Opposition (31)
Coalition Liberal (25)[a] National (6)[b]
Crossbench (19) Greens (11) One Nation (2) Lambie Network (1) United Australia (1)
Independent (4)[c]
Length of term
6 years (state senators) 3 years (territory senators)
Elections
Voting system
Single transferable vote
Last election
21 May 2022 (Half Senate election)
Next election
2024 or 2025
Meeting place
Senate Chamber Parliament House Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Website
Senate
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The Senate is the upper house of the bicameral Parliament of Australia, the lower house being the House of Representatives. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. There are a total of 76 senators: 12 are elected from each of the six Australian states regardless of population and 2 from each of the two self-governing internal Australian territories (the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory). Senators are popularly elected under the single transferable vote system of proportional representation.
The Australian Senate is equal in power to the House of Representatives, except that it cannot originate or amend money bills (taxes or laws appropriating money) – only reject or defer them. This feature, closer to the strong bicameralism of the US senate, is not present in other comparable Westminster systems (such as the UK House of Lords) making the Australian system a unique hybrid, sometimes called a "Washminster mutation".[1][2][3]
Since 1948, the Senate has been elected using a proportional representation system with a much broader array of parties and independents represented in the chamber, with no individual party usually dominating. Following 1981, the government has only had a majority in the Senate from 2005–2007; otherwise, negotiations with other parties and independents have generally been necessary to pass legislation.[4]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
^"How have the British and US systems of government influenced the Australian government system?". Parliamentary Education Office. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
^Thompson, Elaine (1980). "The "Washminster" Mutation". Australian Journal of Political Science. 15 (2): 32–40. doi:10.1080/00323268008401755 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
^Thompson, Elaine (2001). "The Constitution and the Australian System of Limited Government, Responsible Government and Representative Democracy: Revisiting the Washminster Mutation". University of New South Wales Law Journal. 24 (3) – via Austlii.
^Williams, George; Brennan, Sean; Lynch, Andrew (2014). Blackshield and Williams Australian constitutional law and theory : commentary and materials (6th ed.). Annandale, NSW: Federation Press. p. 415. ISBN 9781862879188.
13 May 2016 Day v Australian Electoral Officer for the State of South Australia [2016] HCA 20 "Voting in the Senate". Australian Electoral Commission...
The Clerk of the AustralianSenate is the head of the Parliamentary Department of the Senate, which is the parliamentary department supporting the work...
The 2022 Australian federal election in the Senate was held on 21 May 2022 to elect 40 of the 76 senators in the AustralianSenate, after a six-week campaign...
the AustralianSenate: Members of the AustralianSenate, 1901–1903 Members of the AustralianSenate, 1904–1906 Members of the AustralianSenate, 1907–1910...
committees of the AustralianSenate are committees of Senators, established by the AustralianSenate, for purposes determined by that body. Senate committees...
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The Australian referendum of 12 December 1906 approved an amendment to the Australian constitution related to the terms of office of federal senators...
There have been 122 women in the AustralianSenate since the establishment of the Parliament of Australia. Women have had the right to stand for federal...
currently holds the role of Senate leader. The ACT Greens are currently in a coalition government with ACT Labor in the Australian Capital Territory, and have...
the election, the 76-seat Senate was made up of senators from the Coalition (34), Australian Labor Party (31), Australian Greens (9), Democratic Labour...
Room. Australian Electoral Commission. Retrieved 18 June 2019. "First preferences by Senate group: Western Australia". AEC Tally Room. Australian Electoral...
were won by the Australian Greens, Centre Alliance, Katter's Australian Party and three independents. The electoral system of Australia enforces compulsory...
Morris (Australian politician) (1936–2013), Australian Senator for New South Wales from 1985 to 1990 Kenneth Morris (politician) (1903–1978), Australian Senator...
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(born 1954), Arkansas State Senate Thomas Rice (1734) (1734–1812), Massachusetts State Senate Janet Rice (born 1960), Australian Senator for Victoria from...
election. In Australia, this is usually between the candidates from the Coalition parties and the Australian Labor Party. For the AustralianSenate, each State...
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Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 10 July 2016. Retrieved 5 February 2017. "Federal Election 2016: Senate Results". Australia Votes. Australian Broadcasting...
1983) is an Australian politician and a member of the United Australia Party. He was elected to represent Victoria in the AustralianSenate at the 2022...
joined the Palmer United Party (PUP), led by Australian billionaire Clive Palmer. She was elected to the Senate at the 2013 federal election. Her term began...
appointments to the AustralianSenate, which is the upper house of the Parliament of Australia, filling casual vacancies, from the Senate's creation in 1901...
Richardson may refer to: Graham Richardson (born 1949), member of the AustralianSenate from 1983 to 1994 Henry Richardson (Northern Ireland politician) (1883–...
house, the Australian House of Representatives, and the use of the single transferable vote to elect the upper house, the AustralianSenate. Other parties...
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