Western Australia

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

About Parliament

• Western Australia's 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 34 Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs). They are elected from six regions. Four regions have five Members, and two have seven Members. MLCs stay in office for four years. All the MLCs retire at the one time, so a new Legislative Council is formed every four years.
• Members of the Legislative Assembly are known as MLAs. One MLA is elected from each of 57 electoral districts. There are 34 metropolitan districts, and 23 in the rest of the State. MLAs serve up to four years in office.
• Members of the Legislative Council are elected by a proportional representation voting system. Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected using a preferential system.
• Voting in Western Australia's State elections is compulsory for all citizens aged 18 years or over.

History

• The first permanent European occupation of Western Australia started in 1829 on the Swan River, at the site of Perth.
• The first Governor of Western Australia was Captain James Stirling. In 1832, he headed the meeting of the first Legislative Council that consisted of the Governor and four men he chose to help him govern the colony.
• In 1870, Western Australia got its first representative government. This was a Legislative Council with 18 members, twelve of them elected by men who owned property in the colony.
• Western Australia's first responsible government started in 1890 after approval of its constitution by the British Parliament. This new parliament was bicameral, with both an Upper and Lower House.
• Under the new system, the Legislative Council had 15 Members, all chosen by the Governor. The newly formed Legislative Assembly was an elected body of 30 Members.
• In 1893, when the population reached 60,000, Britain agreed to the Legislative Council becoming an elected body of 21 Members. Three Members were elected from each of seven provinces. However, only adult males who owned property in the colony had the right to vote in Legislative Council elections. In 1963, all citizens were allowed to vote in Legislative Council elections.
• Women who owned property gained the right to vote in 1899.
• Western Australia was the last colony to join the federation of Australia after the Constitution had become law in Britain. Gold-diggers were strongly in favour of federation, but famers in the old farming districts near Perth were opposed, fearing their produce would face competition from the east. Sir John Forrest, the Premier, was a cautious supporter of federation and he eventually persuaded Parliament to consult the people. The people voted in favour, with overwhelming majorities on the goldfields and a substantial majority in Perth.

State symbols

Western Australia has no official colours, but sporting teams usually wear black and gold.

Reproduction with permission of the Western Australian Government.	The Western Australian Coat of Arms was granted in 1969 by Queen Elizabeth II of England. It shows two kangaroos with boomerangs supporting a shield which bears the image of a black swan. Above the shield is a Royal Crown, resting on a black and gold wreath between two Kangaroo Paws. Unauthorised reproduction of this Coat of Arms is an offence under the Armorial Bearing Protection Act 1979. Authority to reproduce must be sought from the Chief of Protocol, Ministry of the Premier and Cabinet, Perth, Western Australia.
	The Western Australian flag originated in 1875 and consisted of the British blue ensign, with the Union Flag occupying the upper corner and the State Badge centrally situated on the other half of the flag. The badge originally had the swan facing away from the flagpole, however in 1953 this was reversed.
	The State Badge was approved by the Colonial Office sometime between 1870 and 1875 and shows the black swan on a yellow disk.
	The Parliament House of Western Australia is located in Harvest Terrace, West Perth. It was officially opened in 1904 and later additions including the imposing Donnybrook Sandstone façade and portico were completed in 1964.
	Mangles' Kangaroo Paw, proclaimed the floral emblem of Western Australia in 1960.
	The Black Swan became the State Bird Emblem of Western Australia in 1973. The black swan, which was unique to Western Australia, has been a symbol for Western Australia since the early days of European settlement. The original name for the colony was the Swan River Settlement. The unofficial emblem of the early settlers featured the black swan common to the area, and a Latin pun 'Cygnis Insignis' which means 'Distinguished for Swans'.
	The Numbat, or Banded Anteater, was made the State Animal Emblem of Western Australia in 1973.
	The Gogo Fish was made the State Fossil Emblem of Western Australia in 1995.

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Western Australia (Self-government from 1890)

Did you know?

• Because outback Western Australia has so few people, the State allows country electorates to have fewer voters to elect a member of Parliament than other electorates.
• Women were allowed to stand for election to the Western Australian Parliament in 1920. Edith Cowan became the first woman to be elected to an Australian Parliament, when she was elected to the Legislative Assembly in 1921.
• The former Premier of Western Australia, Carmen Lawrence (1990-1993), was the first female Premier in Australia.