Factsheet3.1

Queensland Electoral And Parliamentary History: Key Dates And Events

1859 granted approval and signed 1865 The foundation stone of Parliament House Letters Patent on 6 June 1859 to establish in George St, was laid by the the colony of . On the same Sir . With the initial day, an Order-in-Council gave Queensland site of the parliament in Queen Street its own constitution. Queensland became deemed unsuitable as a long-term option a self-governing colony with its own to accommodate the parliament, a new Governor, a nominated Legislative Council purpose-built building was approved and a and an elected Legislative Assembly. Prior competition held for its design. to this, the area encompassing the new colony of Queensland was part of the 1868 The new Parliament House building was large colony of New South Wales that had used for parliamentary sittings for the first constituted the entire eastern section of time on 4 August. The building remained . under construction for another 20 years, however, the two parliamentary chambers 1860 Queensland’s first election was held. The were able to be used during this period. voting franchise (those entitled to vote) was restricted to: adult males (aged 21 years and over) with a three year residence qualification, or six months if owner or lessee of property. Multiple registration and voting was possible through multiple property ownership. Military and police were disqualified. The voting system was first past the post.

The first parliament was comprised of 26 members from 16 electorates elected to the Legislative Assembly and 23 members nominated by the Governor to the Legislative Council, each for a five-year term. (Subsequent appointments to the Legislative Council were for life.)

From 1860 to 1868 the parliament met in a former military barracks building located in Brisbane’s Queen Street that had been converted to house the sittings of the new parliament.

