129-537: The Parliamentary Budget Office ( PBO ) is an agency of the Australian Parliament whose purpose is to "inform the parliament by providing independent and non-partisan analysis of the budget cycle, fiscal policy and the financial implications of proposals". It was established by the Gillard government following minority government formation negotiations. Following that commitment, a Joint Parliamentary Committee on
258-682: A confidence and supply agreement would not be enough to keep the Nationalists in office. However, Country Party leader Earle Page had never trusted the Nationalist Prime Minister, Billy Hughes . Indeed, the Country Party had been formed in part due to discontent with Hughes' rural policy. Page not only let it be known that he would not serve under Hughes, but demanded Hughes' resignation before he would even consider coalition talks. Hughes resigned, and Page then entered negotiations with
387-449: A " division ", or a recorded vote. In that case the bells are rung throughout Parliament House summoning Senators or Members to the chamber. During a division, members who favour the motion move to the right side of the chamber (the side to the Speaker's or President's right), and those opposed move to the left. They are then counted by "tellers" (government and opposition whips), and the motion
516-611: A Coalition under the leadership of Jeff Kennett . Although the Liberals won enough seats to govern alone, Kennett retained the Nationals in his government. When Peter Ryan became leader of the Nationals shortly after the Kennett government's 1999 election defeat, he terminated the Coalition agreement and led the Nationals into the 2002 and 2006 elections separately from the Liberals. However,
645-564: A broadly similar place on the right of the political spectrum . The partnership between the two current parties dates back to 1946, shortly after the Liberal Party was formed, and has continued almost uninterrupted since then. The Country Party also maintained similar alliances with the Liberal Party's predecessors, the United Australia Party and Nationalist Party , and similar parties at state level. The first such federal arrangement
774-574: A century in which the government won a seat off the opposition in a by-election. In the 2023 New South Wales state election , the top 10 electorates in terms of Chinese ancestry all saw big swings to Labor. However, the New South Wales division of the Liberal Party managed to hold many state seats with large Chinese communities (such as the Sydney seats of Drummoyne , Epping , Holsworthy , Lane Cove , Miranda , Oatley and Ryde ). A Coalition between
903-419: A coalition opposition following their defeat in 1972 , but went into the 1974 federal election as a Coalition. The Coalition remained together upon entering opposition in 1983 federal election . The Coalition suffered another break, related to the " Joh for Canberra " campaign, from April to August 1987, the rift healing after the 1987 federal election . The solidity of the Coalition is so strong that when
1032-562: A few months before losing a confidence motion and being replaced by the Labor Party in the form of the Curtin government . After the demise of the Fadden government, the Coalition voted to continue on under his leadership in opposition. Menzies had opposed this, and resigned as UAP leader, to be replaced by the ageing Billy Hughes . Up until the 1943 election , the Coalition effectively operated as
1161-619: A forum for debates on public policy matters. Senators and members can move motions on a range of matters relevant to their constituents, and can also move motions of censure against the government or individual ministers. On most sitting days in each house there is a session called question time in which senators and members address questions without notice to the prime minister and other ministers. Senators and members can also present petitions from their constituents. Both houses have an extensive system of committees in which draft bills are debated, matters of public policy are inquired into, evidence
1290-552: A full Coalition government following the 1934 federal election . After the death of Prime Minister Joseph Lyons in April 1939, Page was appointed as his successor on an interim basis, pending the new election of a new UAP leader . Despite Page's misgivings, the UAP elected Robert Menzies – who was known to dislike the Country Party. Page subsequently made a vitriolic speech in parliament attacking Menzies's character, and withdrew his party from
1419-528: A majority in the lower house is entitled to form a government, and the United States Congress , which affords equal representation to each of the states, and scrutinises legislation before it can be signed into law. The upper house , the Senate, consists of 76 members: twelve for each state , and two for each of the self-governing territories . Senators are elected using the proportional system and as
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#17328700090921548-511: A non-tertiary qualification or no educational qualification. Homeowners vote more for the Coalition than any other party, and the State of Queensland is its biggest electorate by two-party-preferred vote percentage (though by primary vote, Tasmania is the state with the highest Coalition vote). The Coalition also gathers significant support from Australians in regional, rural and remote areas, whilst lacking significant support in most parts of
1677-559: A parliament has possessed armed personnel. Each of the two Houses elects a presiding officer. The presiding officer of the Senate is called the President ; that of the House of Representatives is the Speaker . Elections for these positions are by secret ballot. Both offices are conventionally filled by members of the governing party, but the presiding officers are expected to oversee debate and enforce
1806-614: A particular inquiry is completed the members of the committee can then produce a report, to be tabled in Parliament, outlining what they have discovered as well as any recommendations that they have produced for the government or house to consider. The ability of the houses of Parliament to establish committees is referenced in section 49 of the Constitution, which states that, Coalition (Australia) Defunct Defunct The Liberal–National Coalition , commonly known simply as
1935-581: A proportionate number of positions. By convention, the leader of the Liberal Party serves as the overall leader, serving as prime minister when the Coalition is in government and leader of the opposition when the Coalition is in opposition. The leader of the National Party becomes the deputy prime minister during periods of Coalition government. The two parties co-operate on their federal election campaigns, run joint Senate tickets in most states, and generally avoid running candidates against each other in
