parliament now
Welcome to Parliament NOW—your departure point for current information about the 42nd federal Parliament—the place, the people and the processes which make it work.
From this page, you can access related information about the federal chambers and their activities:
- House of Representatives NOW
This page introduces you to the House of Representatives—its distinctive character and traditions; its people and where they sit; and the groupings which make up the current composition. - Senate NOW
This page introduces you to the Senate—its distinctive character and traditions; its people and where they sit; and the groupings which make up the current composition.
On this page:
- Australia’s Parliament House
- The Parliament of Australia
- The 42nd Parliament
- Australia’s head of state
- Parliamentary party leadership
- Chamber leadership
- Events in Parliament
- PEO links
- Other links
Australia’s Parliament House
Parliament House is an amazing kaleidoscope of people, things and events that are complex and constantly changing and that collectively reflect Australian history and culture.
Located in Canberra—the capital of Australia—Parliament House is the home of and main working building for Australia’s federal Parliament. As a meeting place the Parliament is visited by many officials and members of the public each year.
Parliament House was designed by Mitchell/Giurgola and Thorp Architects and was officially opened on 9 May 1988 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The first sitting of Parliament was on 22 August 1988.
The building itself has many outstanding physical features, including:
- a mosaic by an Indigenous artist in the forecourt that symbolises a meeting place and the Australian continent
- the Senate and House of Representatives chambers with public galleries overlooking the chambers
- the Great Hall containing a large tapestry and Australian timbers
- a line of symmetry through the building that links with the surrounding Parliamentary Triangle precinct
- 4,500 meeting and working rooms for parliamentarians, support staff and visitors
- a press gallery that houses the major media representatives that work in and report on Parliament
- a significant art collection, encompassing paintings, sculptures, furniture and textiles.
The Parliament of Australia
The Australian Parliament is made up of the House of Representatives, the Senate and the Queen (represented by the Governor-General).
The Parliament has four main functions:
- making national laws
- representing the views of people living in Australia
- scrutinising the actions of the government
- forming government from the party (or coalition of parties) which achieve a majority in the House of Representatives following a federal election.
Find out which bills are currently in the Parliament at BillsNet
http://www.aph.gov.au/bills
The Parliament is sometimes known as the Legislature, and works alongside the Executive (the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and government departments) and the Judiciary (Australian courts) to govern the country.
The 42nd Parliament
The current Parliament is the 42nd Parliament of Australia. This means that it is the 42nd parliament to be elected since Federation in 1901. The 42nd Parliament began following the last federal election held on 24 November 2007.
The current Parliament is made up of a total of 226 representatives popularly elected to the House of Representatives and the Senate. Of the 226 parliamentarians, 150 are members and 76 are senators. State senators elected on 24 November 2007 will not take up their positions in the Senate until 1 July 2008. However, senators who represent the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory take up their positions immediately.
The table below summarises a few of the characteristics of the current Parliament.*
| Out of 226 federal parliamentarians, how many are: | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 30 years | 1 | Over 60 years | 36 |
| Non-indigenous | 226 | Indigenous | 0 |
| Male | 159 | Female | 67 |
| Born in Australia | 198 | Born overseas | 28 |
*As at 13 May 2008
According to section 28 of the Australian Constitution, federal elections must be held at least every three years. The Governor-General, on advice from the Prime Minister, prorogued the Parliament on 15 October 2007 and dissolved the House of Representatives on 17 October 2007.
Australia’s head of state
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II is Australia’s head of state and is formally recognised as the leader of the nation. On the advice of the Australian Prime Minister, the Queen appoints the Governor-General to act on her behalf.
The current Governor-General of Australia is His Excellency Major General Michael Jeffery, AC, CVO, MC. The Governor-General acts as the Queen’s representative in Australia and carries out duties including signing bills passed by the federal Parliament into law, appointing judges and government ministers, dissolving and opening the Parliament and acting as Commander in Chief of the armed forces.
Parliamentary party leadership
Currently, 224 of 226 federal parliamentarians belong to political parties.
Two Independents (who do not belong to a political party) sit in the House of Representatives. There will be one Independent in the Senate from 1 July 2008.
