A question time in a parliament occurs when members of the parliament ask questions of government ministers (including the prime minister), which they are obliged to answer. It usually occurs daily while parliament is sitting, though it can be cancelled in exceptional circumstances. Question time originated in the Westminster system of the United Kingdom , and occurs in other countries, mostly Commonwealth countries, who use the system.
157-655: In practice, the questions asked in question time are often pre-arranged by the organisers of each party, although the questions are usually without notice. Questions from government backbenchers are either intended to allow the Minister to discuss the virtues of government policy, or to attack the opposition. Question time, formally known as questions without notice , is an institution in the Commonwealth Parliament and in all state parliaments. Questions to government ministers normally alternate between government members and
314-449: 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
471-475: A Member of the Legislative Assembly. Ministers and former ministers are entitled to the style " The Honourable " (abbreviated to "The Hon") although some choose not to use it. The government of the day sits on benches to the right of the presiding officer within each chamber, while the opposition sits to the left. Members of a house who are not part of either the official government or opposition sit on
628-515: A call list, as the Commons does, so Peers rise to ask a question themselves and they alternate between the Government, opposition and crossbench sides of the chamber. Unlike the Commons, where only the Speaker can call a member to order, any Lord can call any other Lord to order, and on many occasions noble Lords intervene to ensure fair distribution of questions around the chamber. If unable to settle who
785-494: A candidate for either House, except for: It is also not permitted to be a member of both houses or a candidate for election to both houses of Parliament. Members of Parliament may be addressed by their name or by using their electorate, for example "The Member for Hawthorn" or "Member for Southern Metropolitan Region", and are entitled to the postnominal letters MLC if a Member of the Legislative Council, and MLA or MP if
942-443: A committee is determined by the parliament, usually as a new parliament begins. Each committee contains members of many political parties, not just the governing parties, although the government still generally aims to give itself functional majorities within each committee. Lobbyists, members of the public and organisations communicate with committees in order to give input into the drafting of bills. The Parliament of Victoria outlines
1099-587: A few days before the question time takes place and published. Ministers therefore have advance warning of the initial questions, but after each question has been answered, the MP in whose name it appears may ask a supplementary question on the same subject area for which no notice is given (unless the MP chooses to do so privately). The Speaker will usually call other MPs to ask further supplementary questions and this will often include Opposition front bench spokespersons. A second ballot enables MPs to put forward their names to ask
1256-619: 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
1413-426: A four-year term. Each region contains eleven divisions from the Legislative Assembly. The Council is elected using a single transferable vote with the option of group voting tickets. Casual vacancies are filled by a joint-sitting of both houses. The new member must be from the same party as the original member was at the time of their election. The Council's power has decreased over time, as its role has changed. It
1570-567: A general rule, official government policy is based on advice given by a committee. This ensures further public input as committees consist of members from many parties. Bills are then drafted by the Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to ensure that all relevant clauses and technicalities in existing laws are covered. Any member, whether in government or otherwise, may draft their own bill. Bills are almost always tabled to Parliament by
1727-588: A legislative year. This was introduced to the Legislative Council in 1992 by the Governor of Hong Kong , Chris Patten as Governor's Question Time. The United States , which has a presidential system of government, does not have a question time for the president . However, Article II, Section 3 of the Constitution of the United States states: "[The president] shall from time to time give to Congress information of
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#17328699473861884-528: 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
2041-404: A minister's answer after question time, allowing questioners (generally Opposition senators) to respond to the answers provided by ministers. It is very common for points of order to be raised during question time on the issue of relevance, as a Minister answering questions will normally attempt to redirect the answer to an attack on their opponents. However, as long as the Minister is talking on
2198-559: 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
2355-845: 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, Parliament of Victoria Opposition (27) Liberal (19) National (9) Crossbench (5) Greens (3) Independent ( 1 ) Independent Labor ( 1 ) Opposition (13) Liberal (11) National (2) The Parliament of Victoria
2512-597: A question is answered orally in Parliament, MPs may raise supplementary questions. According to Speaker Tan Chuan-Jin , the sequencing of questions for Question Time is entirely at the Speaker's discretion: "As Speaker, I will decide the sequence of PQs on the Order Paper for a Sitting. No strict formula is involved, other than exercising reasonable judgement." Describing his approach to presiding over Question Time, Tan has said: "I will be permissive and expansive where possible to optimise productive exchanges. For instance, after
