Statistics from the five years 1993-98 show a consistent pattern of legislation by the Federal Parliament.
In four of the five years, the parliament passed between 168 and 198 pieces of legislation. The figure dropped to 113 in the period covering the 1996 election and the change of government.
The process of legislating, making laws, is the most basic day-to-day function of the parliament.
According to Section 1 of the Constitution, all laws must be approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate. Section 58 requires that they are then submitted to the Governor-General for royal assent.
These figures have been compiled by the Parliamentary Library:
| Bills Passed By Both Houses of Parliament | |
|---|---|
| Year | No. Bills |
|
1993-94
|
198
|
|
1994-95
|
168
|
|
1995-96
|
113
|
|
1996-97
|
172
|
|
1997-98
|
183
|
