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| Australian House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| 44th Parliament | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | Lower house of the Parliament of Australia |
| Leadership | |
| Speaker | Bronwyn Bishop, Liberal since 12 November 2013 |
| Leader | Christopher Pyne, Liberal since 18 September 2013 |
| Manager of Opposition Business | Tony Burke, Labor since 18 October 2013 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 150 |
 | |
| Political groups | Government (90)
Opposition (55)
Crossbench (5)
|
| Elections | |
| Voting system | Full preferential voting |
| Last election | 7 September 2013 |
| Next election | Next federal election |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| House of Representatives chamber Parliament House Canberra, ACT, Australia | |
| Website | |
| House of Representatives | |
| This article is part of a series on the |
| Politics of Australia |
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The House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers) of the Parliament of Australia. It is referred to as the lower house, with the Senate being referred to as the upper house. The term limit for members of the House of Representatives is a maximum of approximately three years, but may be abridged if an early election is called.
The present Parliament is the 44th Federal Parliament of the Federation. The most recent federal election was held on 7 September 2013 and the House first sat on 12 November. The Liberal/National Coalition won 90 seats out of 150 and formed the government. Labor hold 55 seats and form the opposition. The Australian Greens, Palmer United Party and Katter's Australian Party each hold a single seat, while the remaining two are held by independents.
Origins and role
The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (Imp.) of 1900 established the House of Representatives as part of the new system of dominion government in newly federated Australia. The House is presided over by the Speaker. The 150 members of the House are elected from single member electorates (geographic districts, commonly referred to as "seats" but officially known as "Divisions of the Australian House of Representatives"). One vote one value legislation requires all electorates to have the same number of voters with a maximum 10 per cent variation. However the baseline quota for the number of voters in an electorate is determined by the number of voters in the state in which that electorate is found. Subsequently, the electorates of the smallest states and territories have more variation in the number of voters in their electorates, with the smallest holding around 60,000 voters and the largest holding around 120,000 voters. Meanwhile the largest states have electorates with more equal voter numbers, with most electorates holding 85,000 to 100,000 voters. Voting is by the 'preferential system', also known as instant-runoff voting. A full allocation of preferences is required for a vote to be considered formal. This allows for a calculation of the two-party-preferred vote.
The number of electorates in each state and territory is determined by population. The parliamentary entitlement of a state or territory is established by the Electoral Commissioner dividing the number of the people of the Commonwealth by twice the number of Senators. The population of each state and territory is then divided by this quota to determine the number of members to which each state and territory is entitled. Under the Australian Constitution all original states are guaranteed at least five members. The Federal Parliament itself has decided that the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory should have at least one member each.
The current formula for determining the size of the House has the disadvantage that it can result in a House with the size being an even number (as it is at present). When the numbers are very close, this can result in both major parties having the same number of members, meaning that neither could govern. A formula setting the size of the House at twice the Senate minus one, and then determining the representation in each State and territory, would avoid this difficulty.
According to the Constitution, the powers of both houses are nearly equal, with the consent of both houses needed to pass legislation. The difference mostly relates to taxation legislation. In practice, by convention, the leader of the party (or coalition of parties) with a majority of members in the lower house is invited by the Governor-General to form the Government. Thus the leader becomes the Prime Minister and some of the other elected members of the government party in both the House and the Senate become ministers responsible for various portfolios and administer government departments. Bills appropriating money (supply bills) can only be introduced in the lower house and thus only the party with a majority in the lower house can govern. In the current Australian party system, this ensures that virtually all contentious votes are along party lines, and the Government always has a majority in those votes.
The Opposition party's main role in the House is to present arguments against the Government's policies and legislation where appropriate, and attempt to hold the Government accountable as much as possible by asking questions of importance during Question Time and during debates on legislation. By contrast, the only period in recent times during which the government of the day has had a majority in the Senate was from July 2005 (following the 2004 election) to December 2007 (following the Coalition's defeat at the federal election that year). Hence, votes in the Senate are usually more meaningful. The House's well-established committee system is not always as prominent as the Senate committee system because of the frequent lack of Senate majority.
In a reflection of the United Kingdom House of Commons, the predominant colour of the furnishings in the House of Representatives is green. However, the colour was tinted slightly in the new Parliament House (opened 1988) to suggest the colour of eucalyptus trees.
Australian parliaments are notoriously rowdy, with MPs often trading colourful insults. As a result, the Speaker often has to use the disciplinary powers granted to him or her under Standing Orders.
Federation Chamber
The Federation Chamber is a second debating chamber that considers relatively uncontroversial matters referred by the House. The Federation Chamber cannot, however, initiate or make a final decision on any parliamentary business, although it can perform all tasks in between.
