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Nexus Clause
Section 24 of the Constitution of Australia is titled "Constitution of House of Representatives". It provides that the House of Representatives be "directly chosen by the people of the Commonwealth" and have roughly twice as many seats as the Senate. A High Court ruling in 1977 clarified that the provision applies to States only. A provision for Territories is instead provided by legislation passed in Parliament in accordance with Section 122 of the Constitution. The section also provides a formula for the number of seats in each State, subject to later amendment by the parliament, and guarantees at least five members for each original State. Text The House of Representatives shall be composed of members directly chosen by the people of the Commonwealth, and the number of such members shall be, as nearly as practicable, twice the number of the senators. The number of members chosen in the several States shall be in proportion to the respective numbers of their people, and shall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Constitution Of Australia
The Constitution of Australia (also known as the Commonwealth Constitution) is the fundamental law that governs the political structure of Australia. It is a written constitution, which establishes the country as a Federation of Australia, federation under a Monarchy of Australia, constitutional monarchy governed with a parliamentary system. Its eight chapters set down the structure and powers of the three constituent parts of the federal level of government: the Parliament of Australia, Parliament, the Australian Government, Executive Government and the Judiciary of Australia, Judicature. The Constitution was drafted between 1891 and 1898 at a series of Constitutional Convention (Australia), conventions conducted by representatives of the six self-governing British colonies in Australia: New South Wales, Victoria (state), Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania. This final draft was then approved by each state in a 1898–1900 Australian const ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Michael Kirby (judge)
Michael Donald Kirby (born 18 March 1939) is an Australian jurist and academic who is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, serving from 1996 to 2009. He has remained active in retirement; in May 2013 he was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council to lead an inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea, which reported in February 2014. Early life and education Michael Donald Kirby was born on 18 March 1939 at Crown Street Women's Hospital to Donald and Jean Langmore (née Knowles) Kirby. He was the eldest of five siblings, followed by twins Donald William and David Charles (the latter died at 18 months from pneumonia), David, and Diana Margaret. In 1943 his grandmother, Norma Gray, remarried and her second husband was Jack Simpson, National Treasurer of the Australian Communist Party. Although Kirby came to admire Simpson, neither he nor his immediate family embraced the ideology. His father supported the Australian Labor Party but never became a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1967 Australian Referendum (Parliament)
The first part of the 1967 Australian referendum to change the Constitution of Australia, Constitution was the Parliament question, which related to the relative number of members in each house of the Australian Parliament − the so-called "nexus". The 1967 Australian referendum called by the Holt government on 27 May 1967 consisted of two parts, with the 1967 Australian referendum (Aboriginals), second question relating to Aboriginal Australians. Section 24 of the Australian Constitution requires that the number of members in the Australian House of Representatives, House of Representatives be, as nearly as possible, twice the number of members in the Australian Senate, Senate. Constitution of House of Representatives. The most important effect of the "nexus" in the Australian Constitution is to prevent the dilution of the collective voting power of the Senate, which represents the Australian states equally, in any Joint session, joint sitting of both houses following a double ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Double Dissolution
A double dissolution is a procedure permitted under the Australian Constitution to resolve deadlocks in the bicameral Parliament of Australia between the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). A double dissolution is the only circumstance in which the entire Senate can be dissolved. Similar to the United States Congress, but unlike the British Parliament, Australia's two parliamentary houses generally have almost equal legislative power (the Senate may reject outright but cannot amend appropriation (money) bills, which must originate in the House of Representatives). Governments, which are formed in the House of Representatives, can be frustrated by a Senate determined to reject their legislation. If the conditions (called a trigger) are satisfied, the prime minister can advise the governor-general to dissolve both houses of Parliament and call a full election. If, after the election, the legislation that triggered the double dissolution is sti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joint Sitting
A joint session or joint convention is, most broadly, when two normally separate decision-making groups meet, often in a special session or other extraordinary meeting, for a specific purpose. Most often it refers to when both houses of a bicameral legislature sit together. A joint session typically occurs to receive foreign or domestic diplomats or leaders, or to allow both houses to consider bills together. Some constitutions give special power to a joint session, voting by majority of all members of the legislature regardless of which house or chamber they belong to. For example, in Switzerland a joint session of the two houses elects the members of the Federal Council (cabinet). In India, disputes between houses are resolved by a joint sitting but without an intervening election. Australia In the Australian federal parliament, a joint sitting can be held, under certain conditions, to overcome a deadlock between the two houses. For a deadlock to be declared, a bill has t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Antony Green
