Australian Senate facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Senate
48th Parliament of Australia
Type
Type	Upper house of the Parliament of Australia
Leadership
President	Sue Lines, Labor Since 26 July 2022
Leader of the Government	Penny Wong, Labor Since 1 June 2022
Manager of Government Business	Katy Gallagher, Labor Since 1 June 2022
Leader of the Opposition	Michaelia Cash, Liberal Since 25 January 2025
Manager of Opposition Business	Jonathon Duniam, Liberal Since 25 January 2025
Structure
Seats	76
Political groups	Effective 1 July 2022 Government (26)      Labor (26) Opposition (32) Coalition      Liberal (26)      National (6) Crossbench (18)      Greens (12)      One Nation (2)      Lambie Network (2)      United Australia (1)      Independent (1)
Length of term	6 years (state senators) 3 years (territory senators)
Elections
Voting system	Proportional representation (single transferable vote)
Last election	3 May 2025 (Half Senate election)
Next election	On or before 20 May 2028
Meeting place
Senate Chamber Parliament House Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia

The Senate is a very important part of Australia's government. It's like one of the two main teams in the Parliament of Australia. The other team is called the House of Representatives.

The Senate's job, how it works, and who is in it are all written down in Australia's federal constitution. There are 76 senators in total. Each of Australia's six states elects 12 senators, no matter how many people live there. The Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory each elect two senators. Senators are chosen by people voting for them using a special system called proportional representation.

The Senate has almost the same powers as the House of Representatives. However, the Senate cannot start or change bills about money, like taxes or government spending. It can only say yes or no to them. The Prime Minister and the main government usually come from the House of Representatives. But senators can also be important ministers in the government.

The Senate chooses one of its members to be the President. This person helps run the meetings. It's rare for the government to have a majority of senators. This means smaller parties and independent senators often have a lot of power. They can help decide if new laws pass or not. The Senate also has special groups called committees that look closely at government actions.

Senators from states usually serve for six years. About half of the Senate seats are up for election every time there's a federal election. Senators from the territories serve for about three years. Sometimes, if the House and Senate can't agree on a law, all Senate seats might be up for election at once. This is called a double dissolution.

If a senator leaves their job early, their replacement must be from the same political party. This rule was added to the constitution in 1977.

What is the Senate's Role?

The Australian Senate in 1923

The Constitution of Australia created the Senate as the second main part of Australia's national parliament. Unlike some other countries, the Australian Senate is very active in making laws. It's not just a place to review what the other house does.

The Australian Senate was partly inspired by the United States Senate. This means it gives each state an equal say, no matter its size. This helps smaller states have a real voice in Parliament. It also keeps the traditional job of an upper house, which is to check new laws. This mix of ideas is sometimes called the "Washminster system".

While the Prime Minister usually comes from the House of Representatives, other ministers can be from either house. Both houses have almost equal power to make laws. The Senate cannot start or change bills that deal with government money or taxes. That job belongs to the House of Representatives. However, the Senate can approve, reject, or delay these bills. This equal power helps stop larger states from having too much control over law-making.

Most new laws are started by the government in the House of Representatives. Then, they go to the Senate. The Senate can suggest changes, pass the law, or reject it. Usually, senators vote along their party's lines. But sometimes, they can vote based on their own beliefs, which is called a conscience vote.

The Senate also has many committees. These groups investigate different topics and issues. Their findings don't directly become laws, but they help bring different ideas and problems to the government's attention.

The Senate chamber at Old Parliament House, Canberra, where the Parliament met between 1927 and 1988.

How are Senators Chosen?

The way senators are elected has changed over time. Since 1948, senators have been chosen using a system called single transferable vote with proportional representation. This system helps make sure that smaller parties and independent candidates have a better chance of winning seats. It also means the government usually doesn't have a majority of seats in the Senate. This makes it necessary for the government to work with other parties to pass laws.

