Western Australia

How it all started

• 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 the 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 an elected Legislative Council becoming an elected body of 21 members. Three members were elected from each of seven provinces.

• Western Australia was the last colony to join the federation of Australia after the Constitution had become law in Britain. The diggers on the goldfields were strongly in favour, but 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.

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.

• 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.

• Members of the Legislative Council are elected by a proportional representation voting system. Members of the Legislative Assembly are elected using a preferential system.

Who votes?

• Voting in Western Australia's State elections is compulsory for all citizens aged 18 years or over.

• When the Legislative Council first became an elected body in 1893, the only people with the right to vote were adult males who owned property in the colony. It was only in 1963 that all other citizens could vote in Legislative Council elections.

State Government

• The Head of State in Western Australia is the Queen who appoints the Governor as her representative, on the advice of the Premier. Since the Australia Act was passed by the Commonwealth Parliament and the British Parliament in 1986, there are no legal or political links between the Australian State Governors and the Government of England.

• The functions of the Governor fall mainly into three categories constitutional and statutory duties, formal ceremonial duties, and non-ceremonial social duties. One of the Governor's constitutional and statutory tasks is to give the Royal Assent to Bills which have been passed by both Houses of Parliament. This must be done before a Bill can become law.

• The head of the Western Australian Government is the Premier. The Premier is the leader of the party or coalition of parties that can command the most votes in the Legislative Assembly.

• The Premier is assisted by a group of Ministers who form the Cabinet. Ministers, who usually belong to the same party or coalition as the Premier, run a number of government departments, called a portfolio. The Governor, the Premier and the Ministers make up the State's Executive Government.

Local Government

• Western Australia has 142 local government bodies, with a total of 1,465 elected members.

• Western Australia's local government bodies are set up by the State Parliament. They have the power to make laws called local laws. They make decisions on local, town or city matters, such as street signs and traffic control; drains, footpaths; sports grounds; childcare centres, libraries; rubbish collection; animal control; building permits; and the collection of local taxes known as rates.

• Members of Western Australian local government bodies are elected by a first-past-the-post voting system.

• Voting in local government elections is voluntary. Anyone who is enrolled to vote in Western Australia on the State or Commonwealth electoral roll is allowed to vote, as are any Australian citizens who own or occupy land in their particular locality.

• DID YOU KNOW Western Australia contains both the smallest and the largest local governments in Australia. The smallest is Peppermint Grove in Perth, which covers only 1.5 square kilometres. The largest is East Pilbara which covers 378,533 square kilometres.

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 in 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.

Fact file

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Western Australia (Self-government from 1890)