Federal parliamentary parties elect leaders to publically represent their parties and to articulate party policies. The two largest political parties in the current Parliament are the Liberal Party of Australia (LPA) and the Australian Labor Party (ALP). Smaller parties include the Nationals (the NATS) who are in coalition with the Liberal Party of Australia, the Australian Greens (AG), the Australian Democrats (AD), Family First Party (FFP) and the Country Liberal Party (CLP).
The current leader of the Australian Labor Party is the Hon. Kevin Rudd MP. Mr Rudd is also the Prime Minister of Australia.
The current leader of the Liberal Party of Australia is the Hon. Dr Brendan Nelson MP. Dr Nelson is also the Leader of the Opposition.
The current leader of The Nationals is the Hon. Warren Truss MP.
The current leader of the Australian Democrats is Senator Lyn Allison.
The current leader of the Australian Greens is Senator Bob Brown.
The current leader of the Family First Party is Senator Steve Fielding.
Chamber leadership
In addition to their duties as elected members and senators, some parliamentarians have additional responsibilities both within their parties and in day-to-day chamber proceedings.
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 The current Speaker of the House of Representatives is Mr Harry Jenkins MP. |
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| Senate | ||
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The current President of the Senate is Senator the Hon. Alan Ferguson. |
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Parliamentary officers provide important assistance to members and senators in both chambers and in their wider parliamentary duties.
The Senate and the House of Representatives each have a clerk, who is the most senior non-elected official in the chamber. The Clerk assists the Speaker or the President to manage chamber proceedings, provides advice to parliamentarians and records decisions of the Parliament.
The Serjeant-at-Arms in the House of Representatives looks after the Speaker and members of the House. In this capacity the Serjeant-at-Arms gives advice, maintains building security and provides office facilities. The Usher of the Black Rod fulfills a similar role in the Senate.
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To find out more about who’s who in Parliament go to Who's Who in Parliament
http://www.aph.gov.au/whoswho
Events in Parliament
Parliament House is a busy and vibrant place. It is not only the home of the federal Parliament, but in keeping with its role as the meeting place of the nation, the Parliament opens its doors to the public and hosts a wide variety of visitors and events every year. To find out what happened this week in Parliament go to This Week in Parliament
http://www.aph.gov.au/thisweek
The Budget
The annual Budget presentation and speech by the federal Treasurer takes place in the Parliament every May. The Budget outlines the government’s annual plan for collecting and spending money across Australia. This is an important event and is closely scrutinised and analysed by the press gallery in Parliament House.
Estimates
Senate Estimates committees meet twice a year to scrutinise how the government has spent the Budget funds and to question government ministers and senior public servants from government departments.
Council of Australian Governments
The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is the peak intergovernmental forum in Australia, comprising the Prime Minister, state premiers, territory chief ministers and the President of the Australian Local Government Association. COAG meets regularly at Parliament House.
Visitors
Nearly one million people toured Parliament House last year, of which approximately 88,000 were students who came to learn about how the Parliament works.
Official overseas guests, including royalty, heads of government and parliamentary delegates, often visit Parliament House and the chambers, while a regular Open Day permits other visitors a behind the scenes tour of Parliament House. This is an opportunity to see how the building and its many occupants operate each day.
To find out more about visiting Australia’s Parliament House go to Visiting Parliament House
http://www.aph.gov.au/DPS/building/visiting
Celebrations
The front lawns of Parliament House play host to the annual Australia Day Live concert, at which the Prime Minister announces the Australian of the Year in several categories.
Download: Parliament NOW [406KB, 9 pages]
PEO links
Do you want to know more about the federal Parliament?
FAQ: The FAQ covers many frequently asked questions about the history, role and operation of the Parliament of Australia.
Parliamentary Glossary: The Parliamentary Glossary contains a collection of parliamentary definitions.
Fact Sheet Series: The Fact Sheet Series is a comprehensive set of one page fact sheets on the federal Parliament.
Other links
http://www.aph.gov.au/parl.htm
Parliamentary
Handbook of the 42nd Parliament
http://www.aph.gov.au/Library/handbook
Australian Electoral Commission, Elections—frequently asked questions
http://www.aec.gov.au/FAQs/Elections.htm
Australian government Budget 2007-2008
http://www.budget.gov.au
Parliament of Australia Senate estimates
http://www.aph.gov.au/Senate/estimates
Council of Australian Governments (COAG)
http://www.coag.gov.au
http://www.australiadaylive.gov.au