2669-459: A question. Each day that the Parliament of Singapore sits has the first one and a half hours of the meeting allocated to Question Time. MPs submit questions in advance, and only questions listed on the Order Paper for the sitting day may be dealt with during Question Time. Questions which are not dealt with during the sitting may be "rolled over" to another sitting day, or answered in writing. After
2826-462: 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
2983-527: A regular routine. Each sitting day begins with a prayer, and also an acknowledgement to country in respect to Victoria's Indigenous people. A quorum must be present for a day's proceedings to be legally binding, so the presiding officer will generally wait until enough members are within the chamber before entering. Members may only speak in the chamber when given leave to do so by the presiding officer. A proposed petition, motion or bill can be introduced into either house, but in practice most are introduced into
3140-532: A replacement, ministers can make two-minute ministerial statements to the chamber (see Dorothy Dixer ). Question time has been broadcast on ABC Radio since 1946 and televised since 1991 by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation . There is a common misperception that question time is about asking questions to ministers as there are uncommon occurrences of questions being asked to members of Parliament who are not ministers. Question time in
3297-514: 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
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#17328699473863454-513: A rota which repeats every four to five weeks when the House is sitting. The larger Departments generally have the full hour for oral questions whereas smaller Departments will have less time allocated. In addition, Questions to the Prime Minister takes place each Wednesday from noon to 12:30pm, and questions are asked each Thursday (Questions to the Leader of House of Commons ), about the business of
3611-710: A secret ballot within elections (a novelty within the British Empire at the time ), and ordering the construction of Victorian Parliament House in Melbourne. The Victorian Constitution was approved by the Legislative Council in March 1854. It was the sent to Britain where it was passed by the United Kingdom Parliament as the Victoria Constitution Act 1855. It was granted royal assent on 16 July 1855 and
3768-478: 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
3925-582: A state within the federated Australia . The Parliament may make laws for any matter within Victoria, subject to some referendum requirements in the Victorian Constitution . Its power is further limited by the ability for the federal laws to override state laws, subject to the Australian Constitution . State courts are responsible for interpreting the laws of Parliament, subject to appeal to
4082-617: 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
4239-500: A topical question for which no notice is required. Questions to the prime minister are usually tabled on a topical basis so that the name of the MP is published but not the question itself. Additionally, each Member of Parliament is entitled to table an unlimited number of written questions. Usually a Private Member directs a question to a Secretary of State , and it is usually answered by a Minister of State or Parliamentary Under Secretary of State . Written Questions are submitted to
4396-455: 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
4553-502: 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
4710-711: 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
4867-422: 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
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5024-639: Is generally held every week while the Diet is in session, it may be cancelled with the agreement of the opposition: this often happens during the budgeting period and at other times when the prime minister must sit in the Diet. Speaker Johari Abdul of the Dewan Rakyat , the elected house of the Parliament of Malaysia , announced in February 2023 that the upcoming sitting would see the introduction of both Prime Minister's Questions and Minister's Questions: "We suggest that
5181-419: 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
5338-560: Is possible in this way to prematurely terminate question time, although this is rare in the House and essentially unheard of in the Senate. During the Keating Government, the prime minister attempted to limit the number of questions asked in a way the Liberal Opposition disapproved of. To protest the change, the Opposition made random quorum calls through the afternoon for every question they felt they had been denied that day. In
5495-421: 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
5652-648: Is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King , represented by the governor of Victoria , the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council . It has a fused executive drawn from members of both chambers. The parliament meets at Parliament House in the state capital Melbourne . The current Parliament
5809-406: Is the only time of day when all members of Parliament are in their respective chambers, the appearance of question time can be rowdy and boisterous compared to the normally sedate activity during the rest of the day. There is a 30-second time limit for questions by the Opposition and a four-minute time limit for answers in the House of Representatives. Crossbench MPs get a time limit of 30 seconds,
5966-511: Is therefore mathematically impossible for a speaker to pass such legislation with their casting vote, as the largest possible tied vote is 43:43. The president used to have the same power, but their role has changed over time. Consequently, the president now has a deliberative vote but not a casting vote. This is modelled on the Australian Senate and ensures that a region of Victoria would not be deprived of one of its five votes. A tied vote in
6123-474: 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,