In 2016, some changes were made to how people vote for senators. Now, voters can choose to number at least six parties above a thick black line on the ballot paper. Or, they can number at least 12 individual candidates below the line. These changes make it a bit harder for very small parties to get elected.

The Ballot Paper

When you vote for senators, the ballot paper looks like this example from the 2016 election in Victoria.

Senate ballot paper used in Victoria for 2016

To vote correctly, you need to:

• Number at least six party boxes above the thick black line (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...).
• OR, number at least twelve individual candidate boxes below the thick black line (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12...).

Because each state elects six senators at a half-Senate election, a candidate needs about 14.3% of the votes to be elected. If a candidate gets more votes than they need, their extra votes can be given to other candidates based on your preferences.

How Many Senators?

Australia's Constitution says that:

• Each original state must have the same number of senators.
• Each original state must have at least six senators.
• The way senators are elected must be fair to all states.

The number of senators has grown over the years. Originally, there were 36 senators, with six from each state. In 1948, this increased to 10 senators per state, making 60 in total. In 1975, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory each got two senators, bringing the total to 64. The most recent change was in 1984, when each state started electing 12 senators, making the total 76 senators we have today.

Senator Terms

Senators usually serve for six years, starting on July 1st and ending on June 30th. At most federal elections, 40 of the 76 senators' seats are up for grabs. This includes half of the state senators and all four territory senators. This is called a half-Senate election.

However, sometimes the entire Senate can be dissolved and all 76 senators face re-election. This happens during a double dissolution if the House and Senate can't agree on a law. After a double dissolution, some senators get a shorter term (about three years) and others get a longer term (about six years). Territory senators' terms end when there's an election for the House of Representatives.

Equal State Representation

Each state elects the same number of senators (12), no matter how many people live there. This means smaller states like Tasmania (with about 500,000 people) elect the same number of senators as larger states like New South Wales (with over 8 million people). This is why the Senate doesn't follow the "one vote one value" idea perfectly.

However, the proportional voting system within each state helps the Senate have more different political parties than the House of Representatives. This means the Senate often has a different mix of parties than the House, which helps it act as a "house of review."

The government doesn't need the Senate's support to form a government (they only need a majority in the House of Representatives). But the Senate can block money bills, which means the government can't legally spend money. This power was famously used during the 1975 constitutional crisis.

Political Parties in the Senate

Political parties are very important in the Senate. Even though some people thought senators would put their state's interests first, party interests quickly became more important. Senators usually vote the way their party decides.

Before 1948, the voting system often led to one party winning almost all the Senate seats in a state. This meant the Senate was sometimes seen as just agreeing with whatever the government in the House of Representatives wanted.

The change to proportional representation in 1948 helped smaller parties become more powerful in the Senate. This meant that often, neither the government nor the main opposition party had a majority of seats. This made it necessary for the government to work with smaller parties and independent senators to pass laws. Since 1962, the government has only had a majority in the Senate a few times.

Filling Vacancies

If a state senator leaves their job early, the state parliament chooses a replacement. If the senator was part of a political party, the new senator must be from the same party.

How the Senate Works

The Australian Senate

The Australian Senate usually meets for about 50 to 60 days each year. These days are often grouped into 'sitting fortnights' (two weeks of four days each).

Dealing with New Laws

All new laws, called bills, must be passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate before they become official laws. Most bills start in the House of Representatives and are introduced by the government.

Here's how a bill usually goes through the Senate:

• It has a first reading, which is its formal introduction.
• Then, there's a second reading debate where senators discuss the main idea of the bill.
• After that, the bill's details are looked at closely. Bills can also be sent to special committees for more review.
• Finally, there's a third reading to confirm the bill's policy and details.

This process makes sure that bills are carefully checked before they are agreed upon. If the Senate vote is tied, the bill does not pass.

Senate Committees

A Senate committee room in Parliament House, Canberra

Besides the main meetings, the Senate has many committees. These committees look into specific topics that the Senate asks them to. They also hold special hearings three times a year to check the government's budget and how it's spending money. These are called estimates hearings. Senators can ask ministers and public officials questions during these hearings.