2064-515: A quorum is not present, so that debates on routine bills can continue while other members attend to other business outside the chamber. Sometimes the Opposition will " call a quorum " as a tactic to annoy the Government or delay proceedings, particularly when the Opposition feels it has been unfairly treated in the House. Proceedings are interrupted until a quorum is present. It is the responsibility of
2193-459: A result of variations on the preferential voting system used in every state and territory, the Coalition has been able to thrive, wherever both its member parties have both been active. The preferential voting system has allowed the Liberal and National parties to compete and co-operate at the same time. By contrast, a variation of the preferential system known as optional preferential voting has proven
2322-409: A result, both parties competed against each other and fought elections separately from 1952 to 1989. The presence of John McEwen , a Victorian, as number-two man in the federal government from 1958 to 1971 (including a brief stint as interim Prime Minister) did little to change this. The Liberals and Nationals reached a Coalition agreement in 1990. They fought and won the 1992 and 1996 elections as
2451-514: A result, the chamber features a multitude of parties vying for power. The governing party or coalition has not held a majority in the Senate since 1981 (except between 2005 and 2007) and usually needs to negotiate with other parties and independents to get legislation passed. The lower house , the House of Representatives, currently consists of 151 members, each elected using full preferential voting from single-member electorates (also known as electoral divisions or seats). This tends to lead to
2580-452: A significant handicap to coalition co-operation in Queensland and New South Wales , because significant numbers of voters do not express all useful preferences. Due to a disciplined coalition between the parties and their predecessors being in existence for almost 100 years with only a few brief cessations within a parliamentary system, most commentators and the general public often refer to
2709-410: A single unit, with separate party meetings being extremely rare. However, the landslide defeat it suffered – under Fadden as opposition leader – led to an immediate change in strategy. The UAP voted to break off its ties with the Country Party in opposition, and re-elected Menzies as its leader. This is the most recent occasion on which the senior partner in the Coalition has opted to withdraw. The UAP
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#17328700090922838-456: A specialist party looking after the needs of rural people is in decline." Nationals leader Ian Sinclair publicly rejected calls for a merger, citing the incompatibility of the National Party's conservatism and the "small-l liberal" wing of the Liberal Party. In July 1989, Senator Fred Chaney , the deputy leader of the Liberal Party, stated his tentative support for a merger, but noted that it could not be led by politicians and should come from
2967-478: A state or territory has its number of seats adjusted, if electorates are not generally matched by population size or if seven years have passed since the most recent redistribution. From 1901 to 1949, the House consisted of either 74 or 75 members (the Senate had 36). Between 1949 and 1984, it had between 121 and 127 members (the Senate had 60 until 1975, when it increased to 64). In 1977, the High Court ordered that
3096-617: A subject or citizen of a "foreign power". When the Constitution was drafted, all Australians (and other inhabitants of the British empire) were British subjects , so the word "foreign" meant outside the Empire. But, in the landmark case Sue v Hill (1999), the High Court of Australia ruled that, at least since the passage of the Australia Act 1986 , Britain has been a "foreign power", so that British citizens are also excluded. Compulsory voting
3225-515: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Australian Parliament Opposition (55) Coalition Crossbench (18) Labor (25) Opposition (30) Coalition Liberal (24) National (6) Crossbench (21) Greens (11) One Nation (2) Lambie Network ( 1 ) United Australia ( 1 ) [REDACTED] [REDACTED] The Parliament of Australia (officially
3354-455: Is a slight resemblance despite the massive difference of scale. The building was also designed to sit above Old Parliament House when seen from a distance. Construction began in 1981, and the House was intended to be ready by Australia Day , 26 January 1988, the 200th anniversary of European settlement in Australia . It was expected to cost $ 220 million. Neither the deadline nor the budget
3483-502: Is a tie. Most legislation is introduced into the House of Representatives and goes through a number of stages before it becomes law. The legislative process occurs in English, although other Australian parliaments have permitted use of Indigenous languages with English translation. Government bills are drafted by the Office of Parliamentary Counsel . The first stage is a first reading , where
3612-711: Is commonly called the " nexus clause ". Hence, the House presently consists of 151 members. Each state is allocated seats based on its population; however, each original state, regardless of size, is guaranteed at least five seats. The Constitution does not guarantee representation for the territories. Parliament granted a seat to the Northern Territory in 1922, and to the Australian Capital Territory in 1948; these territorial representatives, however, had only limited voting rights until 1968. Federal electorates have their boundaries redrawn or redistributed whenever
3741-422: Is finally followed by a third reading , where the bill is either passed or rejected by the House. If passed, the legislation is then sent to the Senate, which has a similar structure of debate and passage except that consideration of bills by Senate committees is more common than in the House and the consideration in detail stage is replaced by a committee of the whole . Once a bill has been passed by both Houses in
3870-404: Is led by John Pesutto and the National Party by Peter Walsh . The Country Party was the stronger coalition partner on multiple occasions from the 1920s through to the 1950s, and Country leaders served as Premier of Victoria on five separate occasions. However, the relationship between the two parties was somewhat strained for most of the second half of the 20th century. In 1948, the coalition
3999-419: Is passed or defeated accordingly. In the Senate, in order not to deprive a state of a vote in what is supposed to be a states' house, the president is permitted a vote along with other senators (however, that right is rarely exercised); in the case of a tie, the president does not have a casting vote and the motion fails. In the House of Representatives, the Speaker does not vote, but has a casting vote if there
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4128-421: Is taken and public servants are questioned. There are also joint committees, composed of members from both houses. In the event of conflict between the two houses over the final form of legislation, the Constitution provides for a simultaneous dissolution of both houses – known as a double dissolution . Section 57 of the Constitution states that, If the House of Representatives passes any proposed law, and