6280-606: 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
6437-506: 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
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6594-519: 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
6751-479: The High Court of Australia . The parliament is also vested with other powers, such as the means to investigate matters, conduct research and summon witnesses. Government is formed by the party or parties who command confidence and supply within the Assembly. The leader of the governing party or parties is the premier , the most senior elected member of Victoria's executive government. Victorians do not directly elect
6908-528: The House of Commons of Canada , colloquially referred to as Question Period , and formally known as Oral Questions , occurs during each sitting day in the House of Commons. The questions may be posed to either the prime minister of Canada , or any minister of the Cabinet of Canada . In addition to the House of Commons of Canada , question period is also a convention that is practiced in the various legislative bodies of
7065-617: 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
7222-600: 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
7379-652: The Royal Exhibition Building . The building has undergone significant renovations since its initial construction as it has been expanded, repaired and restored over time. The first major works were conducted in the 1930s, using a £50,000 contribution from the Australian federal government paid in gratitude for the use of the building. Further construction was undertaken throughout the 1970s to make temporary offices for members of Parliament, although these were not modernised until further works began in 2015. Sections of
7536-475: The Speaker of Parliament to giving all parliamentary groups the opportunity to put at least one question to the prime minister of Finland and his/her ministers. It is broadcast live on public television, particularly on Yle TV1 . Government ministers are made available to the Bundestag for 35 minutes each Wednesday after the weekly cabinet meeting, during which time they take questions on current matters before
7693-585: 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
7850-451: 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
8007-400: 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
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#17328699473868164-432: The proportionally represented Legislative Council. The council is described as a house of review. Majorities in the Legislative Council are rare, so the government of the day must negotiate with other parties to pass much of its legislative agenda. All members serve four-year terms. The parliament's functions and processes have evolved over time, undergoing significant changes as Victoria changed from an independent colony to
8321-595: The provinces and territories of Canada . Like the federal House of Commons, Question Period in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia , Legislative Assembly of Manitoba , and the Legislative Assembly of Ontario is formally known as Oral Questions. In the Quebec National Assembly , the practice is called Oral Questions and Answers . In the Oireachtas , Ireland's parliament, questions are asked in Dáil Éireann ,
8478-460: The 1890s, leading to further agitation for changes to the vote. This also led to voting within each chamber becoming more predictable, as strong party discipline began to form among party members, mostly aligned to three broad ideals: the labour movement, liberal movement and rural interests. Victoria's two-party system took hold, usually as a contest between the Labor Party and a coalition formed by
8635-405: The Assembly are filled by a by-election within the electorate. The Assembly functions as a representation of Victoria and commanding a majority within the Assembly provides a mandate for government policies. The Assembly is the only chamber authorised to draw funds from the public treasury, or to raise taxes, on its own initiative. Changes to taxation or funding for projects can still be debated by
8792-607: The Assembly, partly as a matter of convention and mostly due to the fact that bills not sponsored by the government are unlikely to be passed. A bill typically goes through three readings, each followed by a vote, before being presented to the Legislative Council. The Legislative Council primarily acts as a house of review. It has equal power to the Legislative of Assembly, except in relation to appropriation bills. It contains forty members , elected from eight multi-member electorates known as regions . Each region returns five members for
8949-645: The British tradition where the prime minister submits to questions on the floor of the House of Commons – something Senator John McCain had promised to do if elected president." Parliament of Australia 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
9106-662: The Clerks of the Table Office, either on paper or electronically, and are recorded in The Official Report (Hansard) so as to be widely available and accessible. In the House of Lords, half an hour is put aside each afternoon at the start of the day's proceedings for "Lords Questions". A peer submits a query in advance, which then appears on the Order Paper for the day's proceedings. The Lord shall say: " My Lords, I beg leave to ask
9263-493: The Commons since November 2007. For question time, Government whips organize "support groups" of government MPs whose duty it is to support the ministers who answer questions by asking questions helpful to the government and shouting in its support. In addition to government departments, there are also questions regarding the Church of England , House of Commons reform and Law Rulings. Questions for oral answer are selected by ballot
9420-477: 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
