The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of parliament in the Australian state of South Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Adelaide.
The House of Assembly was created in 1857, when South Australia attained self-government. The development of an elected legislature - although only men could vote - marked a significant change from the prior system, where power had been concentrated in the hands of the Governor and the Legislative Council, which was appointed by the Governor.
In 1894, the House of Assembly granted women the right to vote and stand for parliament - the first Australian state, and among the first entities in the world, to do so.
The House of Assembly has 47 members, each coming from a single-member constituency. These are commonly known as seats, and are intended to represent approximately the same population in each electorate. Voting is by the preferential system, as with the equivalent federal chamber, the Australian House of Representatives. All members face re-election approximately every four years. The next election is due in March 2006.
Most legislation is initiated in the House of Assembly. The party or coalition with the most seats in the lower house is invited by the Governor to form government. The leader of that party subsequently becomes Premier of South Australia, and their senior colleagues become ministers responsible for various portfolios. As Australian political parties traditionally vote along party lines, most legislation introduced by the governing party will pass through the House of Assembly.
As with the federal parliament and Australian other states and territories, voting in the Assembly is compulsory for all those over the age of 18. Voting in the House of Assembly had originally been voluntary, but this was changed in 1942.
See also
Current Distribution of Seats
Last updated: 05-23-2005 19:55:43