4257-403: The 1940 federal election , the Coalition was plunged into minority government for the first time in its history. Archie Cameron was an immediate victim of the election result, being replaced by Arthur Fadden and later defecting to the UAP. Menzies increasingly struggled to balance his management of Australia's war effort with domestic concerns, and his party began to rebel against him. However,
4386-533: The 1947 state election , although the Coalition did not form government during this period. Western Australia has never had a premier from the Country/National Party. In May 1949, the Liberal and Country League was formed to attempt to merge Country Party (then called County Democratic League or CDL) and Liberal Party together. This did not eventuate and the CDL did not join the new party. The National Party
4515-474: The 1984 election . The system for electing senators has changed several times since Federation . The original arrangement used a first-past-the-post block voting , on a state-by-state basis. This was replaced in 1919 by preferential block voting . Block voting tended to produce landslide majorities. For instance, from 1920 to 1923 the Nationalist Party had 35 of the 36 senators, and from 1947 to 1950,
4644-490: The 2010 federal election , all eight seats which resulted in a two-candidate-preferred result were re-counted to also express a statistical-only "traditional" two-party-preferred result. As of 2022, the biggest voting blocs of the Coalition are men , the Greatest Generation (people born between 1901–1927), the middle class (as opposed to the working class ), who make between A$ 45,001– A$ 80,000 per year, and have
4773-412: The 2011 state election in a massive swing under Barry O'Farrell , the 2015 election with a reduced majority under Mike Baird , and the 2019 election under Gladys Berejiklian. The Coalition led by Dominic Perrottet lost the 2023 state election and is in opposition since. New South Wales is the only state where the non-Labor Coalition has never broken, and yet has also never merged. This remained
4902-515: The Australian Labor Party (ALP), while exchanging preferences in elections. Such contests would weaken their prospects under first-past-the-post voting . From time to time, friction is caused by the fact that the Liberal and National candidates are campaigning against each other, without long-term damage to the relationship. Indeed, the whole point of introducing preferential voting was to allow safe spoiler-free, three-cornered contests. It
5031-542: The Australian Labor Party had 33 of the 36 senators. In 1948, single transferable vote proportional representation on a state-by-state basis became the method for electing senators. This change has been described as an "institutional revolution" that has led to the rise of a number of minor parties such as the Democratic Labor Party , Australian Democrats and Australian Greens who have taken advantage of this system to achieve parliamentary representation and
5160-506: The Bob Hawke government at the 1990 election , the first time in federal history that Labor had obtained a net benefit from preferential voting. It is not possible to be simultaneously a member of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, but a number of people have been members of both houses at different times in their parliamentary career . Only Australian citizens are eligible for election to either house. They must not also be
5289-519: The COVID-19 pandemic in Australia ; an adjournment rather than prorogation . Its committees would continue to operate using technology. This unprecedented move was accompanied by two motions raised by the Attorney-General of Australia , Christian Porter , and passed on 23 March 2020. One motion was designed to allow MPs to participate in parliament by electronic means, if agreed by the major parties and
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5418-676: The Centre Party , which held the balance of power in that year's state election . It threw its support to the Liberals, and Lyons – the Centre Party's lone MHA – became Deputy Premier. The Liberal–Centre alliance fell apart in 1972, forcing an early election . In 1975, what remained of the Centre Party became the Tasmanian chapter of what was by now the National Country Party before fading away completely. A Tasmanian National Party branch
5547-514: The House of Representatives . A merger of the Liberals and Nationals has been suggested on a number of occasions, but has never become a serious proposition. The relationship between the two parties varies at state and territory level. The situation in New South Wales and Victoria broadly mirrors that at federal level, while in Western Australia the parties are much more independent of each other. In
5676-635: The Liberal (and predecessors) and National parties has existed without interruption in New South Wales since 1927. Predecessors of the NSW Liberal Party, including the UAP, Nationalist Party and the Democratic Party , maintained a coalition with the Country Party (old name of National Party). The Liberal Party is led by Mark Speakman and the National Party by Dugald Saunders . The Coalition won
5805-481: The Liberal National Party (LNP), under the leadership of former National Lawrence Springborg . Although it is dominated by former Nationals, it has full voting rights within the Liberal Party and observer status within the National Party. Springborg stood down in 2009, and was succeeded by former Liberal John-Paul Langbroek . The LNP won an overwhelming majority government in the 2012 state election under
5934-563: The Northern Territory the territorial parties merged in 1974 to form the Country Liberal Party (CLP), and in 2008 the Queensland state-level parties merged, forming the Liberal National Party of Queensland (LNP). LNP and CLP members elected to federal parliament do not form separate parliamentary parties, joining either the Liberals or Nationals. In South Australia , Tasmania and the ACT,
6063-669: The Parliament of the Commonwealth and also known as the Federal Parliament ) is the federal legislature of Australia . It consists of three elements: the monarch of Australia (represented by the governor-general ), the Senate (the upper house), and the House of Representatives (the lower house). It combines elements from the Westminster system , in which the party or coalition with
6192-600: The Philadelphia -based architectural firm of Mitchell/Giurgola, with the on-site work directed by the Italian-born architect Romaldo Giurgola , with a design which involved burying most of the building under Capital Hill, and capping the edifice with an enormous spire topped by a large Australian flag . The façades, however, included deliberate imitation of some of the patterns of the Old Parliament House, so that there
6321-484: The United Australia Party , fought the 1931 federal election with a joint Senate ticket, though they ran separate House tickets. The UAP came up only four seats short of a majority in its own right. The Emergency Committee of South Australia , which stood for the UAP and Country Party in South Australia, joined the UAP party room , giving the UAP enough support to rule alone. However, the parties once again joined in
6450-645: The United States Senate , on which it was partly modelled, the Australian Senate includes an equal number of senators from each state, regardless of population. The Constitution allows Parliament to determine the number of senators by legislation, provided that the six original states are equally represented. Furthermore, the Constitution provides that each original state is entitled to at least six senators. However, neither of these provisions applies to any newly admitted states, or to territories. Since an act
6579-570: The federation of the six Australian colonies. The inaugural election took place on 29 and 30 March and the first Australian Parliament was opened on 9 May 1901 in Melbourne by Prince George, Duke of Cornwall and York, later King George V . The only building in Melbourne that was large enough to accommodate the 14,000 guests was the western annexe of the Royal Exhibition Building . After
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#17328700090926708-400: The government whip to ensure that, when a quorum is called, enough government members are present to form a quorum. Both Houses may determine motions by voice vote : the presiding officer puts the question, and, after listening to shouts of "Aye" and "No" from the members, announces the result. The announcement of the presiding officer settles the question, unless at least two members demand
6837-571: The ALP that previously belonged to the Coalition will sit with the previous member's party. An amicable division of seats was decided upon for new seats or seats that have never been won by the Coalition. In practice, all LNP MPs from Brisbane and most LNP MPs from the Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast sit with the Liberals, while those from rural seats usually sit with the Nationals. The state branch of
6966-696: The Coalition or the LNP , is an alliance of centre-right to right-wing political parties that forms one of the two major groupings in Australian federal politics . The two partners in the Coalition are the Liberal Party of Australia and the National Party of Australia (the latter previously known as the Country Party and the National Country Party). Its main opponent is the Australian Labor Party (ALP);
7095-465: The Coalition agreement was renewed in 2008 and the Victorian Liberal and National parties went into the 2010 election as a Coalition. The Coalition ended up winning the 2010 election with a one-seat margin under the leadership of Ted Baillieu , who resigned in 2013 and was succeeded by Denis Napthine . The Coalition lost power at the 2014 election . The Coalition arrangement was maintained while
7224-411: The Coalition as if it were a single party. Polling and electoral results contain a two-party-preferred (TPP) vote which is based on Labor and the Coalition. The Australian Electoral Commission has distinguished between "traditional" (Coalition/Labor) two-party-preferred (TPP/2PP) contests, and "non-traditional" ( Independent , Greens , Liberal vs National) two-candidate-preferred (TCP/2CP) contests. At
7353-405: The Coalition lost to the Labor Party and returned to opposition. In March 1973, former Prime Minister William McMahon publicly announced his support for a merger. McMahon reiterated his view after Labor won the 1974 election , and Billy Snedden , his successor as leader of the Liberal Party, also stated that he favoured a merger. During the 1980s, former Nationals MP Peter Nixon reviewed
7482-466: The Coalition on a two-party-preferred basis was 6.6 per cent, compared to 3.7 per cent in other seats. This resulted in the Liberal Party losing many federal seats with large Chinese communities in 2022 to Labor (losing Bennelong and Reid in Sydney and Chisholm in Melbourne to Labor and Kooyong in Melbourne to a teal independent ), as well as losing Aston in 2023 , which was the first time in over
7611-399: The Coalition over Labor, due to a perception that Liberal Party was more business-oriented than Labor. However, this has declined in recent years. In the 2022 Australian federal election , electorates with a higher concentration of Chinese-Australian voters experienced larger swings against the Coalition compared to other electorates; in the top 15 seats by Chinese ancestry, the swing against
7740-477: The Commonwealth can make grants subject to states implementing particular policies in their fields of legislative responsibility. Such grants, known as "tied grants" (since they are tied to a particular purpose), have been used to give the federal parliament influence over state policy matters such as public hospitals and schools. The Parliament performs other functions besides legislation. It can discuss urgency motions or matters of public importance : these provide
7869-513: The Country Party merged with the Liberal Federation , the state branch of the UAP, in 1932 to form the Liberal and Country League . It later became the state division of the Liberal Party when the latter was formed in 1945. A separate Country Party (later Nationals SA ) was revived in 1963, though the main non-Labor party in South Australia continued to use the LCL name until it was also renamed to
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#17328700090927998-465: The House of Representatives will not agree, the Governor-General may dissolve the Senate and the House of Representatives simultaneously. In an election following a double dissolution, each state elects their entire 12-seat Senate delegation, while the two territories represented in the Senate each elect their two senators as they would in a regular federal election. Because all seats are contested in
8127-412: The Labor Party, we aren't in coalition with the Liberals, we are definitely not in coalition with anyone. We stand alone in South Australia as an independent party." Flinders University political scientist Haydon Manning disagreed, saying that it is "churlish to describe the government as anything but a coalition". The party did not run candidates at the 2010 federal election , but ran one candidate in
8256-541: The Liberal Party in 1974. The revived SA Nationals have never been successful in South Australia, due to the state's highly centralised population (some three-quarters of the population lives in Adelaide ) and the Liberals' strong support in rural areas that would tilt National in most of the rest of Australia. The party's current incarnation has only elected two representatives: Peter Blacker from 1973 to 1993, and Karlene Maywald from 1997 to 2010. From 2004 to 2010, Maywald