9577-563: The Council, but the Assembly may always authorise funding for the ordinary operation of government without needing Council approval. If the Council does not pass the Assembly's budget within a month it is passed to the governor for royal assent regardless. This means that, unlike the Australian Senate , the other chamber of Victoria's parliament cannot block supply for government funding. The Assembly has increased in power over time compared to
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#17328699473869734-531: The Council. The governor does not enter the Assembly, in keeping with the Westminster tradition of regal and vice-regal persons not entering into the chamber modelled on the House of Commons . Bills passed by the Assembly must also pass the Council within the same form. Either house can propose amendments to bills and all bills and their amendments, with the exception of supply bills, must pass both houses. The Council may debate supply bills but cannot amend them. In
9891-521: The Country Party (now known as the Nationals ) and the more recent Liberal Party . The principle of ensuring that rural regions, which typically represented the landed gentry when Victoria first formed, were over-represented in parliament was also rescinded. One-man-one vote was adopted in 1899 in the Legislative Assembly, and expanded to the Legislative Council in 1937. Wealth requirements for voting in
10048-415: The House of Representatives or the Senate – but the discussions on this issue have never gotten past an exploratory stage. President George H. W. Bush once said of PMQs, "I count my blessings for the fact I don't have to go into that pit that John Major stands in, nose-to-nose with the opposition, all yelling at each other." In 2008, Senator John McCain ( Republican Party nominee for president of
10205-465: 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
10362-456: The House the following week. The larger departments also have a Topical question period for the last 15 minutes of their hour for questions, where the Secretary of State outlines recent developments in their department and then backbench MPs can ask any question relating to their department, for which ministers are not given prior notice. Topical questions have been part of each question time in
10519-428: The House, question time is generally scheduled from 2pm to 3:15 pm on every sitting day; in the Senate, it generally occurs from 2pm to 3pm. Apart from divisions, it is the only time the chamber is likely to be filled. Tactically, it is considered an important defining characteristic for an Opposition Leader to be able ask a pertinent question of the prime minister or premier, or to single out perceived weak performers in
10676-494: The Legislative Assembly has had 88 members elected for fixed four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using preferential voting . Fixed four-year terms were introduced for both houses in 2003, replacing the previous provision that allowed the government to expire after no more than four years. Parliament consists of the King and two houses: the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. The governor acts on behalf of
10833-424: The Legislative Assembly to be elected by and from Railway Officers and similarly one seat for Public Officers , and one seat in the Legislative Council for both groups combined . In 1907, these four seats were abolished and such officers voted instead in their electoral district and province and were otherwise prohibited from political campaigning. Voting was initially restricted based on gender, though. Victoria
10990-452: The Legislative Assembly were removed in 1857, but this reform was not made to the Legislative Council until 1950. Furthermore, the method of voting was changed; first-past-the-post voting was replaced with preferential voting for the Legislative Assembly in 1911 and compulsory voting introduced in 1923. Meanwhile, the preferential voting was used for elections to the Legislative Council from 1921, and elections made compulsory in 1935. Voting
11147-674: The Legislative Assembly. Any statute bill, with the exception of bills appropriating money for the ordinary annual services of government, must be passed by both Houses before being presented to the governor, who will sign the bill into law on behalf of the King . Ordinary appropriation bills need only be passed by the Legislative Assembly before being presented to the governor for royal assent. The parliamentary process extends beyond each chamber in turn. Proposed bills and motions will usually be passed separately within their party caucus before they are brought to Parliament. The governing party or parties will also generally only propose bills that have
11304-427: The Legislative Council. It is assumed that the government of the day will act upon the initiatives it campaigned on and the Assembly serves as a direct link between local members and each individual constituency. Furthermore, while it is not a requirement that ministers come from the Assembly, it is convention that more members of the executive branch sit within the Assembly than the Council. Most bills originate within
11461-539: The Minister to make a political speech or otherwise score political points. Convention allows the prime minister in the House, and the Leader of the Government in the Senate, to terminate question time by asking that "further questions be placed on the Notice Paper ". This is not a formal motion but an indication that, even if further questions were asked, ministers would not answer them since they are not compelled to do so. It
11618-733: The Minister’s verbal reply, I will let MPs continue asking Supplementary Questions (SQs) for further clarifications. I will remind both front and back benches to say more with less, so that as many MPs who wish to ask SQs can do so." He has called the tone of Singaporean Question Time "more measured" compared to similar proceedings in other countries. In the United Kingdom , question time in the House of Commons lasts for an hour each day from Monday to Thursday (2:30 to 3:30pm on Mondays, 11:30am to 12:30pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and 9:30 to 10:30am on Thursdays). Each Government department has its place in
