as part of a reorganisation of the territory's government by the Parliament of Australia.

Christmas Island[]

In the external territory of Christmas Island in the Indian Ocean, the Shire Council provides local governance. The nine-member Shire Council was established in 1993. Councilors serve four-year terms, with four or five being chosen every second year.^[9]

Cocos (Keeling) Islands[]

In the external territory of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean, the Shire of Cocos is the local legislative body. Established in 1993, the Shire Council consists of 7 members serving terms of four years. Elections for half the seats are held every two years.

Summary[]

State/ Territory		Lower House				Upper House					Total no. of reps
		Established	Name	No. of reps	Electoral System	Established	Name	No. of reps	Electoral System	Staggered
States	NSW	1856	Legislative Assembly	93	Single Member Instant Runoff (IR)	1825	Legislative Council	42	Single Transferable Vote (STV) at-large	Yes	135
	QLD	1859	Legislative Assembly	93	Single Member IR	Unicameral (Legislative Council existed 1860–1922)					93
	SA	1857	House of Assembly	47	Single Member IR	1840	Legislative Council	22	STV at-large	Yes	69
	TAS	1856	House of Assembly	25	STV in five constituencies	1825	Legislative Council	15	Single Member IR	Yes	40
	VIC	1855	Legislative Assembly	88	Single Member IR	1851	Legislative Council	40	STV in eight constituencies	No	128
	WA	1890	Legislative Assembly	59	Single Member IR	1832	Legislative Council	36	STV in six constituencies	No	95
Self-governing Territories	ACT	1989	Legislative Assembly	25	STV in five constituencies	Unicameral					25
	NT	1974	Legislative Assembly	25	Single member IR						25
External Territories	CX	1993	Shire Council	9	STV at-large						9
	CC	1993	Shire Council	7	STV at-large						7
	NI	2016	Regional Council	5	STV at-large						5
Nation	Aus	1901	House of Representatives	151	Single Member IR	1901	Senate	76	STV in six states and two territories	Yes	227

Current compositions[]

Party		NSW		Vic		Qld	SA		WA		Tas		ACT	NT	Total
		LC	LA	LC	LA	LA	LC	HoA	LC	LA	LC	HoA	LA	LA
	Labor	13	36	17	55	51	8	19	22	53	5	9	10	14	312
	Liberal	11	36	10	21		8	24	7	2	3	13	9		144
	National[a]	6	12	1	6				3	4					32
	LNP[b]					35									35
	CLP[c]													8	8
	Greens	3	3	1	3	2	2	0	1	0	0	2	6	0	23
	SFF	2	3	1	0	0			0	0	0	0	0		6
	ONP	2	0			1			0	0					3
	AJP	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0			0	0	3
	KAP					3									3
	LDP	0	0	2	0		0		0	0			0		2
	DHJP			2	0										2
	SA-Best						2	0							2
	LCP					0			2	0					2
	DSP								1	0					1
	Independents	2	3	2	3	1	1	4	0	0	7	1	0	3	27
	Other minor	1	0	3	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5
Total		42	93	40	88	93	22	47	36	59	15	25	25	25	610
Note: Cells in grey indicate a party that did not contest in the most recent election for that legislature. ^ The National Party has a long-standing Coalition agreement with the Liberal Party, with the exception of the Western Australian division. ^ The Liberal Party and the National Party in Queensland merged to form the LNP in 2008. ^ The CLP contests elections on behalf of the Liberal-National Coalition in the Northern Territory.

See also[]

• Electoral systems of the Australian states and territories
• Members of multiple Australian legislatures

References[]

External links[]

• The New South Wales Parliament
• The Queensland Parliament
• The South Australian Parliament
• The Tasmanian Parliament
• The Victorian Parliament
• The Western Australian Parliament
• The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly
• The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly