Parliament of Australia

The Parliament of Australia is the legislative branch of Australia. According to Section 1 of the Constitution of Australia, Parliament consists of the Queen of Australia, the House of Representatives (the "lower house"), and the Senate (the "upper house" or "house of review"). The Queen is normally represented in Australia by the Governor-General. The Parliament of Australia is modelled on the Parliament of the United Kingdom and, to a lesser extent, the Congress of the United States.

Ministers

A minister is not required to be a member of the House or the Senate at the time of their appointment, but their office is forfeited if they do not become a member of either house within 3 months of their appointment.

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This provision was included in the Constitution to enable the inaugural Ministry, led by Edmund Barton, to be appointed on 1 January 1901, even though the first federal elections were not scheduled to be held until 29 and 30 March.

Related Topics:
Edmund Barton - 1 January - 1901 - 30 March

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The provision also came into effect when the Liberal Prime Minister Harold Holt drowned on 17 December 1967. The Liberal Party elected Senator John Gorton as its new leader, and he was sworn in as Prime Minister on 10 January 1968. Gorton resigned from the Senate to stand for the by-election in Holt's former electorate of Higgins. For 24 days (1 to 24 February) he was Prime Minister while being a member of neither house.

Related Topics:
Harold Holt - 17 December - 1967 - John Gorton - 10 January - 1968 - Higgins

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On a number of occasions when a Minister has retired from their seat prior to an election, they have retained their Ministerial office until the next government is sworn in.

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