The Federation Chamber was created in 1994 as the Main Committee, to relieve some of the burden of the House: different matters can be processed in the House at large and in the Federation Chamber, as they sit simultaneously. It is designed to be less formal, with a quorum of only three members: the Deputy Speaker of the House, one government member, and one non-government member. Decisions must be unanimous: any divided decision sends the question back to the House at large.
The Federation Chamber was created through the House's Standing Orders: it is thus a subordinate body of the House, and can only be in session while the House itself is in session. When a division vote in the House occurs, members in the Federation Chamber must return to the House to vote.
The Federation Chamber is housed in one of the House's committee rooms; the room is customised for this purpose and is laid out to resemble the House chamber.
Due to the unique role of what was then called the Main Committee, proposals were made to rename the body to avoid confusion with other parliamentary committees, including "Second Chamber" and "Federation Chamber". The House of Representatives later adopted the latter proposal.
The concept of a parallel body to expedite Parliamentary business, based on the Australian Federation Chamber, was mentioned in a 1998 British House of Commons report, which led to the creation of that body's parallel chamber Westminster Hall.
The composition of the House
Main article: House of Representatives results for the Australian federal election, 2013 See also: Post-election pendulum for the Australian federal election, 2013The 2013 election was held on 7 September 2013, which resulted in the victory of the Coalition led by Tony Abbott with a 90–55 margin, thereby ending the minority government held by the previous Labor Party government.
Final distribution of seats
| Party | Seats held | Percentage of House | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Liberal| | Liberal/National/LNP/CLP Coalition | ||
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Labor| | Australian Labor Party | ||
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Independent| | Independent | ||
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Greens| | Australian Greens | ||
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Palmer United Party| | Palmer United Party | ||
| Template:Australian politics/party colours/Katter's Australian Party| | Katter's Australian Party | ||
| Total | |||
Primary, TPP and seat results since 1937
ALP = Australian Labor Party, L+NP = grouping of Liberal/National/LNP/CLP Coalition Parties (and predecessors), Oth = other parties and independents.
| Primary vote | TPP vote | Seats | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ALP | L+NP | Oth. | ALP | L+NP | ALP | L+NP | Oth. | Total | |
| 7 Sep 2013 election | 33.4% | 45.6% | 21.1% | 46.5% | 53.5% | 55 | 90 | 5 | 150 |
| 3–5 Sep 2013 poll | 33% | 46% | 21% | 46% | 54% | ||||
| 21 Aug 2010 election | 38.0% | 43.3% | 18.8% | 50.1% | 49.9% | 72 | 72 | 6 | 150 |
| 17–19 Aug 2010 poll | 36.2% | 43.4% | 20.4% | 50.2% | 49.8% | ||||
| 24 Nov 2007 election | 43.4% | 42.1% | 14.5% | 52.7% | 47.3% | 83 | 65 | 2 | 150 |
| 20–22 Nov 2007 poll | 44% | 43% | 13% | 52% | 48% | ||||
| 9 Oct 2004 election | 37.6% | 46.7% | 15.7% | 47.3% | 52.7% | 60 | 87 | 3 | 150 |
| 6–7 Oct 2004 poll | 39% | 45% | 16% | 50% | 50% | ||||
| 10 Nov 2001 election | 37.8% | 43.0% | 19.2% | 49.0% | 51.0% | 65 | 82 | 3 | 150 |
| 7–8 Nov 2001 poll | 38.5% | 46% | 15.5% | 47% | 53% | ||||
| 3 Oct 1998 election | 40.1% | 39.5% | 20.4% | 51.0% | 49.0% | 67 | 80 | 1 | 148 |
| 30 Sep – 1 Oct 1998 poll | 44% | 40% | 16% | 53% | 47% | ||||
| 2 Mar 1996 election | 38.7% | 47.3% | 14.0% | 46.4% | 53.6% | 49 | 94 | 5 | 148 |
| 28–29 Feb 1996 poll | 40.5% | 48% | 11.5% | 46.5% | 53.5% | ||||
| 13 Mar 1993 election | 44.9% | 44.3% | 10.7% | 51.4% | 48.6% | 80 | 65 | 2 | 147 |
| 11 Mar 1993 poll | 44% | 45% | 11% | 49.5% | 50.5% | ||||
| 24 Mar 1990 election | 39.4% | 43.5% | 17.1% | 49.9% | 50.1% | 78 | 69 | 1 | 148 |
