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Abolition of the Upper House Community Engagement – Updated 27 March 2001
Abolition of the Upper House Community Engagement – Updated 27 March 2001 THE ABOLITION OF THE UPPER HOUSE IN QUEENSLAND INTRODUCTION Unicameral legislatures, or legislatures with only one chamber, are uncommon in democracies. It is usually considered that two chambers are necessary for government, and this is the case for the United Kingdom, Canada (at the Federal level) and the United States (Federally, and for all states except Nebraska.) However, some countries, usually small ones, are unicameral. Israel, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Greece have only one chamber. All the Canadian Provinces, all the Malaysian States and some of the Indian ones, including Assam, are unicameral. Other single-chambered legislatures in the Commonwealth include New Zealand, Ghana, Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Malta, Malawi, Zambia, Gambia, Guyana, Singapore, Botswana, Zimbabwe and (Western) Samoa. In Australia, the Federal Government has two chambers, as do the governments of all the states, except Queensland. At its separation from New South Wales in 1859, Queensland had two houses of Parliament, the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. But in a move unique in Australian history, the Legislative Council abolished itself. EARLY DAYS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL, 1860-1890 Queensland, separated from New South Wales in 1859, was the only colony to have a Parliament from its inception. When the Parliament of Queensland was first promulgated in 1860, there were two houses of Parliament. The first members of the Upper House, the Legislative Council, were appointed for five years by the Governor of New South Wales, so that Queensland would not be left permanently with nominees from the Governor of another colony. -
Votes and Proceedings
1990-91-92 1307 THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS No. 107 TUESDAY, 25 FEBRUARY 1992 1 The House met, at 2 p.m., pursuant to adjournment. The Speaker (the Honourable Leo McLeay) took the Chair, and read Prayers. 2 MINISTERIAL CHANGES AND ARRANGEMENTS: Mr Keating (Prime Minister) informed the House that, on 20 December 1991, His Excellency the Governor-General had appointed him to the office of Prime Minister and had, on 27 December 1991, made a number of changes to other ministerial appointments. The Ministers and the offices they hold are as follows: Representation Ministerial office Minister in other Chamber *Prime Minister The Hon. P. J. Keating, MP Senator Button Parliamentary Secretary to the The Hon. Laurie Brereton, MP Prime Minister *Minister for Health, Housing The Hon. Brian Howe, MP, Senator Tate and Community Services, Deputy Prime Minister Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Social Justice, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Commonwealth- State Relations I Minister for Aged, Family and The Hon. Peter Staples, MP Senator Tate Health Services Minister for Veterans' Affairs The Hon. Ben Humphreys, Senator Tate MP Parliamentary Secretary to the The Hon. Gary Johns, MP Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services *Minister for Industry, Senator the Hon. John Button, Mr Free Technology and Commerce Leader of the Government in the Senate Minister for Science and The Hon. Ross Free, MP Senator Button Technology, Minister Assisting the Prime Minister Minister for Small Business, The Hon. David Beddall, MP Senator Button Construction and Customs *Minister for Foreign Affairs and Senator the Hon. -
Papers on Parliament No. 14
PAPERS ON PARLIAMENT Number 14 February 1992 Parliamentary Perspectives 1991 Published and Printed by the Department of the Senate Parliament House, Canberra ISSN 1031-976X The Department of the Senate acknowledges the assistance of the Department of the Parliamentary Reporting Staff. Cover design: Conroy + Donovan, Canberra NOTE This issue of Papers on Parliament includes lectures given in the Senate Department's Occasional Lecture series during the second half of 1991, together with a paper given by the Clerk of the Senate, Harry Evans, to a seminar organised by the Queensland Electoral and Administrative Review Commission in Brisbane on 26 July 1991. It concludes with a digest of procedurally significant events in the Senate during 1991 which we hope to include as a regular feature of Papers on Parliament. CONTENTS Page Chapter 1 - John Black, Michael Macklin and Chris Puplick 1 How Parliament Works in Practice Chpater 2 - John Button 20 The Role of the Leader of the Government in the Senate Chpater 3 - Hugh Collins 31 Political Literacy: Educating for Democracy Chapter 4 - Harry Evans 47 Parliamentary Reform: New Directions and Possibilities for Reform of Parliamentary Processes Chapter 5 - Senate Department 61 Senate Procedural Digest 1991 Parliamentary Reform: New Directions and Possibilities for Reform of Parliamentary Processes Harry Evans Clerk of the Senate Parliament and the Problem of Government In considering the reform of parliament we are examining the alteration of the basic institutions of government, and it is therefore wise to refer to first principles, and to ponder how the task relates to the elementary problem of government. The great difficulty of government is the creation of authorities with sufficient power to achieve the desired aims of government, peace and order, while preventing the unintended misuse of that power. -
