Legislative Council | |
|---|---|
| 51st Parliament | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1825 |
| Leadership | |
Deputy President and Chair of Committees | Ruth Forrest, Independent since 10 May 2008 |
Leader of the Government | |
Leader of Opposition Business | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 15 |
 | |
Political groups | Government
Opposition Crossbench
|
Length of term | 6 years |
| Elections | |
Last election | 4 May 2024 (periodic) |
Next election | 2025 |
| Meeting place | |
| Legislative Council Chamber, Parliament House, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia | |
| Website | |
| Tas Legislative Council | |
The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of Tasmania in Australia. It is one of the two chambers of the Parliament, the other being the House of Assembly. Both houses sit in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart. Members of the Legislative Council are often referred to as MLCs.
The Legislative Council has 15 members elected using preferential voting in 15 single-member electorates. Each electorate has approximately the same number of electors. A review of Legislative Council division boundaries is required every 9 years; the most recent was completed in 2017. Election of members in the Legislative Council are staggered. Elections alternate between three divisions in one year and in two divisions the next year. Elections take place on the first Saturday in May. The term of each MLC is six years.
Tasmanian's upper house is unique in Australian politics, in that historically it is the only chamber in any state parliament to be significantly non-partisan.[2][3] As of 2024, the chamber has a plurality of independents, although it has previously had an outright independent majority.[4][5]
Unlike other Australian state parliaments, the Tasmanian House of Assembly is elected from multi-member districts, while the Legislative Council is elected from single-member districts.[6] The reverse is the case in most of the rest of Australia; that is, the lower house is elected from single-member districts while the upper house is elected from multi-member districts.[6]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ "Members of the Tasmanian Legislative Council (as of 6 June 2019)" (PDF). Parliament of Tasmania. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2017.
- ^ "Government and society in Tasmania". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 20 June 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ "What is the Legislative Council?". Meg Webb MLC. Archived from the original on 22 March 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Forbes, Scott (21 August 2014). "The apple in Val Schier's eye: Former mayor heads to Tasmania and attempts new tilt in politics". Cairns Post. Archived from the original on 21 October 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ Crowley, Kate; Lippis, Joshua. "Independents in Tasmania's Legislative Council: Analysing strategies to achieve influence" (PDF). Australasian Study of Parliament Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 May 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
- ^ a b Raue, Ben. "Tasmanian Legislative Council elections, 2024". The Tally Room. Archived from the original on 23 August 2024. Retrieved 21 October 2024.