Parliament of Australia

Parliament makes laws, authorises the Government to spend public money, scrutinises government activities, and is a forum for debate on national issues.

The work of the Parliament-its Members, Senators, and parliamentary committees-is supported by staff of the four parliamentary departments:

Department of the Senate
Department of the House of Representatives
Department of Parliamentary Services
Parliamentary Budget Office

Structure and History of Parliament

The Parliament consists of two Houses (the House of Representatives and the Senate), and the Queen, represented in Australia by the Governor General.

House of Representatives

The House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of Parliament and is sometimes called the Peoples House or the house of government. The party, or parties, that hold a majority of seats in the House form government. There are currently 150 Members of the House of Representatives who each represent an electorate.

Parliamentary Departments

The work of the Australian Parliament - its Members, Senators and parliamentary committees - is supported by four separate departments:
The Department of the Senate
The Department of the House of Representatives
The Department of Parliamentary Services
The Parliamentary Budget Office

Information about the legal framework for these four departments is contained in the Parliamentary Service Act 1999

Publications

There are a number of publications that explain the work of the Parliament, and the various practices and procedures of the chambers.

Work of the Parliament

Parliament makes laws, authorises the Government to spend public money, scrutinises government activities, and is a forum for debate on national issues.

Senate

The Senate is one of the two houses of the Australian Federal Parliament. It consists of 76 senators, twelve from each of the six states and two from each of the mainland territories. It shares the power to make laws with the other House of the Parliament, the House of Representatives.

Education Resources
If you would like to know more about different aspects of the work of Parliament, the Parliamentary Education Office has a range of on-line material.

Other material can be found at:
Department of the Senate
Department of the House of Representatives
Department of Parliamentary Services
Parliamentary Budget Office

Employment

Find out about current jobs in the four parliamentary departments:
Department of the Senate
Department of Parliamentary Services
Department of House of Representatives
Parliamentary Budget Office