Electoral systems of the Australian states and territories are broadly similar to the electoral system used in federal elections in Australia.
In the Parliament of Australia, a casual vacancy arises when a member of either the Senate or the House of Representatives:
The Constitution Alteration Bill 1977, was a successful proposal to alter the Australian Constitution concerning the filling of casual vacancies in the Senate. It was put to voters for approval in a referendum held on 21 May 1977. After being approved in the referendum, it received the royal assent and became law on 29 July 1977.
The Greens NSW, also known as the NSW Greens, is a green political party in New South Wales and a member of the Australian Greens. First formed in 1991, the Greens NSW began as a state-level party before joining with other green parties in Australia to create the current federated structure.
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council who served in the 50th Parliament were affected by the 1991 referendum which reduced the number of members and reduced their term from three terms of the Legislative Assembly to two terms, meaning the maximum term was eight years. The Council consisted of 42 members, 12 elected in 1984, 15 elected in 1988 and 15 elected in 1991. Half of the council would face re-election in 1995 and half did not face re-election until 1999. The President was Johno Johnson until 3 July 1991 and then Max Willis.
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council who served in the 49th Parliament were elected at the 1981, 1984 and 1988 elections. Members served for three terms of the Legislative Assembly, which, as a result of the 1981 referendum meant the maximum term was twelve years. The 15 members elected in 1981 did not face re-election until 1992, the 15 members elected in 1984 did not face re-election until 1996 and the 15 members elected in 1988 did not face re-election until 2000. The terms of members were cut short by the 1991 referendum which reduced the term to two terms of the Legislative Assembly, a maximum of 8 years. The President was Johno Johnson.
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council who served in the 48th Parliament were elected at the 1978, 1981 and 1984 elections. Members served for three terms of the Legislative Assembly, which, as a result of the 1981 referendum meant the maximum term was twelve years. The 15 members elected in 1978 did not face re-election until 1988, the 15 members elected in 1981 did not face re-election until 1992 and the 15 members elected in 1984 did not face re-election until 1996. The President was Johno Johnson.
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council who served in the 47th Parliament were elected at the 1978 and 1981 elections. One third of the council faced re-election at each general election, however as a result of the 1981 referendum the maximum terms were extended from a maximum of nine to twelve years. The 14 members who had been indirectly elected in 1976 served an eight-year term and did not face re-election until 1984, the 15 members elected in 1978 did not face re-election until 1988, while the 15 members elected in 1981 did not face re-election until 1992. The President was Johno Johnson.
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council from 1978 to 1981 held office following the 1978 referendum which reduced the number of members from 60 to 43, provided for the direct election of members of the Legislative Council and that members would serve for 3 terms of the Legislative Assembly. Only 15 of the 43 members had been elected at the 1978 Legislative Council election. Under the transitional arrangements, 28 members had been indirectly elected by joint sittings of the New South Wales Parliament, with 14 of those members to retire at the next general election, held in 1981, and the remaining 14 members would retire at the following general election, held in 1984.
The Court of Disputed Returns in New South Wales is a court within the Australian court hierarchy established initially in 1928 pursuant to the Parliamentary Electorates and Elections Amendment Act, and since 2017 pursuant to the Electoral Act 2017. The jurisdiction of the Court is exercised by the Supreme Court of New South Wales and the Court considers petitions concerning the validity of any election or return under the Act. The Court is concerned with elections held for the New South Wales Parliament and local government elections within the state.
In politics, a casual vacancy is a situation in which a seat in a deliberative assembly becomes vacant during that assembly's term. Casual vacancies may arise through the death, resignation or disqualification of the sitting member, or for other reasons.
A referendum concerning the abolition of the New South Wales Legislative Council was put to New South Wales voters on 29 April 1961. The abolition was specifically rejected by voters. The text of the question was:
Do you approve of the Bill entitled "A Bill for an Act to Abolish the Legislative Council to provide that another Legislative Council shall not be created, constituted or established nor shall any Chamber, Assembly or House, other than the Legislative Assembly, designed to form part of the Legislative Parliament of New South Wales, be created, constituted or established until a bill for the purpose has been approved by the electors in a referendum to amend the Constitution Act, 1902 and certain other Acts; and for purposes connected therewith."
The 1981 New South Wales referendum was held on 19 September 1981, the same day as the state election. The referendum contained two questions:
- Do you approve a Bill for an Act to extend the maximum period between general elections for the Legislative Assembly from 3 years to 4 years?
- Do you approve a Bill for an Act to require Members of Parliament to disclose certain pecuniary interests and other matters?
The 1978 New South Wales state election was the first direct election for the Legislative Council since the council was reconstituted in 1856 and the creation of the Legislative Assembly. This was the result of the 1978 referendum which also reduced the number of members from 60 to 43 and that provided that members would serve for 3 terms of the Legislative Assembly. Under the transitional arrangements, 28 members had been indirectly elected by joint sittings of the New South Wales Parliament.
Members of the New South Wales Legislative Council between 1961 and 1964 were indirectly elected by a joint sitting of the New South Wales Parliament, with 15 members elected every three years. The most recent election was on 16 March 1961, with the term of new members commencing on 23 April 1961. The President was William Dickson.
The Constitution of New South Wales is composed of both unwritten and written elements that set out the structure of Government in the State of New South Wales. While the most important parts are codified in the Constitution Act 1902, major parts of the broader constitution can also be found in:
The 1978 New South Wales referendum was held on 17 June 1978 and contained a single question:
Do you approve of the Bill entitled 'A Bill for an Act to provide for the election of members of the Legislative Council directly by the people'.
A referendum concerning the reform of the New South Wales Legislative Council was put to New South Wales voters on 13 May 1933 and was passed by the voters with a margin of 2.94%. The text of the question was:
Do you approve of the Bill entitled "A Bill to reform the constitution and alter the Powers of the Legislative Council; to reduce and limit the number of Members of the Legislative Council; to reconstitute the Legislative Council in accordance with the reformed constitution; to amend the Constitution Act, 1902, and certain other Acts; and for purposes connected therewith."
There have been 18 referendums in New South Wales, 8 of which concerned proposals to amend the New South Wales Constitution, half of which concerned the Legislative Council. While the Constitution of Australia was adopted after the 1898 and 1899 referendums in all of the proposed states, the Constitution of New South Wales, promulgated in 1902, was an Act of the Parliament of New South Wales which could be amended by Parliament. Since 1927 the Constitution has included provisions that can only be amended following approval in a referendum. 8 of the referendums, including 5 on the sale of alcohol, did not involve any proposed amendment to the Constitution. While these have traditionally been called referendums, they could also be described as plebiscites.
