Federal Parliament (in Canberra) as two houses (sections):
Lower house: The House of Representatives
- 150 members
- each member is elected by the voters in 1 seat or electorate (voting region)
- each electorate has about the same number of voters (currently about 93,000)
- so city electorates are small geographic areas (a few suburbs) and rural electorates can be very large areas
- states with a higher population, such as NSW, have more electorates and therefore members, than those with a lower population.
- members are elected until the next election, a maximum 3 year term.
Upper house: The Senate
- 76 Senators: 12 from each state and 2 from each territory
- Senators are elected by, and represent, all the people in their state or territory
- state Senators are elected for a term of 6 years
- territory Senators are elected for a term of maximum 3 years
- at each election half of the state Senators' terms end.
The current* House of Representatives
Party representation
Party |
number of Members of House of Representatives |
percentage of Members of House of Representatives |
Liberal Party of Australia |
55 |
37% |
National Party of Australia |
10 |
7% |
Australian Labor Party |
83 |
55% |
Independent |
2 |
1% |
total |
150 |
100% |
State representation
State |
How many members |
ACT |
2 |
NSW |
49 |
NT |
2 |
QLD |
29 |
SA |
11 |
TAS |
5 |
VIC |
37 |
WA |
15 |
Total |
150 |
The current* Senate - party representation
| Party | number of Senators | percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 32 | 42% |
| Liberal Party of Australia | 32 | 42% |
| National Party of Australia & Country Liberal Party | 5 | 6.5% |
| Australian Greens | 5 | 6.5% |
| Family First Party | 1 | 1.5% |
| independent | 1 | 1.5% |
| total | 76 | 100% |
*current as at the time of publication (below). Numbers can change during the term of the parliament.
More information
Parliament of Australia www.aph.gov.au
Updated: July 2008
