Parliament of Queensland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been abolished in 1922. The Legislative Assembly sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Brisbane.
The Assembly has 89 'Members of Parliament' (MPs). These are intended to represent approximately the same population in each electorate. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting system (OPV). Elections are held approximately once every three years.
The role of the monarch in Parliament is to give the royal assent to legislation. This function is in practice exercised by the Governor of Queensland, who conventionally will never refuse assent to a bill that has passed the Legislative Assembly.
The party or coalition with the most seats in the house is invited by the Governor to form government.
The leader of that party subsequently becomes Premier of Queensland, leading a Cabinet of Ministers. Among the National and Liberal parties, the Premier selects members of their party to act as Ministers. In the Labor Party, the Ministers are elected by partyroom ballot, with the Leader then assigning ministerial portfolios to each one.
