Parliament of Queensland | |
---|---|
58th Parliament | |
Type | |
Type | |
Houses | Legislative Assembly |
Sovereign | King (represented by the governor of Queensland) |
History | |
Founded | 22 May 1860 |
Leadership | |
Charles III since 8 September 2022 | |
Jeannette Young since 1 November 2021 | |
Structure | |
Seats | 93 |
Political groups | Government (52)
Opposition (36)
Crossbench (5)
|
Elections | |
Full preferential voting | |
Last election | 26 October 2024 |
Next election | October 2028 |
Meeting place | |
Parliament House, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia | |
Website | |
parliament.qld.gov.au | |
Constitution | |
Constitution of Queensland |
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of the Australian State of Queensland. As provided under the Constitution of Queensland, the Parliament consists of the King, represented by the governor, and the Legislative Assembly. It has been the only unicameral state legislature in the country since the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, was abolished in 1922. The Legislative Assembly sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Brisbane.
The Queensland Parliament retains plenary legislative power over Queensland, however Commonwealth laws apply to the extent of any inconsistency. Some laws from the colonial era passed by the New South Wales parliament and the Imperial Parliament also remain in force. [1]
Following the outcome of the 2015 election, four additional seats were added to the Legislative Assembly (to a total of 93), the voting system changed from optional preferential voting to full-preferential voting, and unfixed three-year terms were replaced with fixed four-year terms. [2]
The Parliament was founded 22 May 1860, less than a year after the Colony of Queensland was created in June 1859. [3] It was convened at military and convict barracks converted for the purpose located on Queen Street, Brisbane. [4] Immigration was an important issue for the early Parliament. Population growth was encouraged with new settlers enticed by land ownership. [5]
In 1915, Queensland became the first state to make voting compulsory at state elections. [6]
Since 1 April 2003, live audio broadcasts have streamed through the internet from the Parliament while it is in session. [7] In June 2007, the Parliament started broadcasting video of parliamentary proceedings. Nine in-house television cameras are used to record sessions. [8]
The first female Speaker, Fiona Simpson was elected on 15 May 2012. [9]
The Assembly has 93 members of Parliament (MPs). These are intended to represent approximately the same population in each electorate. Voting is by the full preferential voting system, with elections held approximately once every three years.
In April 2016, legislation was passed to increase the number of seats in the parliament by four to a total of 93. An amendment was also passed to abolish optional preferential voting. A referendum held the previous month was passed, supporting a bill to establish fixed four-year terms.
The role of the monarch in Parliament is to give royal assent to legislation. This function is in practice exercised by the governor of Queensland, who conventionally will never refuse assent to a bill that has passed the Legislative Assembly, unless otherwise advised by the executive council. The party or coalition with the most seats in the house is invited by the governor to form a government.
The leader of that party subsequently becomes the premier of Queensland, leading a Cabinet of ministers. In the Liberal National Party, the premier selects members of their party to act as ministers. In the Labor Party, the ministers are elected by party room ballot, with the leader then assigning ministerial portfolios to each one.
Once all winning candidates have been declared, the governor of Queensland proclaims a date for the start of the new Parliament. [10] It is the role of the Clerk of the Parliament to call members to attendance.
According to the Constitution of Queensland, members of Parliament must swear an oath or affirmation to the King as well as an oath of office before signing a Roll of Members. [10] [11] This oath or affirmation must be made to the governor or someone authorised by him or her—typically the clerk of the Parliament.
Sworn-in representatives are required to elect a Speaker to preside over the House's business. [10] Before this occurs, the longest serving member who is not a minister presides over the procedings. [12] Once elected the Speaker is dragged to the chair and presented to the Governor at Government House. [10] The symbol of the authority of the Parliament and its Speaker is the ceremonial mace. The sergeant-at-arms carries the mace into the chamber of parliament when the speaker enters at the start of each sitting day and removes it again when the speaker leaves at the end of the sitting day. During the sitting day, the mace rests on two raised brackets on the centre table with the head of the mace lying pointed towards the government's side. The current mace was designed and made in 1978 and is sterling silver with gold plating and is encrusted with 32 Queensland gemstones. [13] Despite being the symbol of Parliament, it is engraved with the words "Government of Queensland".
The ceremonial opening of the new Parliament is marked by a speech by the governor. Traditionally the speech is written by the new government and it may outline current activities, budget details, statistics and proposed lists of legislation which are intended to be introduced. [10]
A day in Parliament usually begins with housekeeping matters, including prayers, notifications and the tabling of any documents. [10] An opportunity is then given to Ministers to make statements. During a period of no more than an hour, known as question time, any member may pose a question to a Minister.
Starting in 2002, the Queensland Parliament has held regional sittings of parliament across the state. [14] Originally being held every three years, the occurrence has become more sporadic, and, in 2023, the regional sitting took place in Cairns. It was the first sitting since the COVID-19 pandemic, and the second in twelve years.
