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Sen. Andrew Bartlett (Greens-Qld) – Maiden Speech

Dec 05, 2017

The Queensland Greens Senator Andrew Bartlett has delivered his maiden speech to the upper house.

Bartlett

Bartlett was chosen to represent Queensland in the Senate on November 10, 2017. His election followed the resignation of Larissa Waters on July 18, 2017. On October 27, 2017, the High Court, sitting as the Court of Disputed Returns, ruled that Waters was ineligible to be elected under Section 44 of the Constitution, due to her Canadian dual citizenship. A special recount was ordered and Bartlett was declared elected. He had been the number two candidate on the Greens ticket at the 2016 election.

Bartlett, 53, previously served as an Australian Democrats senator from Queensland between 1997 and 2008. He was leader of the party for two years from 2002 until 2004.

  • Listen to Bartlett’s speech (21m)
  • Watch Bartlett’s speech (22m)

Hansard transcript of Senator Andrew Bartlett’s maiden speech.

The PRESIDENT (17:00): Pursuant to order, I now call Senator Bartlett to make his first speech and ask honourable senators that the usual courtesies be extended to him.

Senator BARTLETT (Queensland) (17:00): I’d like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land that this parliament is meeting on, the Ngunawal and Ngambri people, and also the traditional Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander owners of the lands and waters across my home state of Queensland. I pay respects to their elders past, present and emerging. I recognise that sovereignty was never ceded and that there is still so much unfinished business that our country needs to address before we have truth, reconciliation and justice for the first peoples of this land. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Audio, Australian Democrats, Greens, Maiden Speeches, Qld, Senate, Video Tagged With: ,

A Cautionary Tale: Senate Votes In The 2013 Federal Election

Jun 11, 2016

Aside from the Coalition, ALP and Greens, just five parties were able to poll above 1% nationally in the last Senate election.

The Palmer United Party, Liberal Democrats, Nick Xenophon Group, Sex Party and Family First each managed to reach 1% nationally in the 2013 federal election. They polled higher numbers in particular states and managed to win seats. Only the Sex Party failed to elect a senator.

A further 46 groups polled less than 1% each. Nineteen of these failed to make it to 0.5%. Twenty-five groups failed to poll more than 0.66% and will not contest this year’s election. Only Ricky Muir from this group of 46 managed to win election to the Senate and that was due to group voting ticket preference deals which have now been abolished. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, 2016 Federal Election, A.L.P., Australian Democrats, D.L.P., Election Statistics, Greens, Liberal National Party, Liberal Party, One Nation, Palmer United Party, Senate, The Nationals

Stott Despoja, Former Democrats Leader, Appointed Ambassador For Women And Girls

Dec 16, 2013

The Abbott government has appointed the former leader of the Australian Democrats, Natasha Stott Despoja, as the next Ambassador for Women and Girls.

Stott Despoja

In announcing the appointment, the Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, said “gender empowerment is a priority for the Australian Government’s overseas development program”. She said it was the government’s wish “to be at the forefront of efforts to promote the empowerment of women and girls, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region”. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Abbott, Audio, Australian Democrats, Foreign Aid, Women Tagged With: , , ,

Current Federal Parliamentary Party Leaders

Sep 17, 2007

Each political party represented in the Federal Parliament elects leaders in each house.

Just as the government is decided in the House of Representatives, so the parties elect their leaders and deputy leaders from amongst their representatives in the House. If the party is not represented in the lower house, its leader will be chosen from amongst its members in the Senate.

House of Representatives
Party Leader Deputy Leader
Liberal Party John Howard
Member for Bennelong (NSW)		 Peter Costello
Member for Higgins (Vic)
National Party Mark Vaile
Member for Lyne (NSW)		 Warren Truss
Member for Wide Bay (Qld)
Australian Labor Party Kevin Rudd
Member for Griffith (Qld)		 Julia Gillard
Member for Lalor (Vic)


The major parties also elect leaders and deputy leaders in the Senate. These people form part of the leadership group and act as the focal point for their parties in the upper house.

For example, the current Liberal Party leader in the Senate, Nick Minchin, is referred to as the Government Leader in the Senate. Senator Chris Evans is referred to as the Opposition Leader in the Senate.

Senate
Party Leader Deputy Leader
Liberal Party Senator Nick Minchin
(South Australia)		 Senator Helen Coonan
(New South Wales)
National Party Senator Ron Boswell
(Queensland)		 Senator Nigel Scullion
(Northern Territory)
Australian Labor Party Senator Chris Evans
(Western Australia)		 Senator Stephen Conroy
(Victoria)
Australian Democrats Senator Andrew Bartlett
(Queensland)		 Senator Lyn Allison
(Victoria)
Australian Greens Senator Bob Brown
(Tasmania)
–
Family First Senator Steve Fielding
(Victoria)
–


Footnote: Convention dictates that the official leader of the main parties will be a member of the House of Representatives. In 1968, following the death of its Prime Minister, Harold Holt, the Liberal Party chose its upper house leader, Senator John Gorton, as the new prime minister. Gorton immediately resigned his Senate seat and contested the by-election for Holt’s lower house electorate, Higgins. Thus, Australia had a prime minister for several weeks who was not a member of either house. This is allowed for in Section 64 of the Constitution.

Filed Under: A.L.P., Australian Democrats, General Information, Greens, Leaders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary People, The Nationals Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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