Ministerial Careers and Accountability in the Australian Commonwealth Government / Edited by Keith Dowding and Chris Lewis
AND MINISTERIAL CAREERS ACCOUNTABILITYIN THE AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT AND MINISTERIAL CAREERS ACCOUNTABILITYIN THE AUSTRALIAN COMMONWEALTH GOVERNMENT Edited by Keith Dowding and Chris Lewis Published by ANU E Press The Australian National University Canberra ACT 0200, Australia Email: [email protected] This title is also available online at http://epress.anu.edu.au National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry Title: Ministerial careers and accountability in the Australian Commonwealth government / edited by Keith Dowding and Chris Lewis. ISBN: 9781922144003 (pbk.) 9781922144010 (ebook) Series: ANZSOG series Notes: Includes bibliographical references. Subjects: Politicians--Australia. Politicians--Australia--Ethical behavior. Political ethics--Australia. Politicians--Australia--Public opinion. Australia--Politics and government. Australia--Politics and government--Public opinion. Other Authors/Contributors: Dowding, Keith M. Lewis, Chris. Dewey Number: 324.220994 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. Cover design and layout by ANU E Press Printed by Griffin Press This edition © 2012 ANU E Press Contents 1. Hiring, Firing, Roles and Responsibilities. 1 Keith Dowding and Chris Lewis 2. Ministers as Ministries and the Logic of their Collective Action . 15 John Wanna 3. Predicting Cabinet Ministers: A psychological approach ..... 35 Michael Dalvean 4. Democratic Ambivalence? Ministerial attitudes to party and parliamentary scrutiny ........................... 67 James Walter 5. Ministerial Accountability to Parliament ................ 95 Phil Larkin 6. The Pattern of Forced Exits from the Ministry ........... 115 Keith Dowding, Chris Lewis and Adam Packer 7. Ministers and Scandals ......................... -
Legislative Assembly
New South Wales Legislative Assembly PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Fifty-Sixth Parliament First Session Wednesday, 24 August 2016 Authorised by the Parliament of New South Wales TABLE OF CONTENTS Motions ...................................................................................................................................................... 1 Centenary of Anzac................................................................................................................................ 1 Bills ............................................................................................................................................................ 3 Scrap Metal Industry Bill 2016 .............................................................................................................. 3 First Reading ...................................................................................................................................... 3 Second Reading ................................................................................................................................. 3 Rural Fires Amendment (Fire Trails) Bill 2016 .................................................................................... 5 Second Reading ................................................................................................................................. 5 Members .................................................................................................................................................. 11 Legislative -
Report to the Senate
SENATE COMMUNITY AFFAIRS LEGISLATION COMMITTEE Consideration of Legislation Referred to the Committee HEALTH INSURANCE COMMISSION (REFORM AND SEPARATION OF FUNCTIONS) BILL 1997 SEPTEMBER 1997 © Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia 1997 ISSN 1038-2755 Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Secretariat Mr Elton Humphery Secretary The Senate Parliament House Canberra ACT 2600 Phone: 02 6277 3515 Fax: 02 6277 5829 E-mail: [email protected] Internet: http://www.aph.gov.au/senate This document was produced from camera-ready copy prepared by the Senate Community Affairs Legislation Committee Secretariat and printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Parliament House, Canberra MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE Members Senator Sue Knowles, Chairman LP, Western Australia Senator Meg Lees, Deputy Chair AD, South Australia Senator Kay Denman ALP, Tasmania Senator Alan Eggleston LP, Western Australia Senator Michael Forshaw ALP, New South Wales Senator Karen Synon LP, Victoria Participating Members Senator Eric Abetz LP, Tasmania Senator Bob Brown Greens, Tasmania Senator the Hon Bob Collins ALP, Northern Territory Senator Mal Colston Ind, Queensland Senator Barney Cooney ALP, Victoria Senator the Hon Rosemary Crowley ALP, South Australia Senator Chris Evans ALP, Western Australia Senator the Hon John Faulkner ALP, New South Wales Senator Brenda Gibbs ALP, Queensland Senator Brian Harradine Ind, Tasmania Senator Sue Mackay ALP, Tasmania Senator Dee Margetts GWA, Western Australia Senator Shayne Murphy ALP, Tasmania Senator -