1864 Additional Members Act: the number of members of the Legislative Assembly was With the passage of the Elections Act Amendment increased with an extra six one-member Bill on 24 January 1905, women obtained the right to vote in Queensland State elections. electorates created. Updated February 2020 P +61 7 3553 6414 www.parliament.qld.gov.au F +61 7 3553 6419 [email protected] Elections Act Amendment Act: women were women Act: Amendment Act 1915 Elections compulsory Act: Amendment Act 1914 Elections 1910 ElectoralDistricts Act: 72one-member 1905 Elections Act: legislation grantingwomen’s 1892 ElectoralDistricts Act: 61electorateswith 1890 Triennial Parliaments Act: three-yearterms 1889 Payment ofMembers Act: paymentof 1887 ElectoralDistricts Act: 60electorateswith 1886 Members’ Expenses Act forMembersof 1885 AdditionalMembers Act: 44electorates 1878 ElectoralDistricts Act: 42electorateswere 1875 CookDistrictRepresentation Act: oneextra 1872 ElectoralDistricts Act: 42one-member 1871 Elections Act: underaproperty appointed totheLegislative Council. Assembly forthefirsttime, butnot permitted tobeelected to theLegislative persons entitledtobeenrolled. registration andvotingwasintroducedfor introduced (witha20percenttolerance). electorates withonevotevalue voting. immigrants werestilldisqualifiedfrom Aboriginal peopleandcertainnon-European property qualificationwasabolished; suffrage waspassedinJanuary1905;the “contingent” (optionalpreferential)voting. 72 Members.Elections Act: introduced 1893 election. for parliamentsbecameeffectivefromthe members startedat£300peryear. 72 Members. members werenotpaidasalary. maximum £200peryear). At thispoint allowance (£2/2/-persittingdaytoa Parliament: introductionofanexpense existed with59members. established butwith55members. member wasaddedtotheCookelectorate. election. electorates werecreatedforthe1873 allowed inanyoneelectorate. qualification, amaximumofonevotewas Queensland ElectoralAndParliamentary History: KeyDatesAndEvents Elections Act Amendment Act: Aboriginals Act: Amendment Act 1965 Elections compulsory Act: Amendment Act 1962 Elections British Act: Amendment Act 1959 Elections 1958 ElectoralDistricts Act: therewere78 1949 ElectoralDistricts Act: azonalelectoral 1942 Elections Act Amendment Act: firstpastthe 1931 ElectoralDistricts Act: thenumberof 1929 Queensland’s firstfemalememberof the Act: Act Amendment 1922 Constitution Committee hearings. Opening ofParliament,Estimateshearingsandother ceremonial andotherformaloccasions,suchasthe The LegislativeCouncilChamberisnowonlyusedfor compulsory). to voteinstateelections (thoughnot and Torres StraitIslanderswere able preferential votingwasintroduced. were enfranchised(allowedtovote). subjects whowerenativesof Asia or Africa electorates establishedacrossthreezones. electorates infourzones). each withdifferentquotas(therewere75 were allocatedintogeographiczones, system wasintroducedwherebyelectorates post votingwasreintroduced. electorates wasreducedfrom72to62. Party. representing theCountryandProgressive elected astheMemberforBulimba, parliament, MrsIreneLongman,was a unicamerallegislature. Queensland theonlystatein Australia with Legislative Councilwasabolished,making Updated February 2020 Factsheet 3.1 P +61 7 3553 6414 www.parliament.qld.gov.au F +61 7 3406 7731 [email protected] 1980 A majorrenovation and restorationof 1979 TheParliamentary Annexe buildingwas 1974 MrEricDeeralwaselectedastheMember 1973 Elections Act andtheCriminalCode enrolment Act: Amendment Act 1971 Elections office spaceandaccommodation. creating anadditionalChamber, aswellproviding The Parliamentary Annexe wasopenedin1979 in thenewParliamentary Annexe building. parliament sat inalargeconference room these works occurred from1980-1982, the undertaken duetofinancial issues.While design planforthebuilding butnot Cochere whichwaspartof theoriginal included theconstruction ofthePorte Parliament Housecommenced. This project parliament. space andaccommodationformembersof completed providingmuchneededoffice parliament. Queensland’s firstIndigenousmemberof Party. MrDeeralisrecognisedasbeing for Cook,representingtheNational reduced from21to18years. Amendment Act: thevotingagewas established infourzones. Electoral Districts Act: 82electorateswere Aboriginals and Torres StraitIslanders. and votingbecamecompulsoryfor Queensland ElectoralAndParliamentary History: KeyDatesAndEvents 2001 TheConstitutionofQueensland 2000 On19Octoberitwasresolvedatameeting 1992 Ofthe89electorates,mostboundary 1999 A redistributionofelectoraldistricts 1996 Parliamentary Secretarieswereappointed 1995 TheParliamentary Committees Act 1992 Parliamentary Papers Act: allowedfor 1991 ElectoralDistricts Act 1991:89electorates 1988 Parliamentary Members’ Salaries Act: 1988 TheParliamentary Service Act 1988 1985 ElectoralDistricts Act: 89electorateswere constitutional conventionssuchasCabinet. existing arrangements, andrecognising branches ofGovernment, enhancingsome Executive, JudicialandLegislative accessible act. This actdealtwiththe legislation underonemodern andreadily brought allofQueensland’s constitutional as MP ratherthanMLA. the Legislative Assembly should be known Association (QldBranch)thatMembersof of theCommonwealthParliamentary areas ofSouth-EastQueensland. changes occurredinthegrowingurban Electoral Act was finalisedinJuly, thefirstunder to assistparticularministers. Assembly.Legislative basis forstatutorycommitteesofthe Speaker. Italsoprovidedthelegislative the parliamentundercontrolof Commission andplacedadministrationof abolished theParliamentary Service incurring anycivilorcriminalliability. tabled documentstobecopiedwithout large-sized electorateswasintroduced. introduced; andasystemofweighting optional-preferential votingwas were established;zonesabolished; Representatives. of membersthefederalHouse members’ salarieswerelinkedtothose Service. Chief Executive Officer of the Parliamentary Commission andtheroleofClerkas established theParliamentary Service created acrossfourzones. Updated February 2020 Factsheet 3.1 P +61 7 3553 6414 www.parliament.qld.gov.au F +61 7 3553 6419 [email protected] 2002 From3-5September, theQueensland 2004 On18June,theQueensland parliament 2002 On8 August 2002,aspartofapackage of ParliamentinTownsville. In September2002,thehistoricfirstregionalsitting and members’ salaries. disqualification of candidates and members; contempt ofparliament;eligibilityand such as:powers,rightsandimmunities; committees. This actcoveredmatters Legislative Assembly, itsmembersand consolidated alllawsdealingwiththe The Parliament ofQueensland Act 2001 a sessionofan Australian parliament. to bearecordpublicgalleryattendancefor question timesession,inwhatisbelieved Over 1,000peopleattendedtheevening it hadsatoutsideBrisbaneinitshistory. Parliament satin , thefirsttime published. ministerial responsestoe-petitionsarealso the Queenslandparliamentwebsiteand parliament. e-petitionscanbeviewedon public toraiseissuesdirectlywiththe providing anotheravenueforthe complemented paperbasedpetitions be sentelectronically of parliamenttoallowpetitions applying totheprocessofpetitioning Parliament approvedchangestorules e-democracy initiatives,theQueensland took effect from31 August 2004. orders inthe historyoftheParliament and comprehensive changetothestanding Committee. These werethemost as recommendedbytheStanding Orders adopted newStandingRules andOrders Queensland ElectoralAndParliamentary . The e-petition History: KeyDatesAndEvents