8385-427: The Liberals won parliamentary majorities in their own right in the 1975 , 1977 and 1996 federal elections , the Coalition was retained. In the 2007 federal election , the Coalition lost to the Labor Party and went into opposition. The Coalition regained office in the 2013 federal election as a majority government. In October 2018, the Coalition went into minority government for the second time in its history, when
8514-419: The National Party, has ranked second in nearly all non-Labor governments, a status formalised in 1967 when the post of Deputy Prime Minister was formally created to denote Country leader John McEwen 's status as the number-two man in the government. The Nationalist–Country Coalition was reelected twice, and continued in office until its defeat in 1929 . The Country Party and the Nationalists' successor party,
8643-423: The Nationals have no sitting MPs and little or no organisational presence. The origins of the Coalition date back to the 1922 federal election , when the Nationalist Party , the main middle-class non-Labor party of the time, lost the absolute majority it had held since its formation in 1917. The Nationalists could only stay in office with the support of the two-year-old Country Party . It soon became apparent that
8772-451: The Nationals, while the LNP's four other senators sit with the Liberals. The highest-profile LNP MP of the 2010s was former federal Nationals leader and Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss . The LNP has an informal agreement with its federal counterparts as to which party room in which LNP members will sit. Incumbent MPs retain their previous federal affiliations, whereas members who win seats from
8901-623: The Nationals. However, Barnett would have likely had to keep the Nationals in his government in any event. According to the ABC's Antony Green , the rural weighting in the Legislative Council all but forces the WA Liberals to depend on National support even when the Liberals have enough support to govern alone. The Barnett government was heavily defeated at the 2017 state election , and the two parties went their separate ways with Liberal Party being
9030-682: The Parliament House Construction Authority was created. A two-stage competition was announced, for which the Authority consulted the Royal Australian Institute of Architects and, together with the National Capital Development Commission , made available to competitors a brief and competition documents. The design competition drew 329 entries from 29 countries. The competition winner was
9159-525: The Parliamentary Budget Office was convened, chaired by John Faulkner . The PBO's independence is enshrined in legislation. In 2013, Treasurer Wayne Swan introduced legislation requiring the PBO to conduct a post-election audit to cost political parties' electoral commitments. In its first independent report, the PBO noted that the Australian federal budget had an underlying structural deficit , caused in part by Howard government personal income tax cuts. This Australian government-related article
9288-430: The Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which the House of Representatives will not agree, and if after an interval of three months the House of Representatives, in the same or the next session, again passes the proposed law with or without any amendments which have been made, suggested, or agreed to by the Senate, and the Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which
9417-529: The UAP was bereft of leadership despite having been in power for a decade. With this in mind, in August 1941 the Coalition collectively decided that Fadden and Menzies should swap positions, with Menzies becoming Minister for Defence Co-ordination and Fadden becoming prime minister. It was the first and only occasion on which the Coalition was led by the leader of the junior party. However, the Fadden government only lasted
9546-419: The balance of power. From the 1984 election, group ticket voting was introduced in order to reduce a high rate of informal voting but in 2016, group tickets were abolished to end the influence that preference deals amongst parties had on election results and a form of optional preferential voting was introduced. Section 15 of the Constitution provides that a casual vacancy of a senator shall be filled by
9675-401: The bill or bills, including any amendments which have been previously proposed in either house, or any new amendments. If a bill is passed by an absolute majority of the total membership of the joint sitting, it is treated as though it had been passed separately by both houses, and is presented for royal assent. With proportional representation, and the small majorities in the Senate compared to
9804-581: The capital cities. However, there are regions of capital cities that do still vote for the Coalition; such as the Hills District and Sutherland and most of the Eastern Suburbs and Northern Suburbs of Sydney; some areas of Melbourne 's east and northeast; many areas of Brisbane and Perth ; and the southern part of Darwin . The Coalition has below-average support among Indian and Muslim voters. Historically, Chinese Australians have voted for
9933-406: The case even in 2011, when the Liberals won a majority in their own right but still retained the Coalition. On 10 September 2020, the Nationals threatened to move to the crossbench over a dispute regarding koala protection laws, but the issue was resolved the next day and the Nationals remained in the Coalition. Due to Brisbane having a much smaller share of Queensland 's population compared to
10062-442: The chamber being dominated by two major political groups, the centre‑right Coalition (consisting of the Liberal and National parties) and the centre‑left Labor Party . The government of the day must achieve the confidence of this House in order to gain and remain in power. The House of Representatives has a maximum term of three years, although it can be dissolved early. The Senate has fixed terms, with half of
10191-513: The coalition – the most recent occasion on which the coalition has been broken while in government. However, a number of Page's colleagues disagreed with his stance, and he resigned as leader in September 1939. He was replaced by Archie Cameron , and after months of negotiations the coalition was revived in March 1940, with five Country MPs joining the second Menzies ministry . After losing eight seats at
10320-557: The design as part of his official duties. He had little personal enthusiasm for the project, as he felt it was a waste of money and expenditure on it could not be justified at the time. Nevertheless, he designed the building by default. The construction of Old Parliament House , as it is called today, commenced on 28 August 1923 and was completed in early 1927. It was built by the Commonwealth Department of Works, using workers and materials from all over Australia. The final cost
10449-551: The domain of the states. Section 51 grants the Commonwealth power over areas such as taxation, external affairs, defence and marriage. Section 51 also allows state parliaments to refer matters to the Commonwealth to legislate. Section 96 of the Australian Constitution gives the Commonwealth Parliament the power to grant money to any State, "on such terms and conditions as the Parliament thinks fit". In effect,