Antony John Green (born 2 March 1960) is an Australian Psephology, psephologist, Data science, data scientist, journalist, and commentator. He was the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's chief election analyst until his retirement from the role after the 2025 Australian election, federal election in May 2025. He stated that he would remain active in an off-air capacity, and continue to work on the ABC's computer and data systems for several more years. Early years and education Anthony Green was born in 1960 in Warrington, Lancashire, in northern England, to teen parents Ann and John Green. In 1964 the family Post-war immigration to Australia, migrated to Australia as Ten Pound Poms, staying first in a migrant hostel in Dundas, New South Wales. Green grew up near Parramatta in Sydney, attended Oatlands Primary School in Oatlands, New South Wales and James Ruse Agricultural High School in Carlingford, New South Wales, Carlingford (Sydney), graduating in 1977. Green gradu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are people with familial heritage from, or recognised membership of, the various ethnic groups living within the territory of contemporary Australia prior to History of Australia (1788–1850), British colonisation. They consist of two distinct groups, which include many ethnic groups: the Aboriginal Australians of the mainland and many islands, including Aboriginal Tasmanians, Tasmania, and the Torres Strait Islanders of the seas between Queensland and Papua New Guinea, located in Melanesia. 812,728 people Aboriginality, self-identified as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin in the 2021 Australian Census, representing 3.2% of the total population of Australia. Of these Indigenous Australians, 91.4% identified as Aboriginal, 4.2% identified as Torres Strait Islander, and 4.4% identified with both groups. The term Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples or the person's specific cultural group, is often preferred, though the term ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reserved Seats
In government, several Constitutionalism, constitutional arrangements use reserved political positions, especially when endeavoring to ensure the rights of women, Minority group, minorities or other segments of society, or preserving a political Balance of power (parliament), balance of power. Countries with reserved seats Europe Armenia Since the 2015 Armenian constitutional referendum, electoral law requires that four seats for ethnic minorities (one Russians in Armenia, Russians, Yezidis in Armenia, Yezidis, Assyrians in Armenia, Assyrians and Kurds in Armenia, Kurds each) are allocated in the National Assembly (Armenia), National Assembly. Belgium The Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium includes 17 reserved seats for the Flemish people, Flemish minority and the government needs the support from the majority of the Flemish minority, on a total of 89, but there are no separate electorates. Similarly, the Belgian seats of the European Parliament are mainly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Susan Crennan
Susan Maree Crennan (née Walsh; born 1945) is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. Early life and education Susan Maree Crennan was born in 1945 in Melbourne, one of six children born to World War 2 veteran, John Maurice Walsh, and Marie Therese (née Henley), Catholics of Irish descent. She attended Our Lady of Mercy College, Heidelberg and the University of Melbourne, where she received a Bachelor of Arts. She later received a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney. Crennan also completed a Postgraduate Diploma (History) at the University of Melbourne on the constitutional history of the state of Victoria. Career Crennan was a teacher of English literature and was employed by various patent attorneys in New South Wales and Victoria between 1967–1978. She was admitted as a barrister in New South Wales in 1979 and Victoria in 1980. She was made Queen's Counsel in Victoria in 1989 and in New South Wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Gummow
William Montague Charles Gummow (born 9 October 1942) is a former Justice of the High Court of Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. He was appointed to the Court of Final Appeal of Hong Kong on 8 April 2013 as a non-permanent judge from other common law jurisdictions. Early life and education Justice Gummow completed his secondary education at Sydney Grammar School. He went on to study at the University of Sydney, where he graduated as Bachelor of Arts, and later Master of Laws, both with first-class honours. One of his lecturers was Sir Anthony Mason. Career Early legal career Gummow first practiced as a solicitor with law firm Allen Allen and Hemsley. He was admitted as a solicitor in 1966 and became a partner of the firm in 1969. He had a diverse practice, including banking law, trusts and revenue law, intellectual property litigation, commercial transactions and some constitutional law. Barristerial career After 10 years in practice as a solici ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australian House Of Representatives
The House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameralism, bicameral Parliament of Australia, the upper house being the Australian Senate, Senate. Its composition and powers are set out in Chapter I of the Constitution of Australia. The term of members of the House of Representatives is a maximum of three years from the date of the first sitting of the House, but on only 1910 Australian federal election, one occasion since Federation has the maximum term been reached. The House is almost always dissolved earlier, usually alone but sometimes in a double dissolution alongside the whole Senate. Elections for members of the House of Representatives have always been held in conjunction with those for the Senate since the 1970s. A member of the House may be referred to as a "Member of Parliament" ("MP" or "Member"), while a member of the Senate is usually referred to as a "senator". Under the conventions of the Westminster system, the Australian Government, government of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