11775-464: The Ministry. Interjections from both government and opposition members in the House of Representatives and the Senate are common, and broadly speaking are an accepted practice, although the speaker of the House or the president of the Senate will intervene if interjections become too frequent, if they contain inappropriate content, or if the member interjecting is disrupting debate. Given that question time
11932-682: 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
12089-461: The Question standing in my name on the Order Paper ". The Minister responsible then answers the query. Afterwards, for around ten minutes, any Lord can ask the Minister questions on the theme of the original put down on the order paper. (For instance, if the question regards immigration, Lords can ask the Minister any question related to immigration during the allowed period). The Lords usually do not have
12246-430: 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
12403-567: The State of the Union, and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient." The exact meaning of this clause has never been worked out fully, although it is the constitutional basis for the modern State of the Union address. There was some discussion at various times about whether this clause would allow something similar to a Westminster style question time – for instance, having Department Secretaries being questioned by
12560-456: The United States in the 2008 presidential election ) stated his intention , if elected, to create a presidential equivalent of the British conditional convention of Prime Minister's Questions . In a policy speech on 15 May 2008, which outlined a number of ideas, McCain said, "I will ask Congress to grant me the privilege of coming before both houses to take questions, and address criticism, much
12717-457: The approval of the relevant minister, and which have already been agreed upon during a cabinet meeting. Cabinet members have large flexibility in drafting bills. They are nonetheless limited by policies that require them to propose bills only within their specific portfolios, and to only allow amendments to existing bills that are relevant to the bill in question. Input is sought from various public groups, private interests and public servants. As
12874-422: The area of the minister's responsibility. Questions require that all facts be authenticated. Before a question is asked it is checked that it meets the requirements of the House's standing orders, before being transmitted to the relevant ministers. In New Zealand oral questions are asked at 2pm on each sitting day. Twelve principal oral questions are asked, with supplementary questions also given that must relate to
13031-407: The assembly as a whole at official functions. The corresponding person in the Legislative Council is the president of the Legislative Council . Both the speaker and the president have important powers in controlling debate in their respective chambers, including the ability to punish members who step out of line or disobey their orders. The presiding officers also have powers to summon witnesses to
13188-419: 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
13345-418: The benches in between them, called the cross bench. This arrangement is used in the Legislative Council even though the governing parties rarely command a majority within it. The Government and Opposition appoint members as Managers of Government and Opposition Business in each house. These members are not within the control of the house in the same way that the president and speaker are, they are appointed by
13502-401: 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
13659-491: 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
13816-402: The chamber to assist in the legislative role of Parliament. The presiding officers also oversee votes within their respective chambers and provide proof of assent in the instance that a bill is passed. This proof is needed for a bill to be presented to the governor for royal assent. The presiding officers' voting roles are different. The speaker of the Assembly only has a casting vote, while
13973-522: The committee process as: The government will usually be given six months to respond to the committee's recommendations. As they need as broad an understanding as possible of the issues at hand, committees may perform inquiries with the authority to subpoena documents and summon witnesses. This assists with research and is a means of holding parties to account. Committees have broad powers when performing inquiries although there are some legal protections in place for witnesses, similar to those for witnesses in
14130-440: The conclusion of questioning. Also, New Zealand's free-to-air digital television network, Freeview , provides live coverage of the debating chamber when it is in session on Parliament TV . There is no limit to the written questions that any MP can ask and can be submitted each working day before 10.30am. Submission and publication of the question is an electronic process with no hard copy record. Ministers have 6 days to respond to
14287-441: The council is considered to have failed to pass regardless of how the president cast their vote. The president does not need to move to one end of the chamber during a division, but instead advises the clerk which way they are voting. Committees are made of members of either house. They have a specifically defined role designed to seek community input about ideas or to investigate matters Parliament deems important. The membership of
14444-557: 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
14601-551: 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,
14758-442: The event that the Council does not pass a budget within a month of it passing the Assembly it is passed onto the governor for royal assent regardless of how (or even if) the Council voted on it. The speaker of the Legislative Assembly is the presiding officer of the Legislative Assembly. The speaker is an elected member of the parliament and is chosen by the members of the Legislative Assembly to chair their meetings and represent