10578-497: The event. Dame Nellie Melba sang " God Save the King ". The Duke of York unlocked the front doors with a golden key, and led the official party into King's Hall where he unveiled the statue of his father, King George V . The Duke then opened the first parliamentary session in the new Senate Chamber. In 1978 the Fraser government decided to proceed with a new building on Capital Hill , and
10707-430: The floor to join the Nationals. The Nationals then governed in their own right until 1989 . The Coalition was renewed in 1991, and won power under Rob Borbidge from 1996 to 1998 . The Queensland Liberals and Nationals had contested separately for the Senate in federal elections until the 2007 election , when they ran a join Senate ticket for the first time in 30 years. In 2008, the two parties agreed to merge, forming
10836-465: The generally larger majorities in the House of Representatives, and the requirement that the number of members of the lower house be "nearly as practicable" twice that of the Senate, a joint sitting after a double dissolution is more likely than not to lead to a victory for the lower house over the Senate. This provision has only been invoked on one occasion, after the election following the 1974 double dissolution. However, there are other occasions when
10965-402: The government with the leader of that party or coalition becoming the prime minister. If the government loses the confidence of the House, they are expected to call a new election or resign. Parliament may determine the number of members of the House of Representatives but the Constitution provides that this number must be "as nearly as practicable, twice the number of Senators"; this requirement
11094-427: The governor-general to become law. The Senate has the same legislative powers as the House, except that it may not amend or introduce money bills, only pass or reject them. The enacting formula for acts of Parliament since 1990 is simply "The Parliament of Australia enacts:". Commonwealth legislative power is limited to that granted in the Constitution. Powers not specified are considered "residual powers", and remain
11223-641: The grassroots. In the wake of their 2007 federal election loss, there was again talk of a merger in 2007 and 2008, as a result of a shrinking National Party vote. It was argued that the decline in the National vote is linked to a declining rural population, and National Party policies have become increasingly similar to those of the Liberal Party. However no merger took place outside of Queensland. Coalition arrangements are facilitated by Australia's preferential voting systems which enable Liberals and Nationals to compete locally in " three-cornered-contests ", with
11352-456: The leadership of former Liberal Campbell Newman , who had taken over from Langbroek a year earlier. However, it lost power in 2015 and remained in opposition for nearly a decade, returning to power in 2024. At the federal level, 15 LNP MPs sit with the Liberals, including federal Liberal leader Peter Dutton ; six sit with the Nationals, including federal Nationals leader David Littleproud . LNP Senators Matt Canavan Susan McDonald sit with
11481-416: The legislation is introduced to the chamber, then there is a second reading , where a vote is taken on the general outlines of the bill. Although rare, the legislation can then be considered by a House committee, which reports back to the House on any recommendations. This is followed by a consideration in detail stage, where the House can consider the clauses of the bill in detail and make any amendments. This
11610-475: The lower house voting system to full preferential voting for the subsequent 1919 election . This was in response to Labor unexpectedly winning the 1918 Swan by-election with the largest primary vote, due to vote splitting among the conservative parties. This system has remained in place ever since, allowing the Coalition parties to safely contest the same seats. Full-preference preferential voting re-elected
11739-486: The new Nationalist leader, Stanley Bruce . The Country Party's terms were unusually stiff for a prospective junior partner in a Westminster system (and especially so for a relatively new party) – five seats in an 11-member cabinet, as well as the Treasurer 's post and second rank in the ministry for Page. Nonetheless, Bruce agreed rather than force a new election. Since then, the leader of the Country Party, which evolved into
11868-403: The night to 5 am, Holder exclaimed: "Dreadful, dreadful!" before collapsing as a result of a cerebral haemorrhage . The Constitution provided that a new national capital would be established for the nation. This was a compromise at Federation due to the rivalry between the two largest Australian cities, Sydney and Melbourne , which both wished to become the new capital. The site of Canberra
11997-554: The official opening, from 1901 to 1927 the Parliament met in Parliament House, Melbourne , which it borrowed from the Parliament of Victoria (which sat, instead, in the Royal Exhibition Building until 1927). During this time, Sir Frederick Holder became the first speaker and also the first (and thus far only) parliamentarian to die during a sitting. On 23 July 1909 during an acrimonious debate that had extended through
12126-419: The other state capitals, Queensland is the only state in which the Nationals were consistently the stronger non-Labor party. The Nationals were the senior partner in the non-Labor Coalition from 1925 until the Coalition was broken in 1983. At an election held two months later , the Nationals under Joh Bjelke-Petersen came up one seat short of a majority, but later gained a majority when two Liberal MLAs crossed
12255-410: The party and "concluded it should seriously consider amalgamating with the Liberals". Former Nationals leader Doug Anthony wrote not long afterward, "Any objective and rational National Party member who read this report would have to accept that amalgamation was the only realistic course. Regrettably, there are still too many who don't want to read it and who don't want to face reality, that the role of
12384-487: The place until fourteen days after the state Parliament resumes sitting. The state Parliament can also be recalled to ratify a replacement. The lower house of the Australian Parliament, the House of Representatives , is made up of single member electorates with a population of roughly equal size. As is convention in the Westminster system , the party or coalition of parties that has the majority in this House forms
12513-416: The power to appoint the governor-general), whom the King appoints as his federal representative in Australia on the advice of the prime minister . However, by convention, the governor-general exercises these powers only upon the advice of ministers, except for limited circumstances covered by the reserve powers . The upper house of the Australian Parliament is the Senate , which consists of 76 members. Like