Optional Preferential Voting for the Australian Senate
ELECTORAL REGULATION RESEARCH NETWORK/DEMOCRATIC AUDIT OF AUSTRALIA JOINT WORKING PAPER SERIES OPTIONAL PREFERENTIAL VOTING FOR THE AUSTRALIAN SENATE Michael Maley (Associate, Centre For Democratic Institutions, Australian National University) WORKING PAPER NO. 16 (NOVEMBER 2013) 1 Introduction This paper explores the possible use of optional preferential voting (OPV) as a way of dealing with concerns which have been crystallised at the 2013 Australian federal election about the operation of some aspects of the Senate electoral system. Its main emphasis is on the extent to which full preferential voting no longer enables voters to express their preferences truthfully, and the role which OPV could play in correcting this.1 In a number of respects, the election was remarkable. • The 40 vacancies were contested by a record number of candidates, 529. • The percentage of votes polled by parties already represented in the Parliament dropped significantly from 2010. • In five out of the six States, a candidate was elected from a party which had never previously been represented in the federal Parliament. • For the first time ever, the seats in one State, South Australia, were divided between five different parties. • In Victoria, a minor party candidate was elected after having polled only 0.5% of the first preference votes cast in the State. • In Western Australia, a partial recount of ballot papers was ordered, and in the aftermath of its conduct it was revealed by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) that some 1,375 ballot papers “all of which had been verified during the initial WA Senate count … could not be located, rechecked or verified in the recount process”. -
Democratic Ambivalence? Ministerial Attitudes to Party and Parliamentary Scrutiny
4. Democratic Ambivalence? Ministerial attitudes to party and parliamentary scrutiny James Walter Introduction This chapter draws upon research into the working lives of a particular cohort of Australian federal politicians—those elected on 10 December 1977.1 They were interviewed twice in 1978—on arrival in Canberra and again at the end of that year—for a monograph on their experience of acculturation to parliament and to representative politics (Walter 1979). All but two were interviewed again between 2005 and 2009 when their parliamentary careers were over. The sequence provides an unusual opportunity for longitudinal comparison of attitudes, aspirations and beliefs of a cohort at the beginning of their political careers, and again in retrospect as they look back on their achievements.2 Not all of the new parliamentarians of 1977 participated in the initial study; of the 27 new backbenchers that year,3 four were excluded because of past federal parliamentary experience and one refused to participate. When it came to the follow-up interviews about 30 years later, of the initial group of 22, one (former Senator Janine Haines) was deceased and one (former Senator Allan Rocher) could not be located. The resulting subject group (now numbering 20, and all male) was as shown in Table 4.1. In following the fortunes of a single cohort, we are reminded of the contingencies of politics. It is not a ‘representative’ group that can be drawn upon for statistical purposes, but rather one whose membership is entirely fortuitous. Yet its collective biography gives us a snapshot of the experience of politics at a historically important juncture in Australian history, as the policy regime that had prevailed since the late 1940s faltered and a new orthodoxy was ascendant. -
Report of the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee
The Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia Inquiry into the disposal of Defence properties REPORT OF THE SENATE FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DEFENCE AND TRADE REFERENCES COMMITTEE September 2001 © Commonwealth of Australia 2001 ISBN 0 642 71115 1 This document is produced from camera-ready copy by the Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade References Committee Secretariat, and printed by the Senate Printing Unit, Parliament House, Canberra. ii MEMBERSHIP OF THE COMMITTEE Current Senator John Hogg, ALP, Qld (from 1.7.98) (Chair) Members Senator Sandy Macdonald, NPA, NSW (to 30.6.99 and from 9.5.00 and from 9.5.00) (Deputy Chair) Senator Vicki Bourne, AD, NSW (from 12.5.99) Senator Steve Hutchins (from 17.8.00) Senator Ross Lightfoot, LP, WA (from 21.10.97) Senator Sue West, ALP, NSW (from 24.11.98) Current Senator the Hon Eric Abetz, LP, Tas (from 5.12.97) Participating Senator Lyn Allison, AD, Vic (from 19.10.99) Members Senator Andrew Bartlett, AD, Qld (from 19.10.99) Senator the Hon Nick Bolkus, ALP, SA (from 7.12.98) Senator the Hon Ron Boswell, NPA, Qld (from 26.11.98) Senator Bob Brown, TG, Tas (from 18.6.96) Senator Paul Calvert, LP, Tas (from 24.8.99) Senator Grant Chapman, LP, SA (from 24.8.99) Senator the Hon Peter Cook, ALP, WA (from 3.12.98) Senator Helen Coonan, LP, NSW (from 24.8.99) Senator Winston Crane, LP, WA (from 24.8.99) Senator Alan Eggleston, LP, WA (from 8.12.98) Senator the Hon John Faulkner, ALP, NSW (from 7.12.98) Senator Alan Ferguson, LP, SA (from 24.8.99) Senator Jeannie Ferris, LP, SA (from 24.8.99) Senator Michael -