2005 On11May2005,theQueenslandparliament 2011 TheQueenslandparliamentintroduceda 2011 TheQueenslandparliamenthelditsfourth 2010 TheQueenslandparliamentcelebratedits 2008 TheQueenslandparliamenthelditsthird 2007 Hon Anna BlighMP wasappointed 2005 From4-6October, theQueensland right tovote. to celebratethecentenaryofwomenobtaining First paneloftheWomen’s Suffragedisplay, created vote inQueenslandelections. Queensland womenobtainingtherightto celebrated thecentenaryofeligible committee examinationof bills. amended itslegislativeprocess toinclude new portfolio-basedcommittee systemand between 24–26May2011. regional parliamentarysittinginMackay 150th anniversaryinMay2010. between 28-30October2008. regional parliamentarysittinginCairns She wasthestate’s firstfemalepremier. Queensland Premier on13September2007. Brisbane. second timeinitshistorythatitsatoutside parliament satinRockhampton, onlythe Updated February 2020 Factsheet 3.1 P +61 7 3553 6414 www.parliament.qld.gov.au F +61 7 3406 7731 [email protected] 2019 2016 2016 2016 2011 Thursday 4 April 2019markedthefirst The committeesystemwasrecognisedin A referendumwasconductedon19March The Electoral(ImprovingRepresentation) The CommitteeoftheLegislative Assembly the ConstitutionofQueensland2001and in Octobertherelevantyear. polling daybeingheldonthelastSaturday the startof57thParliament withthe Fixed received Royal Assent on5May2016. Term Parliament) Amendment Bill2015 cent ofelectors. The Constitution(Fixed referendum wasapprovedby52.96per elections fortheLegislative Assembly. The of abilltolegislateforfixedfour-year 2016 toaskelectorswhethertheyapproved November 2017. state electionforthe56thParliament on25 from 89to93cameintoeffectduringthe state elections. The increaseinmembers reintroduced fullpreferentialvotingfor for thestatefrom89to93. The Act also increased thenumberofelectoraldistricts and OtherLegislation Amendment Act 2016 and managespecifiedmattersoftheHouse. members (includingtheSpeaker)tooversee was established,consistingofseven approval bytheSpeaker. attained theageof30years,subjectto releases committeeminutesthathave the QueenslandParliament proactively period of30years.Fromthistimeonward, are tobeheldincustodyoftheClerkfora 1988. Parliamentary rulesstaterecords of thePublic Accounts Committeeduring released weretheminutesofmeetings The firstdocumentstobepublically release of30yearcommitteedocuments. area ofresponsibility. the powertoinitiateinquirieswithintheir portfolio committeeswereprovidedwith

four-year terms will commence from willcommence four-year terms Queensland ElectoralAndParliamentary History: KeyDatesAndEvents 2019 Committee in1988. Minutes ofthefirstmeetingPublic Accounts The HumanRightsBillwasassentedtoon committees withresponsibilityfor matters. The Act alsoprovidesportfolio the Legislative Assembly, amongstother be tabledforallBillsintroducedinto of compatibilitywithhumanrightsto 7 March2019. The Act requiresstatements is compatibilewithhumanrights. examining aBilltoconsiderwhetherthe Updated February 2020 Factsheet 3.1