12642-409: The rules in an impartial manner. The Constitution authorises Parliament to set the quorum for each chamber. The quorum of the Senate is one-quarter of the total membership (nineteen); that of the House of Representatives is one-fifth of the total membership (thirty-one). In theory, if a quorum is not present, then a House may not continue to meet. In practice, members usually agree not to notice that
12771-416: The same election, it is easier for smaller parties to win seats under the single transferable vote system: the quota for the election of each senator in each Australian state in a full Senate election is 7.69% of the vote, while in a normal half-Senate election the quota is 14.28%. If the conflict continues after such an election, the governor-general may convene a joint sitting of both houses to consider
12900-548: The same form, it is then presented to the governor-general for royal assent . The principal function of the Parliament is to pass laws, or legislation. Any parliamentarian may introduce a proposed law (a bill), except for a money bill (a bill proposing an expenditure or levying a tax), which must be introduced in the House of Representatives. In practice, the great majority of bills are introduced by ministers. Bills introduced by other members are called private members' bills. All bills must be passed by both houses and assented to by
13029-453: The seat of Barker and two for the Senate at the 2013 election . The Nationals candidate for Barker and several other Coalition figures assured electors that any Nationals elected from South Australia would be part of the Coalition, after comments from the Liberal candidate to the contrary. The National Party has never done well in Tasmania , even though its first leader, William McWilliams ,
13158-413: The seat of Wentworth was won by Independent Kerryn Phelps in the by-election . The by-election was triggered by the resignation of incumbent Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull , who was ousted as Prime Minister and Liberal Party leader during a spill motion earlier in August 2018. The coalition formed majority government again following the 2019 federal election . In the 2022 Australian federal election ,
13287-411: The senior party and the Liberal Party being the junior party in the alliance. Shadow ministerial positions were also held by parliamentary members of both parties. This was similar to the agreements between both parties when they were in government following the 2008 and 2013 elections. Similar to the 2008 and 2013 agreements, the deputy leader of the senior party, Nationals deputy leader Shane Love ,
13416-432: The size of the House be reduced from 127 to 124 members to comply with the nexus provision. In 1984, both the Senate and the House were enlarged; since then the House has had between 148 and 151 members (the Senate has 76). First-past-the-post voting was used to elect members of the House of Representatives until in 1918 the Nationalist Party government, a predecessor of the modern-day Liberal Party of Australia , changed
13545-410: The sole opposition party. In the 2021 election , the Liberal Party ended up winning fewer seats than the National Party, headed by Mia Davies , with the National Party gaining opposition status and Davies becoming the first Nationals opposition leader since 1947 . Following the election, the Liberal Party and Nationals Party entered into a formal alliance to form opposition, with National Party being
13674-448: The sparsely built nature of Canberra of the time and its small population. The building was extensively decorated with Union Jacks and Australian flags and bunting. Temporary stands were erected bordering the lawns in front of the Parliament and these were filled with crowds. A Wiradjuri elder, Jimmy Clements , was one of only two Aboriginal Australians present, having walked for about a week from Brungle Station (near Tumut ) to be at
13803-473: The speaker; the second determined that with the agreement of the two major parties, the standing orders could be amended without requiring an absolute majority. The Constitution establishes the Commonwealth Parliament, consisting of three components: the King of Australia , the Senate and the House of Representatives. All of the constitutional functions of the King are exercisable by the governor-general (except
13932-417: The state Parliament. If the previous senator was a member of a particular political party the replacement must come from the same party, but the state Parliament may choose not to fill the vacancy, in which case section 11 requires the Senate to proceed regardless. If the state Parliament happens to be in recess when the vacancy occurs, the Constitution provides that the state governor can appoint someone to fill
14061-408: The state Senate seats go up for re-election each three years (except in the case of a double dissolution) as they serve six-year terms; however territory Senators do not have staggered terms and hence face re-election every three years. Until 1949, each state elected the constitutional minimum of six senators. This number increased to ten from the 1949 election , and was increased again to twelve from
14190-689: The state senators' terms expiring every three years (the terms of the four territory senators are linked to House elections). As a result, House and Senate elections almost always coincide. A deadlock-breaking mechanism known as a double dissolution can be used to dissolve the full Senate as well as the House if the Senate refuses to pass a piece of legislation passed by the House. The two houses of Parliament meet in separate chambers of Parliament House (except in rare joint sittings ) on Capital Hill in Canberra , Australian Capital Territory . The Commonwealth of Australia came into being on 1 January 1901 with
14319-519: The turnout figure rise to 91.4%. The turnout increased to about 95% within a couple of elections and has stayed at about that level since. Since 1973, citizens have had the right to vote upon turning 18. Prior to this it was 21. Australian Federal Police officers armed with assault rifles have been situated in the Federal Parliament since 2015. It is the first time in Australian history that
14448-478: The two forces are often regarded as operating in a two-party system . The Coalition was last in government from 2013 to 2022. The group is led by Peter Dutton , who succeeded Scott Morrison after the 2022 federal election . The two parties in the Coalition have different geographical voter bases , with the Liberals – the larger party – drawing most of their vote from urban areas and the Nationals operating almost exclusively in rural and regional areas. They occupy
14577-470: The two houses meet as one. In addition to the work of the main chambers, both the Senate and the House of Representatives have a large number of investigatory and scrutiny committees which deal with matters referred to them by their respective houses or ministers. They provide the opportunity for all members and senators to ask questions of witnesses, including ministers and public officials, as well as conduct inquiries, and examine policy and legislation. Once
