NSW Parliament (in Macquarie Street, Sydney) has two houses (sections):
- Lower house: Legislative Assembly
- Upper house: Legislative Council
NSW Lower house: Legislative Assembly
- 93 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 48,000)
- so city electorates are small geographic areas (a few suburbs) and rural electorates can be very large areas
- members are elected until the next election, a 4 year term exactly.
NSW Upper House: Legislative Council
- 42 members
- Members each represent the whole state of NSW (not a local electorate)
- at each election half (21) of the members are elected
- they serve two terms (8 years).
The current* NSW parliament - party representation
Legislative Assembly (lower house)
| party | number of members of Legislative Assembly | % of members |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 52 | 56% |
| Liberal Party of Australia | 22 | 24% |
| National Party of Australia | 13 | 14% |
| Independent | 6 | 6% |
| total | 93 | 100% |
Legislative Council (upper house)
| party | number of members of Legislative Council | % of members (rounded) |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 19 | 45% |
| Liberal Party of Australia | 10 | 24% |
| National Party of Australia | 5 | 12% |
| Australian Greens | 4 | 10% |
| Christian Democratic Party (Fred Nile Group) | 2 | 5% |
| Shooters Party | 2 | 5% |
| total | 42 | 100% |
*current refers to the numbers immediately after the 2007 election. These numbers can change during the term of the parliament.
Getting a new law passed by NSW Parliament
To make a new law ("pass legislation"), a proposal or "bill" needs to be agreed to by a majority of members in each house.
In the Legislative Assembly a majority is 47 or more. The Labor Party usually has no problem passing legislation because they have 52 members in the Legislative Assembly.
In the Legislative Council a majority is 22 or more. Labor does not have a majority of members - it only has 19 members in the Legislative Council. If the Labor Party wants to pass a new law they have to have the support of at least 3 other members. There are several possible combinations of parties that can give Labor the 3 extra votes it needs.
When the government party or parties do not have a majority in both houses of parliament, then certain combinations of independents and smaller parties have the power to decide what laws will and won't be passed. This is called "having the balance of power". Independents and smaller parties often negotiate their support, and bargain for the addition or removal of particular aspects of the proposal.
Published: 2007
