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Abbott Says Federal Police Now Handling External And Internal Security At Parliament House

Sep 19, 2014

Prime Minister Tony Abbott has announced that the Australian Federal Police have taken over responsibility for the external and internal security at Parliament House.

Abbott reiterated his previous remarks on terrorism but little information on yesterday’s terrorism raids and arrests was forthcoming at his joint press conference today.

Abbott

Abbott was accompanied by the NSW Premier, Mike Baird, Acting Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Andrew Colvin, and NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione. They refused to say how many people were still under arrest and would not comment on whether any of those detained were involved in plans to attack Parliament House. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Abbott, Audio, General Information, N.S.W., Terrorism Tagged With: , , , ,

That’s It, You’re Out: Disorderly Conduct In The House Of Representatives

Dec 11, 2013

The 43rd Parliament was the most disorderly in the history of the Australian Parliament, according to statistics compiled by the Parliamentary Library.

A research paper written by Rob Lundie and published today by the Parliamentary Library shows that 27.4% of the 1,093 members of the House of Representatives between 1901 and the end of the 43rd Parliament in August were named and/or suspended or ‘sin binned’ for disorderly conduct.

There were 1,352 instances of disorderly behaviour identified in the official Hansard record of parliamentary proceedings. The paper uses four criteria for measuring disorderly behaviour:

  1. number of disciplinary actions
  2. number of sitting weeks in which a member was disciplined
  3. number of days when four or more members were disciplined
  4. number of different members disciplined

On this basis, the two parliaments of the Rudd and Gillard governments (42nd & 43rd) were more disorderly than the four parliaments of the Howard governments (38th, 39th, 40th & 41st). But these six parliaments since 1996 have been the most disorderly since 1901. [Read more…]

Filed Under: General Information, House of Reps, Political History Tagged With: , , ,

Governor-General’s Proclamation Summoning Parliament

Nov 04, 2013

The Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, has issued a proclamation summoning the Parliament to meet on November 12.

The proclamation is issued under Section 5 of the Constitution, which empowers the Governor-General to “appoint such times for holding the sessions of the Parliament as he thinks fit”.

As in all such matters, the proclamation is issued on the advice of the Prime Minister. It is the government that has decided when Parliament is to meet, not the Governor-General. [Read more…]

Filed Under: 2013 Federal Election, Abbott, Executive Conventions, General Information, Governor-General Tagged With: , , , ,

Current Federal Parliamentary Leaders

Oct 14, 2013

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.

These tables are correct as of October 14, 2013. They take account of the change of government following the September 7 election and leadership ballots in all parties as a result of the election. [Read more…]

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

Current Federal Parliamentary Leaders

Jun 27, 2013

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.

These tables are correct as of June 27, 2013. On June 26, 2013, Kevin Rudd defeated Julia Gillard for the ALP leadership. Anthony Albanese replaced Wayne Swan as deputy leader. Senator Penny Wong replaced Senator Stephen Conroy as Senate leader and Senator Jacinta Collins became deputy leader. [Read more…]

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

Current Federal Parliamentary Leaders

Feb 04, 2013

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.

These tables are correct as of February 4, 2013. On February 2, Senator Chris Evans announced his retirement from politics. The ALP Caucus elected Senator Stephen Conroy as his replacement on February 4. Senator Penny Wong became the deputy leader.

House of Representatives
Party Leader Deputy Leader
Australian Labor Party Julia Gillard
Member for Lalor (Vic)		 Wayne Swan
Member for Lilley (Qld)
Liberal Party Tony Abbott
Member for Warringah (NSW)		 Julie Bishop
Member for Curtin (WA)
National Party Warren Truss
Member for Wide Bay (Qld)		 Senator Nigel Scullion
Northern Territory
Australian Greens – Adam Bandt
Member for Melbourne (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 ALP leader in the Senate, Chris Evans, is referred to as the Government Leader in the Senate. Senator Eric Abetz is referred to as the Opposition Leader in the Senate.

Senate
Party Leader Deputy Leader
Australian Labor Party Senator Stephen Conroy
(Victoria)		 Senator Penny Wong
(South Australia)
Liberal Party Senator Eric Abetz
(Tasmania)		 Senator George Brandis
(Queensland)
National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce
(Queensland)		 Senator Fiona Nash
(New South Wales)
Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne
(Tasmania)
–


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

Current Federal Parliamentary Party Leaders

Nov 01, 2012

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
Australian Labor Party Julia Gillard
Member for Lalor (Vic)		 Wayne Swan
Member for Lilley (Qld)
Liberal Party Tony Abbott
Member for Warringah (NSW)		 Julie Bishop
Member for Curtin (WA)
National Party Warren Truss
Member for Wide Bay (Qld)		 Senator Nigel Scullion
Northern Territory
Australian Greens – Adam Bandt
Member for Melbourne (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 ALP leader in the Senate, Chris Evans, is referred to as the Government Leader in the Senate. Senator Eric Abetz is referred to as the Opposition Leader in the Senate.

Senate
Party Leader Deputy Leader
Australian Labor Party Senator Chris Evans
(Western Australia)		 Senator Stephen Conroy
(Victoria)
Liberal Party Senator Eric Abetz
(Tasmania)		 Senator George Brandis
(Queensland)
National Party Senator Barnaby Joyce
(Queensland)		 Senator Fiona Nash
(New South Wales)
Australian Greens Senator Christine Milne
(Tasmania)
–



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., General Information, Greens, Leaders, Liberal Party, Parliamentary People, The Nationals Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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