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 continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. 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 Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
Legislative Council was created, to 1891, when
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
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
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 continental mainland , the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans...
. 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 Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
Legislative Council was created, to 1891, when
Western AustraliaWestern Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
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 is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
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 that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. 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 theoretical 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 chambers. The name is used by a number of member-states of Commonwealth of Nations, as well as in 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 legislature, in some countries, often at subnational level....
, and an
upper houseAn upper house is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house.- Possible specific characteristics :An upper house is usually distinct from the lower house in at least one of the following respects:...
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 Australia's most populous state, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria, south of Queensland and east of South Australia...
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. It sits at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney...
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 , sometimes referred to as full representation, is a category of electoral formula aimed at securing a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive...
. The
Legislative AssemblyThe Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of New South Wales. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in the state capital, Sydney at Parliament House. It is presided over by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.The Assembly has 93 members,...
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 that occupies the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory to the west, South Australia to the south-west and New South Wales to the south. 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....
'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 appointive 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 located south of the eastern side of the continent, from which it is 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 500,000 ,...
'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.-Overview:...
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 Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia. The Dutch explorer Abel Tasman was the first European to explore 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. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart.-Overview:...
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 system of preferential voting designed to minimize "wasted" votes and provide proportional representation while ensuring that votes are explicitly expressed for individual candidates rather than for party lists...
system of
proportional representationProportional representation , sometimes referred to as full representation, is a category of electoral formula aimed at securing a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive...
.
Victoria
Victoria's
Legislative CouncilThe Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. It serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to its federal counterpart, the...
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 Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of Victoria in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Melbourne....
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 Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Victoria, Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit in Parliament House in Spring Street, Melbourne. It serves as a house of review, in a similar fashion to its federal counterpart, the...
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. Australia's largest state and the second largest subnational entity in the world, it has 2.2 million inhabitants , 85% of whom live in the south-west corner of the state.The state's capital...
'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 appointive 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 is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and its smallest self-governing internal territory. It is an inland enclave in New South Wales, and regularly referred to as Australia's 'Bush Capital'....
's
Legislative AssemblyAustralian 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 , sometimes referred to as full representation, is a category of electoral formula aimed at securing a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive...
.
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 Northern Territory Legislative Assembly 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.
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