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THE QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENT
URL: http://www.spatialgovernance.com/governance/government/610-2A2.htm
© John S. Cook - Created on 11 February 2005
Last modified
05/04/11 11:01
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OVERVIEW |
The major tasks of a
parliament are:
 | to legislate - with the objective of good
government; and |
| to establish and oversee accountability
regimes to ensure that the objective of good government is
achieved. |
In bicameral legislatures that follow the
Westminster model, the Upper House provides an opportunity for
reviewing operations of the Lower House. However, upper houses
that comprise appointees rather than elected representatives
lack democratic credentials and legitimacy. Thus, an unelected
upper house could frustrate rather than merely review the work
of a lower house. In Queensland, this kind of frustration led to
abolition of the Legislative Council in 1922.
The problem of unicameral legislatures is to
provide additional checks and balances to replace those the
review processes normally performed in an upper house. Nowhere
is this need better illustrated than by the
National Party government under Premier Sir Joh Bjele-Petersen.
appointed E. G. Fitzgerald as a Commissioner to inquire into
Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police Misconduct
following allegations of illegal activities by police in
Queensland. Revelations of corruption at the Inquiry led the
National Party to depose Bjelke-Petersen as its leader on 26
November 1987. However, he refused to resign as premier and
advised the governor, Sir Walter Campbell, to dismiss all other
government ministers. Recognising the premier's obviously
tenuous claim to retain the confidence of his party, the
governor rejected his advice. On 1 December 1987,
Bjelke-Petersen resigned as the State's longest serving premier.
resigned on
1 December
1987. At the next election Labor returned to office after 32
years in opposition.
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References:
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QUEENSLAND'S ELECTORAL SYSTEM |
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Under Queensland's Constitution, a general election takes place at intervals not exceeding three years.
Voting is compulsory for all persons after they reach 18 years of age. The
general idea is for one person to have one vote and for each vote to have equal
value. Under a franchise based on property, a propertied class could obtain more
than one vote, especially where property was held in
more than one electoral district. this situation existed in Queensland after
1859 but was converted to a system of adult franchise in 1915.
Another means of distorting the electoral
system occurs with differences in the number of voters required to elect a
single member of parliament. This phenomena occurred in the England where the
House of Commons comprised representatives based on shires and boroughs. During
the Industrial Revolution, the voting population of many of the traditional
boroughs became small compared with newly emerging industrial towns. These
became known as rotten boroughs
The Electoral Act 1992
In Queensland, the conduct of elections is subject to the
Electoral Act 1992. Key features of the legislation are:
| establishment of the Electoral Commission
of Queensland that is independent of partly politics or the public service to
oversee electoral processes (at
s.7) |
| the number of electoral districts of the State
is 89 (at
s.34) |
| provision for determination and redistribution
of electoral districts from time to time |
| the keeping of electoral rolls of eligible
voters |
| registration of political parties |
| procedures for the conduct of elections |
Calling of Elections
The governor,
acting on the advice of the premier,
issues writs requiring electoral officials to conduct general
elections.
Queensland uses an Optional Preferential Voting System that allows
the voter to |
Voting System
Queensland operates a system of operational preferential voting.
This system is a compromise between first-past-the-post voting and
full preferential voting. In first-past-the-post voting, the voter
gives a vote to only one of the candidates. In full preferential
voting the voter
Electoral Redistribution
The general idea is for one person to have one vote to have one
value. Clealrly, this does not occur where The possibility exists
for population changes t
allowing Joh Bjelke-Petersen to govern as Premier of a State in
which he had received only 20% of the votes |
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References:
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Electoral Commission of
Queensland -
Home >
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Queensland Parliament is subject to the
Parliament of Queensland Act 2001.
The Speaker
In English tradition, the speaker's role was to speak to the monarch on
behalf of the House of Commons. Under conditions of monarchical tyranny, the speaker's job
was often unpopular and dangerous. Nowadays, the speaker presides over the
conduct of parliament but excluding committee activities and any
other circumstances that the parliament may decide. The speaker also
assumes responsibility for resources such as staff, buildings and
supplies needed for the functioning of the parliament.Members must
elect a speaker at the first sitting of parliament after a general
election (s.14). |
The
Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 provides for . The
objective in establishing thse committees is to improve public
accountability. |
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References:
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STATUTORY
COMMITTEES OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY |
Statutory Committees
Parliament passed the
Parliamentary Committees Act 1995
to establish a new committee system that
allowed for five statutory committees of the Assembly. This was a
response to a recommendation of the 1989 Report of the Commission of
Inquiry into Possible Illegal Activities and Associated Police
Misconduct (the Fitzgerald Report). This Report recommended the
establishment of an Electoral and Administrative Review Commission (EARC).
One of EARC's tasks was to advise Parliament on setting up a
“comprehensive system of Parliamentary Committees to monitor the
efficiency of Government”. The
Explanatory Notes to the Parliamentary Committees Bill 1995
provides more detailed information. |
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| Name of Committee |
Establishment and Area of
Responsibility |
| Legal, Constitutional
and Administrative Review Committee (LCARC) |
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| Members' Ethics and
Parliamentary Privileges Committee |
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| Public Accounts
Committee |
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| Public Works
Committee |
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| Scrutiny of
Legislation Committee (SLC) |
On 26 November 1975, the Parliament
constituted a Committee of Subordinate Legislation. This Committee
was replaced by The Scrutiny of
Legislation Committee established on 15 August 1995 under provisions
of the Parliamentary
Committees Act 1995. The essential
provisions were repealed and incorporated into
the
Parliament of Queensland Act
2001 with areas of responsibility set out the Act at
s.103. |
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References:
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SCRUTINY OF LEGISLATION COMMITTEE |
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References:
George Burton Adams, Constitutional
history of England, rev. edn. by Robert L. Schyller (London:
Jonathon Cape, 1935) pp.192-215
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ORIGINS OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS |
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References:
George Burton Adams, Constitutional
history of England, rev. edn. by Robert L. Schyller (London:
Jonathon Cape, 1935) pp.192-215
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Public Sector Ethics Act 1995 - Freedom of Information Act -
Whistleblower - Ombudsman -
History and Functions of Parliament
and Government in Queensland
Vice Regal Representative
The Queensland Constitution provides that the Parliament of Queensland
consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. The Governor of Queensland represents
the sovereign in a number of formal roles involving the Parliament including
Appointment of a Speaker
Created on 26/11/97 -
URL: http://www.plas.bee.qut.edu.au/www_jsc/psb315/315qg2.htm
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