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The Parliament of Australia, officially the Parliament of the Commonwealth, is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch, the Senate (upper house), and the House of Representatives (lower house). The House of Representatives was established in 1900 and consists of 150 members, including two each from the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Each state is guaranteed a minimum of five seats, with Tasmania having more seats than it would otherwise be entitled to. The House of Representatives has a maximum term of three years, but it can be dissolved earlier, usually in conjunction with Senate elections.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Presiding officer | Speaker |
| Composition | Set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia |
| Term of members | Maximum of three years |
| Elections | Held in conjunction with those for the Senate since the 1970s |
| Members | 150, including two each from the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory |
| Senate composition | 76 members; each state has 12 senators |
| Senate term | Fixed terms, with half of the state senators' terms expiring every three years |
| Senate elections | Conducted using the proportional system |
| Quorum | One-fifth of the total membership (31) |
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What You'll Learn
Minimum of five seats per state
The Australian House of Representatives, also known as the lower house, was established in 1900 under the Constitution of Australia. Each state is guaranteed a minimum of five seats, as outlined in the Constitution. This provision was included to maintain the power of the Senate relative to the House of Representatives. It also ensures that smaller states have greater representation in the lower house.
The House of Representatives is one of the three elements of the Parliament of Australia, also known as the Federal Parliament. The other two elements are the monarch of Australia, represented by the governor-general, and the Senate, or upper house. The Senate consists of 76 members, with each state having 12 senators. The House of Representatives comprises 150 members, including two each from the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory.
The House of Representatives is presided over by the Speaker, who is elected through a secret ballot and is expected to remain impartial. The term of members of the House of Representatives is a maximum of three years, although it is rarely allowed to reach its full term. Elections for the House of Representatives have been held concurrently with those for the Senate since the 1970s.
The House of Representatives plays a crucial role in the Australian political system. Members are responsible for choosing the government, and the leader of the largest party in the House typically becomes the prime minister. Most legislation is introduced in the House and undergoes several stages before becoming law.
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Members elected from single-member electorates
The Australian House of Representatives is made up of members who are elected from single-member electorates, also known as electoral divisions or seats. Each state is guaranteed a minimum of five seats in the House of Representatives, as outlined in the Constitution. This provision has resulted in Tasmania having higher representation than its population would typically warrant.
Each electorate, or division, elects a single member using full-preferential voting. This voting system was introduced after the 1918 Swan by-election, which saw Labor unexpectedly win due to vote splitting among conservative parties. The full-preferential voting system requires a full allocation of preferences for a vote to be considered formal, allowing for the calculation of the two-party-preferred vote.
The boundaries of electorates are drawn by a Redistribution Committee and are based on the number of enrolled voters rather than total residents or population. The number of enrolled voters in each division cannot vary by more than 10% from the state average, and the number of voters cannot deviate by more than 3.5% from the projected enrolment 3.5 years in the future. However, due to various factors, some electorates may have significantly more electors than others.
The total number of members in the House of Representatives is not fixed and can change due to boundary adjustments or electoral redistributions. These redistributions occur when a state's entitlement to the number of members changes, when electorates are not aligned with population size, or when seven years have passed since the last redistribution. The number of members in the House of Representatives is specified in Section 24 of the Constitution as being "as nearly as practicable" twice the number of members in the Senate.
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One vote, one value legislation
The Australian House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, with the upper house being the Senate. The House of Representatives was established by the Constitution of Australia in 1900, with each state guaranteed a minimum of five seats.
'One vote, one value' is a democratic principle applied in electoral laws governing redistributions of electoral divisions of the House of Representatives. The principle calls for all electoral divisions to have the same number of enrolled voters, within a specified percentage of variance. This means that each electorate within a state should have approximately the same number of voters. In 2022, there was an average of just over 117,000 electors per seat, with a 10% variance allowed from the average quota for the state or territory. The principle does not apply to the Senate, as each state is entitled to the same number of senators, regardless of the population of the state.
The principle of 'one vote, one value' is also known as 'one man, one vote' or 'one person, one vote'. It is a slogan used to advocate for equal representation in voting, with each vote carrying the same weight and worth. This principle was established in the United States in the 1960s, during a period of heightened civil rights activity, with the Supreme Court ruling that states must draw federal congressional districts with roughly equal populations.
In Australia, the Hawke Labor government attempted to enshrine the principle in the Constitution in 1988 through a referendum. However, the proposal was not carried, obtaining only 37.6% support. The principle is currently reflected in the electoral laws of the federal House of Representatives and state and territory parliaments, with some exceptions.
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Powers of the House of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, with the Senate being the upper house. The House of Representatives has a maximum term of three years, although it can be dissolved earlier.
The Constitution of Australia of 1900 established the House of Representatives in a newly federated Australia. The House is presided over by the Speaker, who is elected through a secret ballot and is expected to oversee debate and enforce the rules in an impartial manner. The Speaker does not vote, but has a casting vote in the case of a tie.
The House of Representatives has the power to pass legislation, with the consent of both Houses needed for a bill to become law. The House also has the power to initiate money-related bills, which can only be introduced or amended in the lower house. This means that only the party with a majority in the lower house can govern. The House of Representatives also plays a role in the formation of the government, with the leader of the party or coalition of parties with a majority in the House typically becoming the prime minister.
The composition and powers of the House of Representatives are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. According to the Constitution, the powers of both the House of Representatives and the Senate are nearly equal. However, there is a difference in their powers relating to taxation legislation.
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Term length of members
The term length for members of the House of Representatives in Australia is a maximum of three years from the date of the first sitting of the House. However, the House is often dissolved earlier, either on its own or in a double dissolution with the entire Senate. In fact, since Federation, there has only been one instance where the maximum term has been reached.
The number of members in the House of Representatives is not fixed and can vary with boundary changes resulting from electoral redistributions, which are required regularly. The number of members was 125 before the 1984 election, after which it increased to 148. It was reduced to 147 for the 1993 election, returned to 148 for the 1996 election, increased to 150 for the 2001 election, and stood at 151 for the 2022 Australian federal election. For the 2025 election, 150 seats were contested.
The House of Representatives chamber can accommodate up to 172 members, with a provision for an ultimate total of 240. Each division elects a single member using full-preferential voting, a system that was implemented after the 1918 Swan by-election, which the Labor Party unexpectedly won due to a split between two conservative parties.
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, with the upper house being the Senate. The Senate has fixed terms, with half of the state senators' terms expiring every three years. The terms of the four territory senators are linked to House elections, resulting in House and Senate elections almost always coinciding.
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Frequently asked questions
The Australian House of Representatives, also known as the lower house, comprises 150 members.
Each state has a minimum of five seats in the House of Representatives, with 12 members representing each state in the Senate. The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have at least one member each.
The term length for members of the Australian House of Representatives is a maximum of three years, although it can be dissolved earlier.
The House of Representatives is responsible for choosing the government. Members of the House are elected from single-member electorates, and the leader of the largest party becomes the prime minister.
