Lyla Lindsey
Australia has a bicameral parliament, which means it has two chambers: the upper house (the Senate) and the lower house (the House of Representatives). Most of the state parliaments in Australia also have a bicameral structure, based on the Westminster model, with the exception of Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory, which have unicameral parliaments with only one house, called the Legislative Assembly. The unicameral parliaments have less complex legislative processes, as bills only need to be passed by one chamber, whereas in a bicameral system, bills must be passed by both the upper and lower houses.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| State/Territory | Queensland, Australian Capital Territory, Northern Territory |
| Number of Houses | One |
| Name of the House | Legislative Assembly |
| Number of Members | QLD- 93; ACT- 25; NT- 25 |
| Term Length | 4 years |
| Voting System | Preferential voting |
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What You'll Learn
Queensland has a unicameral parliament
Queensland is the only Australian state with a unicameral parliament. The Queensland Parliament consists of the King, represented by the Governor of Queensland, and the Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland, established under the Constitution of Queensland.
The Legislative Assembly has 93 members, who have used the letters MP after their names since 2000. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly first sat in May 1860 and produced Australia's first Hansard in April 1864. Following the outcome of the 2015 election, successful amendments to the electoral act in early 2016 were made, including adding an additional four parliamentary seats, changing from optional preferential voting to full-preferential voting, and moving from unfixed three-year terms to fixed four-year terms.
The Legislative Assembly sits in Parliament House in the Brisbane central business district. The building was completed in 1891. The lower house chamber is decorated in dark green in the traditional Westminster style. The chamber once featured central tables that divided two rows of elevated benches on each side. The room is now configured in a U-shape away from the Speaker's chair, with three rows of benches that have their own desks and microphones.
One of the principal and familiar roles of the Queensland Parliament involves the passing of legislation, which establishes the laws of the state. A piece of legislation passed by the Parliament becomes an Act or Statute, and in its draft form before and during its legislative passage is called a Bill. Queensland’s present electoral system is governed by the Electoral Act 1992, which creates an independent authority, the Electoral Commission of Queensland, to conduct state elections, administer Queensland’s electoral laws, and maintain the electoral roll, among other duties.
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Australian Capital Territory is unicameral
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is a territory of the Commonwealth and its parliament was created by legislation of the Commonwealth Parliament. The ACT is not a state, and its legislative powers can be altered or abolished by the Commonwealth Parliament. The Commonwealth can also overturn legislation passed by the territory parliament.
The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly has 25 members, elected for four-year terms from multi-member constituencies, using the Hare-Clark system of proportional voting. The assembly has almost all of the same powers as the state parliaments, with the power to "make laws for the peace, order, and good government of the Territory", with limited exceptions relating to the territory's unique relationship with the Commonwealth.
The ACT is one of three internal territories of Australia, the other two being the Jervis Bay Territory and the Northern Territory. The ACT is the only internal territory that is not a state and does not have a bicameral parliament.
The ACT, also known as the Federal Capital Territory until 1938, is an internal territory of Australia. Canberra, the capital city of Australia, is situated within the territory. The territory was transferred to the federal government by New South Wales in 1911, two years prior to the capital city being founded and formally named as Canberra in 1913.
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Northern Territory is also unicameral
Australia is a federation of six self-governing states and two territories with a national government that sits above them. The six states are New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, and Queensland. The two territories are the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory.
The Parliament of Australia or Commonwealth Parliament is the legislative branch of the government of Australia. It is bicameral, meaning it has two houses: the upper house (the Senate) and the lower house (the House of Representatives).
While most of the states and territories in Australia have bicameral parliaments, there are a few notable exceptions. Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory, and the Northern Territory all have unicameral parliaments, meaning they have only one house.
The Northern Territory Legislative Assembly, also known as the Parliament of the Northern Territory, is the unicameral legislature of Australia's Northern Territory. It has 25 members, each elected in single-member electorates for four-year terms. The voting method for the Assembly is the full-preferential voting system, and voting is compulsory for those over 18 years of age.
The Northern Territory was granted limited self-government by the Northern Territory (Administration) Act 1974, an act of the federal parliament. However, the federal government retains control of certain legislative areas, including Aboriginal land, industrial relations, national parks, and uranium mining. The Australian Parliament also retains the right to legislate for the Territory and can override any legislation passed by the Northern Territory Parliament.
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Victoria has a bicameral parliament
The Parliament of Victoria is based on the Westminster model, which is the system used in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The two houses also reflect Victoria's history as a British colony. The United Kingdom Parliament has two houses: the House of Commons, which represents the 'common' people, and the House of Lords, which represents the interests of the nobility and religious leaders. The Victorian Legislative Council was modelled after the House of Lords.
The Parliament of Victoria has been sitting at Parliament House in Melbourne since 1856, except for the period from 1901 to 1927, when Parliament House was used by the Federal Parliament. The current Parliament was elected on 26 November 2022 and sworn in on 20 December 2022. It is the 60th parliament in Victoria. The two Houses of Parliament have a total of 128 members: 88 in the Legislative Assembly and 40 in the Legislative Council. Members of both Houses are elected for a fixed four-year term.
The Parliament of Victoria has the power to make or amend laws. A bill can be introduced in either House, but it usually originates in the Lower House. For a bill to become a law, it must be passed by both Houses. The Assembly also has the exclusive power to introduce and pass an annual state budget. The Council can suggest amendments to the budget but cannot reject it.
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South Australia is bicameral
The Parliament of South Australia is a bicameral legislature. It consists of the 47-seat House of Assembly (the lower house) and the 22-seat Legislative Council (the upper house). General elections are held every four years, with all of the lower house and half of the upper house filled at each election. The Parliament follows a Westminster system of parliamentary government, with the executive branch required to sit in parliament and hold the confidence of the House of Assembly.
The Parliament is based at Parliament House on North Terrace in Adelaide, the state capital. The South Australian Constitution does not define the parliament as including either the monarch or the governor of South Australia as one of its constituent parts. However, the constitution vests legislative power in the state's governor, acting with the advice and consent of both houses of parliament.
The Legislative Council has 22 members, elected for eight-year terms by proportional voting, with half of the members facing re-election every four years. The House of Assembly has 47 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using preferential voting. Voting is compulsory.
The first bicameral parliament of South Australia was elected on 9 March 1857, with Boyle Travers Finniss as the inaugural Premier. The parliament first sat on 22 April 1857. The South Australian parliament still regularly appoints a "Conference of Managers" from each House to negotiate compromises on disputed bills in private.
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Frequently asked questions
Queensland.
Queensland has a unicameral parliament, which means it has one house called the Legislative Assembly. This is in contrast to a bicameral parliament, which has two houses.
A unicameral parliament has one house, while a bicameral parliament has two houses, typically referred to as the upper and lower houses.
In addition to Queensland, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have unicameral parliaments.
Queensland's unicameral parliament consists of the Legislative Assembly and the King, represented by the Governor of Queensland. The Legislative Assembly has 93 members elected for four-year terms in single-member constituencies using preferential voting.