No. | Location | Dates | Venue | Region |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Townsville | 3–5 September 2002 | Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre | North Queensland |
2 | Rockhampton | 4–6 October 2005 | Pilbeam Theatre | Central Queensland |
3 | Cairns | 28–30 October 2008 | Cairns Convention Centre | Far North Queensland |
4 | Mackay | 24–26 May 2011 | Mackay Entertainment and Convention Centre | Mackay, Isaac and Whitsunday |
5 | Townsville | 3–5 September 2019 | Townsville Entertainment and Convention Centre | North Queensland |
6 | Cairns | 9–11 May 2023 | Cairns Convention Centre | Far North Queensland |
As of 13 September 2024, the composition of Parliament is:
Party | Seats | ||
---|---|---|---|
Current Assembly (total 93 seats) | |||
Liberal National | 52 | ||
Labor | 36 | ||
Katter's Australian | 3 | ||
Greens | 1 | ||
Independent | 1 |
The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland.
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Senate. Its composition and powers are set down in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia.
The Parliament of Canada is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the House of Commons is dominant, with the Senate rarely opposing its will. The Senate reviews legislation from a less partisan standpoint and may initiate certain bills. The monarch or his representative, normally the governor general, provides royal assent to make bills into law.
Sir Arthur William Fadden was an Australian politician and accountant who served as the 13th prime minister of Australia from 29 August to 7 October 1941. He was the leader of the Country Party from 1940 to 1958 and served as treasurer of Australia from 1940 to 1941 and 1949 to 1958.
The Parliament of Australia is the federal legislature of Australia. It consists of three elements: the monarch of Australia, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. It combines elements from the Westminster system, in which the party or coalition with a majority in the lower house is entitled to form a government, and the United States Congress, which affords equal representation to each of the states, and scrutinises legislation before it can be signed into law.
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The parliaments of the Australian states and territories are legislative bodies within the federal framework of the Commonwealth of Australia.
The New South Wales Legislative Assembly is the lower of the two houses of the Parliament of New South Wales, an Australian state. The upper house is the New South Wales Legislative Council. Both the Assembly and Council sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is presided over by the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
In the Parliament of Australia, a casual vacancy arises when a member of either the Senate or the House of Representatives:
One of the six founding states of Australia, Queensland has been a federated state subject to the Australian Constitution since 1 January 1901. It is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The constitution of Queensland sets out the operation of the state's government. The state's constitution contains several entrenched provisions which cannot be changed in the absence of a referendum. There is also a statutory bill of rights, the Queensland Human Rights Act 2019. Queensland's system of government is influenced by the Westminster system and Australia's federal system of government.
The Parliament of Victoria is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Victoria that follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system. It consists of the King, represented by the governor of Victoria, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. It has a fused executive drawn from members of both chambers. The parliament meets at Parliament House in the state capital Melbourne. The current Parliament was elected on 26 November 2022, sworn in on 20 December 2022 and is the 60th parliament in Victoria.
The Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the sole chamber of the unicameral Parliament of Queensland established under the Constitution of Queensland. Elections are held every four years and are done by full preferential voting. The Assembly has 93 members, who have used the letters MP after their names since 2000.
The Legislative Council of Queensland was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.
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.
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) rights in Queensland have advanced significantly from the late 20th century onwards, in line with progress on LGBTQ rights in Australia nationally. 2019 polling on gay rights consistently showed that even in regional areas, Queensland is no more conservative about the subject than any other states.
The Constitution of Queensland sets out and regulates the powers of the major state institutions of the Australian state of Queensland. It is a written constitution, with most provisions contained within the Constitution of Queensland 2001 (Qld), which consolidated many previous constitutional laws. However, it does not contain all the constitutional principles of the state, with the Constitution Act 1867 (Qld), Australia Act 1986 (Cth), Australian Constitution, the governor's commission, the common law and constitutional conventions also relevant constitutional documents.
Jacklyn Anne Trad is an Australian former politician. She was Deputy Premier of Queensland from 2015 to 2020, Treasurer of Queensland from 2017 to 2020 and represented the Electoral district of South Brisbane for the Labor Party from April 2012 to October 2020.
The 2017 Queensland state election was held on 25 November 2017 to elect all 93 members of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland, the unicameral Parliament of Queensland.
Colin John (Col) Miller was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 1966 to 1986, representing the electorate of Ithaca as a Liberal (1966–1984) and as an independent (1984–1986).
The 57th Parliament of Queensland was the most recent meeting of the unicameral chamber of the Queensland Parliament known as the Legislative Assembly. The 2020 state election gave the Labor Party a majority in parliament, winning 52 of 93 seats (55.91%). The First day of the opening of the 57th Parliament of Queensland was 24 November 2020.
The Clerk calls upon the longest continuously serving member who is not a minister, to take the chair as the presiding member.
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