I have a confession to make. At the ripe old age of 33, I am still quite unsure about how our parliament works. I could use the excuse that I'm not in the country enough to pay attention, but I'm a voting citizen, so this is no excuse. This realisation is what has driven me to learn more, and share that knowledge, about the Australian parliament. Now, I'm just learning this, so there may be mistakes in here. Feel free to comment (kindly!) and let me know where I slipped up. Or, if you have something interesting to add, I'd love to hear and learn from you.
The parliament of Australia is made up of the Queen (who is represented in Australia by the Governor General), the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Here, I'll talk about the Senate and the House of Representatives. We'll talk the Queen at a later date.
A) The Senate
How many people make up the Senate?
The Senate (also known as the Upper House) is made up of senators who represent each state and territory. Each state and territory is represented equally, in order that the interests of the smaller states and territories are protected. As it currently stands, each state has 12 representatives and each territory has 2 representatives (for a total of 76 senators).
How is the Senate chosen?
The Senate is voted in every 6 years under a system of proportional representation. This is where I get a little confused on how they decide which senators get elected. From what I can tell, this is how it works. The total number of formal votes (i.e., votes carried out as per the rules) for one state is calculated (e.g., 700,000). Then, you take the total number of senators being elected for that state (let's say 6) and add 1 (so 7). We now divide the total number of formal votes by the number of senators plus 1 (i.e., 700,000/7=100,000) and add 1, which gives us 100,001. This means that a candidate from this example state must receive 100,001 votes in order to be elected to the Senate. Once a senator reaches that magic number, his or her remaining votes go to the next candidate that the voter has voted for. (These ballot papers are the ones where you vote once above the line or a
number of times under the line. If you vote once above the line, you
allow the political party to choose the subsequent candidates who get
your votes based on their preferences. If you vote below the line, you are
choosing the order that your vote preferences are distributed.) If the senate is still not decided after sharing the votes in this manner, the votes for the least successful candidates are distributed to the other candidates.
What does the Senate do?
Members of the Senate gather to discuss important national matters. The Senate works on making and changing laws through debate and voting on bills (i.e., what a law is referred to before it is made into a law). These bills can be introduced by political parties, government departments, community groups, ministries, parliamentary committees, or individual senators. A bill must also be debated and agreed on by the Senate and the House of Representatives before it is made into law.B) The House of Representatives
How many people make up the House of Representatives?
There are 150 members elected to the House of Representatives (also known as the Lower House). The Constitution provides that the number of members must be "as nearly as practicable, twice the number of Senators". Each
member represents one of Australia's 150 electoral districts. On average, 150
000 people live in each electorate, with an average of 94,000 voters.
How is the House of Representatives chosen?
Members of the House are elected by a system referred to as preferential voting, under which voters rank candidates in order of preference, every 3 years. The system of voting used in elections for the House of Representatives
is preferential, that is, voters have to rank all candidates in order of
preference—they may not just vote for one candidate. Preferential voting is designed to elect the candidate
who is most representative of the wishes of an electorate. The ballot paper for this vote is usually made up of only a few candidates, and the voter has to fill in every box with a number. To be
successful a candidate must be supported by the majority (i.e., more
than half) of voters. In the first stage of the count the first preference votes are counted.
If no candidate receives more than half of the votes cast, the
candidates with the fewest votes are progressively eliminated and the
votes received by them distributed (that is, allotted to other
candidates according to the preferences of the voters) until only two
candidates remain.
What does the House of Representatives do?
The House of Representatives is essentially the Australian Government, made up of the party, or coalition of parties, with the support of the
majority of members in the House. The House of Representatives represents the views of Australians and discusses matters of national importance. As with the Senate, the House of Representatives works on making and changing laws through debate and voting on bills (as discussed above). After an election the political party
(or coalition of parties) which has the most members in the House of
Representatives becomes the governing party. Its leader becomes Prime
Minister and other Ministers are appointed from among the party's members and senators. To remain in office a Government must keep the
support of a majority of members of the House.
Bibliography
- http://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/parliament.html
- http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/briefs/brief10
- http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Senate_Briefs/Brief01#proportional
- http://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/senate.html
- http://www.aec.gov.au/voting/How_to_vote/Voting_Senate.htm
- http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Senate_Briefs/Brief08#government
- http://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/bills-and-laws.html
- http://www.peo.gov.au/learning/fact-sheets/house-of-representatives.html
- http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/About_the_House_of_Representatives
- http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/House_of_Representatives/Powers_practice_and_procedure/00_-_Infosheets/Infosheet_8_-_Elections_for_the_House_of_Representatives
- http://www.aec.gov.au/voting/How_to_vote/Voting_HOR.htm
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliament_of_Australia#Composition
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