14706-596: The two parties were in opposition. According to The Age, between November 2018 and November 2021, the Coalition's Legislative Council members voted with the Andrews Government's position 28.9% of the time; of the parties in the Legislative Council, only the Liberal Democratic Party had a lower figure (22.1%). The Country Party was the stronger coalition partner from the 1933 state election to
14835-458: Was a Minister in the Rann Labor government, before losing her seat at the 2010 South Australian state election, thereby informally creating a Labor-National coalition in South Australia. The National Party, at the time, rejected the notion that it was in a coalition with Labor at the state level. State National Party President John Venus told journalists, "We (The Nationals) are not in coalition with
14964-515: Was a Tasmanian. It has elected only two other lower house members. A Tasmania branch of the then-Country Party was formed in 1922 and briefly held the balance of power, but merged with the Nationalists in 1924. It was refounded in 1962, but never gained much ground. In 1969, Liberal MHA Kevin Lyons , the son of former Prime Minister Lyons, pulled together most of the Tasmanian Country Party into
15093-476: Was a government of the Nationalist Party , a forerunner to the modern Liberal Party which introduced the legislation, following Labor's unexpected win at the 1918 Swan by-election where the conservative vote split. Two months later, the Corangamite by-election held under preferential voting caused the initially leading ALP candidate to lose after some lower-placed candidates' preferences had been distributed. As
15222-478: Was about £600,000, which was more than three times the original estimate. It was designed to house the parliament for a maximum of 50 years until a permanent facility could be built, but was actually used for more than 60 years. The building was opened on 9 May 1927 by the Duke and Duchess of York (later King George VI and Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother ). The opening ceremonies were both splendid and incongruous, given
15351-575: Was briefly revived in the 1990s before it too disappeared, leaving the Liberal Party as the sole major non-Labor party in the state. In 2018, Senator Steve Martin , formerly of the Jacqui Lambie Network , joined the Nationals, becoming the party's first federal member from Tasmania in either chamber in 90 years. However, Martin lost his bid for a new term. A Coalition between the Liberal and National parties exists in Victoria . The Liberal Party
15480-460: Was broken when the Liberal leader and Premier Thomas Hollway sacked Country leader John McDonald as Deputy Premier. In March 1949, the Liberals renamed themselves the Liberal and Country Party as part of an effort to merge the two non-Labor parties in Victoria. However, McDonald saw this as an attempted Liberal takeover of the Country Party, and the Country Party turned the proposed merger down. As
15609-465: Was elected as the WA Nationals candidate for the seat of O'Connor at the 2010 federal election . Although some reports initially counted Crook as a National MP, and thus part of the Coalition, Crook sat as a crossbencher . The Liberals won enough seats for a majority in their own right in the 2013 state election , but Barnett had announced before the election that he would retain the coalition with
15738-414: Was folded into the Liberal Party in 1945, with Menzies as leader. In the lead-up to the 1946 federal election , Menzies renewed the Coalition with the Country Party, which was still led by Fadden. They won the 1949 federal election as a Coalition, and stayed in office for a record 23 years. Since 1946, the Coalition has remained intact with two exceptions, both in opposition. The parties decided not to form
15867-422: Was formed in 1923, as a solution to the hung parliament that resulted from the 1922 federal election . The Liberals and Nationals maintain separate organisational wings and separate parliamentary parties , but co-operate in various ways determined by a mixture of formal agreements and informal conventions. There is a single Coalition frontbench , both in government and in opposition , with each party receiving
15996-507: Was in Coalition with the Liberal Party government from 1993 to 2001 (see Hendy Cowan ), but the Coalition was subsequently broken. In 2008, the Liberals under Colin Barnett , the Nationals under Brendon Grylls , and independent John Bowler formed a minority government after the 2008 election . However, it was not characterised as a "traditional coalition", with limited cabinet collective responsibility for National cabinet members. Tony Crook
16125-528: Was introduced for federal elections in 1924. The immediate justification for compulsory voting was the low voter turnout (59.38%) at the 1922 federal election , down from 71.59% at the 1919 federal election . Compulsory voting was not on the platform of either the Stanley Bruce -led Nationalist/Country party coalition government or the Matthew Charlton -led Labor opposition. The actual initiative for change
16254-443: Was made by Herbert Payne , a backbench Tasmanian Nationalist Senator who on 16 July 1924 introduced a private Senator's bill in the Senate. Payne's bill was passed with little debate (the House of Representatives agreeing to it in less than an hour), and in neither house was a division required, hence no votes were recorded against the bill. The 1925 federal election was the first to be conducted under compulsory voting, which saw
16383-527: Was met. In the end it cost more than $ 1.1 billion to build. New Parliament House was finally opened by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia , on 9 May 1988, the anniversary of the opening of both the first Federal Parliament in Melbourne on 9 May 1901 and the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra on 9 May 1927. In March 2020, the 46th Parliament of Australia was suspended due to
16512-624: Was passed in 1973, senators have been elected to represent the territories. Currently, the two Northern Territory senators represent the residents of the Northern Territory as well as the Australian external territories of Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands . The two Australian Capital Territory senators represent the Australian Capital Territory, the Jervis Bay Territory and since 1 July 2016, Norfolk Island . Only half of
16641-431: Was selected for the location of the nation's capital city in 1908. A competition was announced on 30 June 1914 to design Parliament House, with prize money of £7,000. However, due to the start of World War I the next month, the competition was cancelled. It was re-announced in August 1916, but again postponed indefinitely on 24 November 1916. In the meantime, John Smith Murdoch , the Commonwealth's chief architect, worked on
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