A Dissident Liberal—A Principled Political Career
INTRODUCTION: A DISSIDENT LIBERAL—A PRINCIPLED POLITICAL CAREER John Wanna and Marija Taflaga Introducing Peter Baume’s Political Writings and Selected Speeches (including his unpublished diaries) Peter Erne Baume MD, AC, served in the Australian Senate from August 1974 until January 1991, representing the people of New South Wales as one of their initially 10 and then 12 senators. As a member of the Liberal Party, Baume was a dissident liberal, very much his own man, who often baulked at toeing the party line, and was not afraid of crossing the floor against his party colleagues. He was a highbrow classical intellectual of Jewish faith with professional training in medicine. He tended not to suffer fools gladly but equally was not elitist or aloof in his interactions with others and could be tolerant and empathetic in his demeanour. Like Max Weber, he regarded politics as a vocation, a special calling for those committed to serving the public interest throughout their lives;1 and yet when he came to serve in the legislature and experienced the rough and tumble of political life he often despaired at the lack of principles, vision or even basic understanding of many of his party colleagues. He resented other politicians who ostensibly posed as leaders of the community yet who adopted positions on public policy based on next to no information and were simply prejudicial in making their minds up on issues of national importance (at one time referring 1 See Baume (2000); and his speech later in this volume entitled ‘Four Careers’. xiii A Dissident LIBERAL to them as the ‘fat arses’ of the political system). -
40. March-April 1983
/, TIMOR INFORMATION SERVICE Number 40 50 Cents* March/April 1983 Registered by Australia Post - Publication NO.VBG1250 IN THIS ISSUE: AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT EAST TIMOR POLICY IN THE MELTING POT 2 ANIN MAKA HUU .• ,... ,,,.... .... ,, , ,,,5 U.N. HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION SUPPORTS SELF-DETERMINATION .............. 6 EAST TIMORESE RESISTANCE CONTINUES , . , , , 7 A CHAPEL IN EAST TIMOR For East Timorese Catholics, the barbed wire symbolises their current oppression and the Cross, a symbol of liberation. DIGITISED BY CHART PROJECT: http://timorarchives.wordpress.com LABOR GOVERNMENT EAST TIMOR POLICY IN THE MELTING POT The future of the new Australian Labor governments policy on East Timor is in the melting pot. Supported by a strong media campaign against the policy, the Cabinet has stepped back dramatically from affirming the A.L.P.'s long-standing commitment to support for East Timorese self-determination. There are clear signs that unless there is concerted support for the policy from within the Party and outside it, the policy will not be implemented. FROM OPPOSITION TO GOVERNMENT Foreign policy issues did not figure BILL HAYDEN ON TIMOR POLICY largely in the lead up to the March 5 - BEFORE THE ELECTION election. The then shadow Foreign Aff airs Minister Bill Hayden did however QWhat should be our Nonetheless, allowing for the affirm the East Timor policy (see box). position op the In explicitness of our policy, I donesian occupa would be keen to enter into tion of East Timor? fairly early consultation with A.L.P. leaders were less forthcoming the Indonesians about the after winning the election. In fact, policy - about our attitudes that lead to this policy; to ac for the first month in government, only A Our party policy is clear. -
Constitutional Convention
CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION [2nd to 13th FEBRUARY 1998] TRANSCRIPT OF PROCEEDINGS Monday, 2 February 1998 Old Parliament House, Canberra INTERNET The Proof and Official Hansards of the Constitutional Convention are available on the Internet http://www.dpmc.gov.au/convention http://www.aph.gov.au/hansard RADIO BROADCASTS Broadcasts of proceedings of the Constitutional Convention can be heard on the following Parliamentary and News Network radio stations, in the areas identified. CANBERRA 1440 AM SYDNEY 630 AM NEWCASTLE 1458 AM BRISBANE 936 AM MELBOURNE 1026 AM ADELAIDE 972 AM PERTH 585 AM HOBART 729 AM DARWIN 102.5 FM CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION Old Parliament House, Canberra 2nd to 13th February 1998 Chairman—The Rt Hon. Ian McCahon Sinclair MP The Deputy Chairman—The Hon. Barry Owen Jones AO, MP ELECTED DELEGATES New South Wales Mr Malcolm Turnbull (Australian Republican Movement) Mr Doug Sutherland AM (No Republic—ACM) Mr Ted Mack (Ted Mack) Ms Wendy Machin (Australian Republican Movement) Mrs Kerry Jones (No Republic—ACM) Mr Ed Haber (Ted Mack) The Hon Neville Wran AC QC (Australian Republican Movement) Cr Julian Leeser (No Republic—ACM) Ms Karin Sowada (Australian Republican Movement) Mr Peter Grogan (Australian Republican Movement) Ms Jennie George (Australian Republican Movement) Ms Christine Ferguson (No Republic—ACM) Mr Alasdair P Webster (Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) Ms Glenda Hewitt (ungrouped—I Care About Australia’s Future) Dr Pat O’Shane AM (A Just Republic) Brigadier Alf Garland AM (Australian Monarchist League)