New South Wales

About Parliament | History | State symbols | Chartist checkbox | Did you know?

About Parliament

• The New South Wales Parliament has two Houses. The Upper House is the Legislative Council. The Lower House is the Legislative Assembly. There are important differences between the two Houses. The government of the day is formed in the Lower House. The Upper House is often called 'the House of Review'.
• There are currently 42 Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs). They are elected with the entire State serving as a single electorate. They serve an eight-year term, with half the Legislative Council retiring every four years at each general election.
• There are 93 Members of the Legislative Assembly (called MLAs). Each is elected from one of the 93 single-member electorates in New South Wales. An MLA's usual term is four years.
• Members of the Legislative Council are elected using a proportional, optional preferential voting system. Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected using an optional preferential system.
• New South Wales has fixed electoral terms. Elections for the New South Wales State Parliament are held every four years, on the last Saturday in March.
• Voting in New South Wales State elections is compulsory for all citizens aged 18 years or over.

History

• The first European colony in Australia was established in Sydney in 1788.
• NSW has Australia's oldest Westminster system of Parliament, with a history of responsible government dating back to 1856.
• From 1824 to 1855, New South Wales was governed by the Governor and a body known as the Legislative Council. Until 1842, the Legislative Council was a small group of men chosen by the Governor to help him rule the colony.
• In 1843, the Legislative Council was made larger, and two-thirds of its Members were elected. This body was replaced by the new bicameral parliament that opened in 1856.
• New South Wales was given responsible government in 1855 when the British Parliament agreed to the New South Wales Constitution Bill. This Bill was drawn up by the New South Wales Legislative Council in 1853.
• The new bicameral Parliament of New South Wales met for the first time in 1856. The Legislative Council originally had 21 Members, all appointed by the Governor. The Legislative Assembly originally had 54 Members, all elected by male voters who owned property in the colony or who paid substantial rent.
• Of all the Australian colonies, New South Wales had the most doubts about the benefits of federation. It was the richest colony and had the most people. Because of this, many people in New South Wales feared that they would have the most to lose in federation.
• The colony followed a policy of free trade (which made Sydney a great port) and it seemed likely that the new nation would adopt Victoria's policy of protection against foreign goods.
• Much of the colony's territory was closer to Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne than to Sydney and federation might allow those capitals to control the business of these regions.
• Under Edmund Barton, who was to become Australia's first Prime Minister, the federationists in New South Wales gained the majority of support. However, when the second referendum on federation was held in June 1899, the federationists won by a much narrower margin in New South Wales than they did in the other colonies.

State symbols

New South Wales has no official state colours, but sporting teams usually wear blue.

	The New South Wales Coat of Arms was granted in 1906 by King Edward VII of England. It shows a lion and a kangaroo supporting a shield. The Latin motto 'Orta Recens Quam Pura Nites' means 'Newly Risen, How Brightly You Shine'. The lion represents the old country (England) and the kangaroo represents the new.
	The New South Wales flag was made official in 1876. It consists of the blue ensign, with the Union Flag in the corner and the State Badge.
	The NSW State Badge is the red cross of St George on a white disc. There is a gold star at the end of each arm of the cross and a lion in the centre. The creators of the badge were the NSW colonial architect of the day and a retired naval officer. No explanation for the design was given when it was submitted to the British Colonial Office for approval.
	The New South Wales Parliament House is in Macquarie Street in the heart of Sydney. The oldest part of the building, completed in 1816, was part of a hospital in the early colony. The Legislative Assembly Chamber was opened in 1843. The Legislative Council Chamber was opened in 1856.
	In 1962, the Waratah was made the State Flower Emblem of New South Wales.
	In 1971, the Kookaburra was made the State Bird Emblem of New South Wales.
	The Platypus was made the State Animal Emblem of New South Wales in 1971.

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New South Wales (Self-government from 1856)

Did you know?

• Most men in New South Wales were allowed to vote after 1858, and women were given the vote in 1902.
• Kerry Chikarovski was the first female leader of a major parliamentary party in New South Wales when she became leader of the Liberal Party, and consequently the Opposition, in 1998.
• Even though the New South Wales Parliament was established in 1856, it only began recording its debates in Hansard in 1879.