| 11 Jul 1987 election | 45.8% | 46.1% | 8.1% | 50.8% | 49.2% | 86 | 62 | 0 | 148 |
| 1 Dec 1984 election | 47.6% | 45.0% | 7.4% | 51.8% | 48.2% | 82 | 66 | 0 | 148 |
| 5 Mar 1983 election | 49.5% | 43.6% | 6.9% | 53.2% | 46.8% | 75 | 50 | 0 | 125 |
| 18 Oct 1980 election | 45.2% | 46.3% | 8.5% | 49.6% | 50.4% | 51 | 74 | 0 | 125 |
| 10 Dec 1977 election | 39.7% | 48.1% | 12.2% | 45.4% | 54.6% | 38 | 86 | 0 | 124 |
| 13 Dec 1975 election | 42.8% | 53.1% | 4.1% | 44.3% | 55.7% | 36 | 91 | 0 | 127 |
| 18 May 1974 election | 49.3% | 44.9% | 5.8% | 51.7% | 48.3% | 66 | 61 | 0 | 127 |
| 2 Dec 1972 election | 49.6% | 41.5% | 8.9% | 52.7% | 47.3% | 67 | 58 | 0 | 125 |
| 25 Oct 1969 election | 47.0% | 43.3% | 9.7% | 50.2% | 49.8% | 59 | 66 | 0 | 125 |
| 26 Nov 1966 election | 40.0% | 50.0% | 10.0% | 43.1% | 56.9% | 41 | 82 | 1 | 124 |
| 30 Nov 1963 election | 45.5% | 46.0% | 8.5% | 47.4% | 52.6% | 50 | 72 | 0 | 122 |
| 9 Dec 1961 election | 47.9% | 42.1% | 10.0% | 50.5% | 49.5% | 60 | 62 | 0 | 122 |
| 22 Nov 1958 election | 42.8% | 46.6% | 10.6% | 45.9% | 54.1% | 45 | 77 | 0 | 122 |
| 10 Dec 1955 election | 44.6% | 47.6% | 7.8% | 45.8% | 54.2% | 47 | 75 | 0 | 122 |
| 29 May 1954 election | 50.0% | 46.8% | 3.2% | 50.7% | 49.3% | 57 | 64 | 0 | 121 |
| 28 Apr 1951 election | 47.6% | 50.3% | 2.1% | 49.3% | 50.7% | 52 | 69 | 0 | 121 |
| 10 Dec 1949 election | 46.0% | 50.3% | 3.7% | 49.0% | 51.0% | 47 | 74 | 0 | 121 |
| 28 Sep 1946 election | 49.7% | 39.3% | 11.0% | 54.1% | 45.9% | 43 | 26 | 5 | 74 |
| 21 Aug 1943 election | 49.9% | 23.0% | 27.1% | 58.2% | 41.8% | 49 | 19 | 6 | 74 |
| 21 Sep 1940 election | 40.2% | 43.9% | 15.9% | 50.3% | 49.7% | 32 | 36 | 6 | 74 |
| 23 Oct 1937 election | 43.2% | 49.3% | 7.5% | 49.4% | 50.6% | 29 | 44 | 2 | 74 |
| Polling conducted by Newspoll and published in The Australian. Three percent margin of error. | |||||||||
See also
- Australian House of Representatives committees
- Canberra Press Gallery
- Chronology of Australian federal parliaments
- Clerk of the Australian House of Representatives
- Father of the Australian House of Representatives
- List of Australian federal by-elections
- Members of the Australian House of Representatives
- Members of the Australian Parliament who have served for at least 30 years
- Members of the Australian Parliament who have represented more than one state or territory
- Speaker of the Australian House of Representatives
- Women in the Australian House of Representatives
- Browne–Fitzpatrick privilege case, 1955
Notes
References
- ^ The two independents are Andrew Wilkie and Cathy McGowan
- Madigan, Michael (27 February 2009). "Barking, biting dog House". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 22 August 2010.
- "The Structure Of The Australian House Of Representatives Over Its First One Hundred Years: The Impact Of Globalisation," Ian Harris
- Standing and Sessional Orders, House of Representatives
- Main Committee Fact Sheet, Parliamentary Education Office
- The Second Chamber: Enhancing the Main Committee, House of Representatives
- Renaming the Main Committee, House of Representatives
- , 8 February 2012, Item 8.
- "Select Committee on Modernisation of the House of Commons First Report". House of Commons of the United Kingdom. 7 December 1998. Retrieved 20 June 2007.
- House of Commons Standard Note—Modernization: Westminster Hall, SN/PC/3939. Updated 6 March 2006. Retrieved 27 February 2012.
- ^ "First house preference by party". Virtual Tally Room: 2013 election. Australian Electoral Commission (AEC). 4 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
External links
- House of Representatives Committees – Parliament of Australia
- Australian Parliament – live broadcasting
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 Political parties in Australia | |
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| Federal parliamentary parties |
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| State and territory parliaments (parties not represented federally) |
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| Other AEC-registered parties | |