Australian House of Representatives
logo | Boardroom of the House of Representatives |
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Basic data | |
Seat: |
Parliament House , Canberra |
Legislative period : | 3 years |
MPs: | 151 |
Current legislative period | |
Last choice: | May 18, 2019 |
Chair: |
Speaker Tony Smith ( Liberal ) |
Distribution of seats: |
Civic Coalition Government (77)
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Website | |
House of Representatives |
The Australian House of Representatives is the lower house of the Australian Parliament in the bicameral system of Australia . The sessions will take place at Parliament House in Canberra .
The House of Representatives has 151 members. Voting is based on the instant runoff voting system. Each legislative period ends after three years at the latest. The House of Representatives must be re-elected no later than 68 days later. New elections are usually held before this deadline.
elections
The last election took place on May 18, 2019.
Speaker
At the beginning of each legislative period, the MPs elect the Speaker of the House of Representatives who will take the chair. He chairs the plenary sessions and represents the House of Representatives in government affairs. It is possible for the MPs to vote him out again. Tony Smith has held this office since August 10, 2015.
Traditionally, the ruling party provides the speaker. If there is a change of government after a parliamentary election, the new majority also elects a new speaker.
The comparatively rough manners in the parliamentary sessions often do not make it easy for the speaker to ensure that the sessions run properly, especially during Question Time. According to the standing orders, he has the opportunity to exclude interfering MPs from the meeting for one hour (standing order 94a). In the event of serious disruptions, he can issue a strict complaint (to name a member). It is then possible to immediately submit a motion from Parliament to exclude the MP concerned for 24 hours (Standing Order 94b).
Relationship between Senate and House of Representatives
According to the Australian Constitution , the weight of both chambers is about the same, especially since the consent of both is required to pass a law. Although the leader of the strongest parliamentary group or coalition of the House of Representatives is usually appointed prime minister, both members of the lower house and senators are usually represented in the government. Laws that affect public finances can only be passed on the initiative of the House of Representatives and only changed there. This means that only the party or coalition of parties that has a majority in the lower house can rule.
In times when the government does not have a majority in the Senate , which is a common occurrence and is currently the case, votes are more important in practice.
The role of the opposition
In the House of Representatives, the opposition's participation is limited to presenting arguments against the government's policies and to directing questions to the government during the specially designated Question Time .
In addition, the opposition can file a censure motion against the government. It can force such an urgency debate on government policy. In the roll-call vote (division) immediately following the debate, the censure motion is almost always rejected. If he got a majority, this would in fact be tantamount to a vote of no confidence in the government. In practice, censure motions usually occur more than once a year.
Allocation of seats since 1946
Seats in the House of Representatives | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
choice | laboratory | Liberals | Nationals | Other | total |
1946 | 43 | 15th | 11 | 5 | 74 |
1949 | 47 | 55 | 19th | .. | 121 |
1951 | 52 | 52 | 17th | .. | 121 |
1954 | 57 | 47 | 17th | .. | 121 |
1955 | 47 | 57 | 18th | .. | 122 |
1958 | 45 | 58 | 19th | .. | 122 |
1961 | 60 | 45 | 17th | .. | 122 |
1963 | 50 | 52 | 20th | .. | 122 |
1966 | 41 | 61 | 21st | .. | 124 |
1969 | 59 | 46 | 20th | .. | 125 |
1972 | 67 | 38 | 20th | .. | 125 |
1974 | 66 | 40 | 21st | .. | 127 |
1975 | 36 | 68 | 23 | .. | 127 |
1977 | 38 | 67 | 19th | .. | 124 |
1980 | 51 | 54 | 20th | .. | 125 |
1983 | 75 | 33 | 17th | .. | 125 |
1984 | 82 | 45 | 21st | .. | 148 |
1987 | 86 | 43 | 19th | .. | 148 |
1990 | 78 | 55 | 14th | 1 | 148 |
1993 | 80 | 49 | 16 | 2 | 147 |
1996 | 49 | 75 | 19th | 5 | 148 |
1998 | 67 | 64 | 16 | 1 | 148 |
2001 | 65 | 69 | 13 | 3 | 150 |
2004 | 60 | 75 | 12 | 3 | 150 |
2007 | 83 | 55 | 10 | 2 | 150 |
2010 | 72 | 61 | 11 | 6th | 150 |
2013 | 55 | 75 | 15th | 5 | 150 |
2016 | 69 | 60 | 16 | 5 | 150 |
2019 | 68 | 61 | 16 | 6th | 151 |
See also: List of Members of the Australian House of Representatives (2013-2016)