14915-450: 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
15072-610: The first Victorian Parliament was held during the spring of 1856, the first Victorian Members of Parliament met on 21 November 1856 in the recently completed Parliament House and were sworn in, and on 25 November 1856 the first Victorian Parliament was officially opened by acting governor Major-General Edward Macarthur . The Legislative Council consisted of thirty members representing six Provinces, each province returning five members. The Legislative Assembly consisted of sixty members representing thirty-seven multi and single-member electorates. Although Indigenous Australians were denied
15229-593: The first meeting of a session, a meeting at which the president (the speaker ) of the council is elected, or the Chief Executive delivers the annual policy address to the Council. No more than 22 questions, excluding urgent questions that may be permitted by the president, may be asked at any one meeting. Replies to questions may be given by designated public officers, usually secretaries , orally or in written form. For questions seeking oral replies, supplementary questions may be put by any member when called upon by
15386-516: The first question asked to Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi was "Prime Minister, what did you have for breakfast this morning?". Japan's question time was closely modeled after that of the UK, and many Diet members travelled to the House of Commons to study the British application of the concept. Question time is 45 minutes long and questions are limited to the leaders of parliamentary caucuses (which must consist of at least ten members of either house). Although it
15543-416: The general subject of the matter raised in the question, it is usually considered relevant to the question, even if it does not address the specific issue raised in the question at all. State parliaments adopt similar practices to the federal Parliament with the exception of the Parliament of Victoria , where, since 2015, government backbenchers are no longer entitled to ask questions during question time. As
15700-465: 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
15857-408: The government side. In the House of Representatives , the first question is usually asked of the prime minister by the Leader of the Opposition. Similar arrangements apply in the Senate. To accommodate the distribution of ministers between both chambers, ministers also take on representative roles, answering questions relating to portfolios that are not their own because the responsible minister sits in
16014-402: 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
16171-435: The government. This is followed by a further two-hour question-and-answer session consisting of questions that were submitted in advance in writing. The questions in the Legislative Council are aimed at seeking information on government actions on specific problems or incidents and on government policies, for the purpose of monitoring the effectiveness of the government. Questions may be asked at any council meeting except
16328-427: 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
16485-442: The initial subject matter. The opportunity to ask questions is equally shared amongst the members of the house, excluding ministers. Urgent questions, while possible, are uncommon. The question is addressed to the portfolio of the minister receiving the question, and the questioner must ask the question as written. Once a question is asked, supplementary questions can be asked. SKY News New Zealand broadcasts this session from 2pm to
16642-455: The judicial system. The different types of committees are: joint investigatory committees , comprising members of both houses, standing committees , comprising members of the Legislative Council, select committees , comprising members of one house or the other, and domestic committees , which are generally closed to the public as they concern matters of the parliament itself. Parliament's current committees are: Parliamentary days follow
16799-416: 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
16956-475: 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
17113-484: The lower house, to which the government of Ireland is responsible. The Ceann Comhairle (speaker) has wide discretion on allowing questions, which are directed to the minister in charge of the relevant Department of State . A question may be answered by any cabinet minister due to cabinet collective responsibility , or by a (non-cabinet) Minister of State at the relevant Department of State. Questions requiring departmental research may not have an answer available within
17270-407: The members were distributed evenly, rather than a mixture of single and multi-member districts as the chamber was at its creation. The Legislative Assembly has similarly fluctuated in size over time. It contained 60 seats within its first iteration in 1856, eventually growing to as many as 95 by 1900. It was not until 1958 when all divisions were up for election at the same time, though, when all of
17427-592: The monarch. All members of both houses are elected for fixed four-year terms. General elections are held on the last Saturday in November every four years with the parliament expiring on the Tuesday twenty-five days before the election. The most recent general election was held on 26 November 2022. Parliament can be dissolved earlier by the governor, and a general election called, in two exceptional circumstances: Anyone enrolled to vote in Victoria can stand for election as
17584-468: The next speaker is, usually the Leader of the House will intervene. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic , call lists had been in use in the Lords from April 2020 to December 2021 as some Peers participated virtually. A peer may also table up to six questions for written answer on any day the House is sitting. In Finland's parliament Question hour ( kyselytunti ) is held every Thursday from 4 to 5 p.m. It consists of
