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Parliamentary Education Office, 2008. Please visit the Image Library page for important information about use of images.

Description

This diagram illustrates the principle of responsible government.

The House of Representatives is made up of government and non-government members. The government is the majority (with more than 50 percent of members). The remaining non-government members are the minority (with less than 50 percent of memebers). Therefore:

• The government is formed in the House of Representatives.
• The government is responsible to the Parliament.
• The government must maintain the support of the House of Representatives to stay in power.
• The government is not formed in the Senate.