Committees have important powers. They can ask people to come to hearings to give information and provide documents. If someone tries to stop a committee's work, they can be found to be in contempt of Parliament. This means they could be in trouble for refusing to appear, answer questions, or for lying to the committee.

Everything said in committee meetings is recorded and protected by Parliamentary privilege. This means committee members and witnesses are safe from legal action for what they say during a hearing.

Keeping the Government Accountable

One of the Senate's main jobs is to keep a close eye on what the government is doing. Because the government often doesn't have a majority in the Senate, the opposition and smaller parties can use their numbers to investigate government actions.

The Senate can also reject or change rules made by government ministers. Any senator can propose to reject a rule. If the Senate agrees, the rule is cancelled, and the government can't make a similar rule for six months.

How Senators Vote

Senators vote on matters in the Senate. These votes are called divisions. Because political parties are very strong in Australia, votes almost always follow party lines. However, because smaller parties often hold the balance of power in the Senate, the results of votes can be less certain than in the House of Representatives.

If a vote is tied, the Constitution says the question is rejected. This means the bill or motion does not pass.

Party Discipline and Voting

It's very rare for senators to vote against their party's decision. The main exceptions are:

• When parties allow a conscience vote, where members can vote based on their own beliefs.
• When a senator decides to vote against their party's instructions, which is called crossing the floor. This happens more often in the Senate than in the House of Representatives.

When the government has a majority in the Senate, party discipline becomes even more important. This is because only senators from the government's own party can stop a government bill from passing.

When the Houses Disagree

Double Dissolutions and Joint Sittings

If the Senate rejects a proposed law, or changes it in a way the House of Representatives doesn't like, and this happens again after three months, the Prime Minister can ask the Governor-General to dissolve the entire Parliament. This is called a double dissolution. In this case, all 76 senators and all members of the House of Representatives have to face re-election.

After a double dissolution election, if the same bills are blocked again by the Senate, the Governor-General can call a joint sitting of both Houses. This is a special meeting where all members of the House and Senate meet together to vote on the bills. This has only happened once, in 1974.

Blocking Government Money

The Senate has the power to block the annual bills that provide money for the government to operate. This power was used in the 1975 Australian constitutional crisis. During that time, the opposition in the Senate refused to pass the money bills until an election was called. This led to a big disagreement about whether the government had to resign or call an election if it couldn't get money. The crisis ended when the Governor-General dismissed the Prime Minister and called elections for both Houses.

Current Senate Members

2022 Election Results

In the 2022 half–Senate election, 40 seats were up for election. The results were:

• Liberal/National Coalition: 15 seats
• Labor: 15 seats
• Greens: 6 seats
• Jacqui Lambie Network: 1 seat
• One Nation: 1 seat
• United Australia: 1 seat
• Independent: 1 seat

After this election, the Senate was made up of:

• Liberal/National Coalition: 32 seats
• Labor: 26 seats
• Greens: 12 seats
• Jacqui Lambie Network: 2 seats
• One Nation: 2 seats
• United Australia: 1 seat
• Independent (David Pocock): 1 seat

2025 Election Results

In the 2025 half–Senate election, which happened on May 3, 2025, 40 seats were up for election. The results were:

• Liberal/National coalition: 13 seats
• Labor: 16 seats
• Greens: 6 seats
• One Nation: 3 seats
• Jacqui Lambie Network: 0 seats
• Independent: 0 seats

After this election, Senator Dorinda Cox switched from the Greens to Labor. The Senate's makeup after the 2025 election is:

• Labor: 29 seats
• Liberal/National Coalition: 27 seats
• Greens: 10 seats
• One Nation: 4 seats
• United Australia: 1 seat
• Jacqui Lambie Network: 1 seat
• Australia's Voice: 1 seat
• Independent: 3 seats

Historical Party Makeup of the Senate