The Houses of Parliament: The Senate

Question 1

Members

Answer 1

The Senate has 76 members. There are 12 senators per state regardless of the population of each state. There are 2 senators from each mainland territory (ACT; Northern Territory).

Question 2

Election

Answer 2

There is an election for the “House” every 6 years. All Australian citizens over the age of 18 must vote (compulsory).

Question 3

Australian citizen

Answer 3

Any Australian citizen can stand for election in the Senate. Like the “House” most of the successful candidates belong to a political party.

Question 4

Major parties

Answer 4

The major parties in Australia are Australian Labor Party (ALP); the Liberal Party (LP); the National Party (NP); the Greens (GP); One Nation (ON).

Question 5

Majority party seating

Answer 5

The majority party sits on the right-hand side of the speaker’s chair and the opposition sit on the left side.

Question 6

President of the Senate

Answer 6

The President of the Senate is selected by all senators by majority vote which means that the party who wins the election gets to choose the President. The President is the “umpire” and must be impartial.

Question 7

Passing a Bill

Answer 7

The process for passing a bill in the Senate involves the same 4 stages as the “House”