Parliament of South Australia
| Parliament of South Australia | |
|---|---|
| 52nd Parliament | |
 |
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| Type | |
| Type | Bicameral |
| Houses | House of Assembly Legislative Council |
| Leadership | |
| Queen of Australia | Elizabeth II Since 6 February 1952 |
| Governor of South Australia | Kevin Scarce Since 8 August 2007 |
| Speaker of the House of Assembly | Michael Atkinson, Labor Since 5 February 2013 |
| President of the Legislative Council | John Gazzola, Labor Since 16 October 2012 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 69 47 MP 22 MLC |
| House of Assembly Political groups | Government Labor (26) Opposition Liberal (18) Crossbench Independent (3) |
| Legislative Council Political groups | Government Labor (7) Opposition Liberal (7) Crossbench Green (2) Family First (2) No Pokies (2) D4D (1) Independent (1) |
| Elections | |
| House of Assembly Voting system | Instant-runoff Vote |
| Legislative Council Voting system | Single Transferable Vote |
| Last general election | 20 March 2010 |
| Next general election | 15 March 2014 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Parliament House, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia |
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| Website | |
| www.parliament.sa.gov.au | |
The Parliament of South Australia at Parliament House, Adelaide is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It consists of the 47-seat House of Assembly (lower house) and the 22-seat Legislative Council (upper house). It follows a Westminster system of parliamentary government.
The Queen is represented in the State by the Governor of South Australia. According to the South Australian Constitution, unlike the Federal Parliament, and the parliaments of the other states and territories of Australia, neither the Sovereign or the Governor is considered to be a part of the South Australian Parliament. However, the same role and powers are granted to them.[1]
Following the 2010 election, the lower house consists of 26 Labor, 18 Liberal and 3 independent, while the upper house consisted of 8 Labor, 7 Liberal, 2 Green, 2 Family First, 2 No Pokies and 1 Dignity for Disability. On 3 May 2011, the Australian Labor Party State Executive voted to suspend the membership of Bernard Finnigan, he now sits as an Independent in the Legislative Council, reducing the Labor Party to 7 seats.[2]
Contents |
History[edit]
House of Assembly[edit]
The House of Assembly (or "lower house") is made up of 47 members who are each elected by the full-preference instant-runoff voting system in single-member electorates. Each of the 47 electoral districts (electorates) contains approximately the same number of voters, and boundaries are redistributed after each election by the Electoral Commission of South Australia, an independent body.
Government is formed in the House of Assembly by the leader of the party or coalition who can demonstrate they have the support of the majority of the House, and is called upon by the Governor to form government. The leader of the government becomes the Premier.
Legislative Council[edit]
The Legislative Council (or "upper house") is made up of 22 councillors (MLCs) who are elected for the entire state by the single transferable voting system (with optional group voting tickets) to serve for a term of 8 years. Elections for the Legislative Council are staggered so that half the seats are up for re-election every 4 years, at the same time as House of Assembly elections.
The primary function of the Legislative Council is to review legislation which has been passed by the House of Assembly. This can cause tensions between the government and the Legislative Council, which may be viewed by the former as obstructionist if it rejects key legislation, as can happen at times when the electoral makeup of the two houses are different.
Location[edit]
The seat of the Parliament of South Australia is Parliament House in the state capital of Adelaide. Parliament House sits on the North-Western corner of the intersection of King William Street and North Terrace.
See also[edit]
External links[edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Parliament of South Australia |
References[edit]
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This article needs additional citations for verification. (September 2010) |
- ^ "Constitution Act 1934". South Australia: Parliament of the United Kingdom. 1934. Retrieved 09 October 2011.
- ^ "MP suspended". Townsville Bulletin. 3 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. "A SOUTH Australian Labor MP charged with child pornography offences has been suspended from the ALP. The party state executive unanimously endorsed the move against former industrial relations minister Bernard Finnigan yesterday after a request from Premier Mike Rann."
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Coordinates: 34°55′16″S 138°35′55″E / 34.92111°S 138.59861°E