17741-403: 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
17898-554: 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
18055-412: The opposition, with the opposition going first. Questions of ministers are generally asked by their counterpart shadow ministers (or in the case of a minister and corresponding shadow minister are each members of a different House of Parliament, then the shadow minister's representative in the other House asked questions to the relevant minister) in the opposition, and are always asked by backbenchers on
18212-425: The other chamber. This allows questioners to ask questions about any government portfolio in either chamber. This normally includes the Leader of the Government in the Senate representing the prime minister in response to questions asked by senators about general government policy. Sometimes a government Minister will arrange for a government backbencher to "ask" a question, commonly called a Dorothy Dixer , to enable
18369-559: The piece by saying, "Congress should remind a President McCain that the 16 blocks separating the Capitol from the White House nicely express the nation's constitutional geography." In February 2009, just over a month after his inauguration , President Barack Obama invited serving members of the US Senate to a "fiscal responsibility" summit at the White House , during which Senators asked
18526-487: 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
18683-416: 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
18840-417: The premier and ministers are accountable to Parliament and must face questioning and scrutiny from Parliament. The Assembly schedules question time and has time and subject limits on the ways that Ministers must respond to matters raised to them by any other member of the Assembly. It consists of eighty-eight members who are elected for four-year terms using full preferential voting . Casual vacancies in
18997-425: The premier and the leader of the Opposition respectively. Each party represented in each house appoints a member as their party whip . The whip's main duty is to ensure that all of the members of their party are present within a chamber when a formal vote takes place. The Legislative Assembly is the house of government, in that the government of the day must command a majority of support in this chamber. Furthermore,
19154-406: The premier, and the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor. Jacinta Allan has been the premier since her selection as leader of the Labor Party on 27 September 2023. Parliament has sat at Parliament House, Melbourne since 1856, with the exception of the period 1901–1927, when Parliament House was used by the Federal Parliament and the Parliament of Victoria sat at
19311-557: The president about his fiscal policies in an event which was compared to Prime Minister's Question. Eleven months later, Republican House Minority Leader John Boehner invited Obama to the annual House Issues Conference in Baltimore , Maryland , where the president answered questions and criticisms from Republican members of Congress. Commenting on the event, Peter Baker in The New York Times , said "[the] back and forth resembled
19468-399: The president of the Council only has a deliberative vote. The speaker may therefore only vote when a matter is tied, with their casting vote determining the outcome. This is consistent with the Westminster tradition of the speaker acting as an impartial arbiter. Some pieces of legislation, such as altering the Constitution, require an absolute majority (45 of the 88 possible votes) to pass. It
19625-439: The president of the council for the purpose of elucidating that answer. Where there is no debate on a motion with no legislative effect at a meeting, no more than ten questions requiring oral replies may be asked; otherwise, no more than six questions may require an oral reply. The Chief Executive, who is the head of the region and head of government, attends Question and Answer Session of the council which are held several times in
19782-409: 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
19939-469: The same as Government and Opposition members. This was reduced from 45 seconds when the standing orders were amended on 2 August 2022. In the Senate, a questioner may ask an initial question and two supplementary questions related to their initial question. Each question has a one-minute time limit. Answers to initial questions are limited to three minutes, and answers to supplementary questions are limited to one minute. A senator may also move to 'take note' of
20096-539: The same as the Prime Minister of Great Britain [ sic ] appears regularly before the House of Commons ." George F. Will of The Washington Post criticized the proposal in an op-ed piece, saying that a presidential question time would endanger separation of powers as the president of the United States, unlike the prime minister of the United Kingdom, is not a member of the legislature. Will ended
20253-416: 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
20410-548: 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
20567-427: The session be held every Tuesday for Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to answer questions that are addressed to him and on Thursday, there will be the Minister's Question Time (MQT) session." He described this as a pilot, and said that amendments to the house's standing orders would be required to make question time a regular part of parliamentary proceedings. Questions asked to ministers must be concise and related to
20724-432: 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
20881-448: 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
21038-427: 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
21195-417: 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
21352-408: 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
21509-689: 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
