The
Parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the
Commonwealth of AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Before the formation of the Commonwealth in 1901, the six Australian colonies were self-governing, with parliaments which had come into existence at various times between 1825, when the
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Legislative Council was created, to 1891, when
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
became the last of the colonies to gain full self-government.
By ratifying the
Constitution of AustraliaThe Constitution of Australia is the supreme law under which the Australian Commonwealth Government operates. It consists of several documents. The most important is the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia...
, the colonies agreed to become
States of the Commonwealth, and to cede certain of their legislative powers to the
Commonwealth ParliamentThe Parliament of Australia, also known as the Commonwealth Parliament or Federal Parliament, is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, largely modelled in the Westminster tradition, but with some influences from the United States Congress...
, but otherwise retained their self-governing status with their own parliaments. The legislative powers of the state parliaments cannot be altered except by altering the Constitution, which can only be done by the Australian people voting in a referendum.
The
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
and the
Northern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
, 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.
All of the States except
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
have bicameral parliaments, with a
lower houseA lower house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house.Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide the lower house has come to wield more power...
called the
Legislative AssemblyLegislative Assembly is the name given in some countries to either a legislature, or to one of its branch.The name is used by a number of member-states of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as a number of Latin American countries....
or
House of AssemblyHouse of Assembly is a name given to the legislature or lower house of a bicameral parliament. In some countries this may be at a subnational level....
, and an
upper houseAn upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
called the
Legislative CouncilA Legislative Council is the name given to the legislatures, or one of the chambers of the legislature of many nations and colonies.A Member of the Legislative Council is commonly referred to as an MLC.- Unicameral legislatures :...
. The parliaments of Queensland and the two territories are unicameral.
New South Wales
The
New South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
Legislative CouncilThe New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
is the oldest legislative body in Australia, having been created in 1825 as an appointed body to advise the Governor. Today it has 42 members serving eight-year terms and elected by
proportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. The
Legislative AssemblyThe Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The other chamber is the Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
was created in 1856 when New South Wales attained self-government. Today it has 93 members elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.
Queensland
QueenslandQueensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
's
Legislative AssemblyThe Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
was created in 1859 when the then colony attained self-government. Today it has 89 members elected for three-year terms from single-member constituencies. The
Legislative CouncilThe Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.Consequently, the...
was abolished in 1922.
South Australia
South AustraliaSouth Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
's
Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the House of Assembly...
was created in 1840 as an appointed body. Today it has 22 members, elected for eight-year terms by proportional representation. The
House of AssemblyThe House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.- Overview :...
was created in 1857 when South Australia attained self-government. Today it has 47 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.
Tasmania
TasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
's
Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the House of Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart...
was created in 1825 as an appointed body. (Tasmania was then called
Van Diemen's LandVan Diemen's Land was the original name used by most Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to land on the shores of Tasmania...
.) Today it has 15 members, elected for six-year terms from single-member constituencies. The
House of AssemblyThe House of Assembly, or Lower House, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council or Upper House...
was created in 1856 when Tasmania attained self-government. Today it has 25 members, elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies by the
Hare-ClarkThe single transferable vote is a voting system designed to achieve proportional representation through preferential voting. Under STV, an elector's vote is initially allocated to his or her most preferred candidate, and then, after candidates have been either elected or eliminated, any surplus or...
system of
proportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
Victoria
VictoriaVictoria is the second most populous state in Australia. Geographically the smallest mainland state, Victoria is bordered by New South Wales, South Australia, and Tasmania on Boundary Islet to the north, west and south respectively....
's
Legislative CouncilThe Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
was created in 1851. It has 40 members, each serving four-year terms. They represent eight multi-member constituencies, each with five members elected by proportional representation. The
Legislative AssemblyThe Victorian Legislative Assembly is the lower house of the Parliament of Victoria in Australia. Together with the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house, it sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne.-History:...
was created in 1855 when Victoria attained self-government. Today it has 88 members elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.
Until November 2006, the
Legislative CouncilThe Victorian Legislative Council, is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia; the lower house being the Legislative Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. The Legislative Council serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to...
had 44 members serving eight year terms and elected from single-member constituencies.
Western Australia
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...
's
Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. Its central purpose is to act as a house of review for legislation passed through the lower house, the Legislative Assembly. It sits in Parliament House in the state...
was created in 1832 as an appointed body. Today it has 36 members elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies by proportional representation. The
Legislative AssemblyThe Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of Western Australia. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Perth....
was created in 1890 when Western Australia attained self-government. Today it has 59 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.
Australian Capital Territory
The
Australian Capital TerritoryThe Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
's
Legislative AssemblyThe Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory...
was created by an act of the Commonwealth Parliament in 1989. It has 17 members, elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies by the Hare-Clark system of
proportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
. An earlier advisory body, the House of Assembly (also known for a period as the Legislative Assembly), existed from 1976 to 1986.
Northern Territory
The
Northern TerritoryThe Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
's
Legislative AssemblyThe Legislative Assembly of the Northern Territory is the unicameral parliament of the Northern Territory in Australia. It sits in Parliament House, located on State Square, close to the centre of the city of Darwin.-History:...
was created by an act of the Commonwealth Parliament in 1974. An earlier advisory body, the Northern Territory Legislative Council, existed from 1947 to 1974. The Assembly has 25 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies.
Summary
State/
Territory |
Lower house
established |
Name of
lower house |
Number of reps
in lower house |
Upper house
established |
Name of
upper house |
Number of reps
in upper house |
Total number
of reps |
| NSW |
1825 |
Legislative Assembly |
93 |
1856 |
Legislative Council |
42 |
135 |
| Qld |
1859 |
Legislative Assembly |
89 |
|
Legislative Council abolished 1922 |
|
89 |
| SA |
1857 |
House of Assembly |
47 |
1840 |
Legislative Council |
22 |
69 |
| Tas |
1856 |
House of Assembly |
25 |
1825 |
Legislative Council |
15 |
40 |
| Vic |
1855 |
Legislative Assembly |
88 |
1851 |
Legislative Council |
40 |
128 |
| WA |
1890 |
Legislative Assembly |
59 |
1832 |
Legislative Council |
36 |
95 |
| ACT |
1989 |
Legislative Assembly |
17 |
|
unicameral parliament |
|
17 |
| NT |
1974 |
Legislative Assembly |
25 |
|
unicameral parliament |
|
25 |
External links