21666-625: The structure's outer walls have gradually been replaced over time. Prior to 1851 the area of Australia now known as Victoria was part of the colony of New South Wales and was administered by the Government of New South Wales in Sydney . On 5 August 1850, the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Australian Colonies Government Act which made provision for the separation of Victoria from New South Wales. Enabling legislation
21823-506: The then 66 seats were contested. The Assembly reached 88 seats in 1985 and has remained at this number ever since. Until November 2006, the Legislative Council had 44 members serving eight-year terms, elected from single-member constituencies, with half the seats falling vacant every four years. Since then it has had 40 members, each serving four-year terms. They are elected from eight multi-member constituencies, each returning five members, and elected by proportional representation. Since 2006,
21980-541: The three-day notice period; these tend to be submitted for written rather than oral response. The Ceann Comhairle may permit a supplementary question to an oral response. Reforms in 2016 at the start of the 32nd Dáil created separate time slots for different types of question, and empower the Ceann Comhairle to demand a further response if the initial one is deemed inadequate. The Diet of Japan held its first question time ( 党首討論 , tōshu tōron ) on 10 November 1999;
22137-466: 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
22294-470: 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
22451-464: The vote in some states, Victoria did not directly legislate voting based on race. Therefore, Indigenous Victorian men were entitled to vote from 1857, provided they met the other requirements. Furthermore, Indigenous Victorians who enrolled to vote in Victoria were allowed to vote in federal elections from 1901. The 1903 constitution, similar to the functional constituencies in China, reserved two seats in
22608-478: 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
22765-434: Was elected on 26 November 2022, sworn in on 20 December 2022 and is the 60th parliament in Victoria. The two Houses of Parliament have 128 members in total, 88 in the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and 40 in the Legislative Council (upper house). Victoria has compulsory voting and uses full preferential voting in single-member seats for the Legislative Assembly, and single transferable vote in multi-member seats for
22922-541: Was further expanded in 1973, when the voting age was lowered from 21 to 18. The minimum age for membership of either house was also lowered to 18. The number of divisions within each of the chambers was gradually increased over time. The Legislative Council was expanded from 30 members representing 6 provinces to its peak of 48 members spread throughout 14 provinces by 1888. The number of both provinces and members continued to change until it remained relatively fixed by 1974, when 44 members represented 22 provinces. Furthermore,
23079-505: Was initially a means of suppressing democratic reforms, particularly since the more representative Assembly was seen as too liberal and radical. It now serves as a house of review, more closely modelled on the Australian Senate than on the United Kingdom's House of Lords . Majorities within the Council are rare by design, while minority interest groups are more likely to be elected than within the Assembly, encouraging debate and compromise. The governor's opening address to Parliament occurs in
23236-528: 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
23393-443: 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
23550-527: 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
23707-468: Was passed by the Parliament of New South Wales, and Victoria was formally created a separate colony of the United Kingdom on 1 July 1851. The Australian Colonies Government Act provided for the colony to be administered by a lieutenant-governor and a Legislative Council of 51 members, 21 of which were to be elected and the remainder appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor. The lieutenant-governor
23864-624: 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
24021-551: Was presented to the parliament. This petition was proudly used as a promotional tool for the federation of Australia. The newly federated nation allowed women to vote in elections, as well as stand for office, since 1902. Yet Victoria did not expand its suffrage to include women until 1908, nor allow women to stand for office until 1924. The first woman was not elected into the Victorian Parliament until 1933. Political parties began to increase in size and influence throughout
24178-519: Was proclaimed in Victoria on 23 November 1855. The constitution established the Westminster-style system of responsible government that continues in Victoria today. It further stipulated several preconditions on voting that have since been rescinded such as restricting voting to only men of at least 21 years of age who met minimum wealth standards. Rural districts were also very over-represented in order to favour large landowners. The election for
24335-480: 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
24492-436: Was subordinate in some matters to the governor of New South Wales , who was given the title governor-general . The Legislative Council met for the first time in November 1851 at St Patrick's Hall, Melbourne. The first Legislative Council existed for five years and was responsible for at least three significant and enduring contributions to the parliamentary system of Victoria: drafting the first Constitution of Victoria, ensuring
24649-454: Was the last state within Australia to intentionally recognise female voters. The Electoral Act 1863 granted the vote to all rate payers, which included some women at the time. Therefore, women were legally allowed to, and indeed did, vote in the election of 1864. The act was clarified in 1865 to exclude women. Agitation for allowing women to vote began in earnest in 1891, with presentation of an immense petition containing over 30,000 signatures
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