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President of the Senate (Australia) facts for kids

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President of the Senate
Flag of Australia (converted).svg
Coat of Arms of Australia.svg
Sue Lines 2017-02-23.JPG
Incumbent
Sue Lines

since 26 July 2022
Australian Senate
Style The Honourable
Appointer Elected by the Senate
Inaugural holder Sir Richard Baker
Formation 9 May 1901
Deputy Senator Andrew McLachlan
Salary A$369,674
Website aph.gov.au

The President of the Senate is a very important person in the Australian Senate. The Senate is like the "upper house" of Australia's Parliament. Think of it as one of the two main groups where laws are made.

The President's job is to lead the Senate meetings. They make sure everyone follows the rules. They also decide which senators can speak. This role helps keep order during important discussions. The President also makes sure all Senate rules are followed.

This job was created in 1901. The current President is Sue Lines. She was chosen on July 26, 2022.

Senators choose one of their own to be President. This happens when a new group of senators starts. It also happens if the job becomes empty. Usually, the person chosen is from the party that leads the government. But this is not always the case.

Choosing the President

Rules for Choosing

The rules for choosing the President are in Australia's Constitution. Section 17 says:

The Senate must choose a senator to be the President. This happens before they do any other work. If the President's job becomes empty, they must choose a new one. The President stops being President if they stop being a senator. They can be removed by a vote of the Senate. They can also quit their job or their seat by writing to the Governor-General.

How the President is Chosen

The Senate chooses its President by a secret vote. This means no one knows who voted for whom. The Clerk of the Senate helps with this process.

The President's job is usually held by someone from a political party. The person nominated by the government party is almost always chosen. But the government does not always have the most senators. So, it's not always guaranteed.

The President also has a helper. This person is called the Deputy President. Usually, the government picks the President. The main opposition party picks the Deputy President. If only one person is nominated for each job, there is no need for a vote.

What the President Does

Parliamentary Duties

The President's main job is to lead the Senate. They keep order during meetings. They make sure everyone follows the Standing Orders. These are the official rules of how the Senate works. The President also protects the rights of all senators.

The Deputy President and other acting Deputy Presidents help the President. They often lead during regular discussions.

The Senate is usually not as noisy as other government groups in Australia. So, the President does not often need to use strong powers to keep order.

The President can vote like any other senator. But they do not have an extra "casting vote" if there is a tie. If there's a tie, the idea fails. This is because the Senate represents each state. Taking away the President's vote would mean one state loses a vote.

Managing the Senate

The President of the Senate is also in charge of the Department of the Senate. This is one of the four groups that help Parliament run. The President helps manage the budget for this department. They also look after how it is set up.

The President also works with the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Together, they manage Parliament House. This includes all the buildings and services for Parliament.

Special Ceremonial Duties

The President of the Senate has a high rank in Australia's official order of importance. They are usually ranked just before or after the Speaker of the House.

The President takes part in the official opening of Parliament. They also travel overseas to represent Australia's Parliament. They welcome important visitors from other countries.

Salary

The President of the Senate gets a salary. This amount is decided by a group called the Remuneration Tribunal. This group is independent.

As of July 1, 2019, a senator's basic salary is A$211,242. The President gets an extra amount. This extra amount is 75% of the basic salary, which is A$158,432. So, the total salary for the President is A$369,674 each year. They also get other benefits like other senators.

Past Presidents of the Senate

Since 1901, there have been 27 Presidents of the Senate. Many of them have come from states with fewer people. These include Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania, and the Australian Capital Territory.

All Senate Presidents have been members of major political parties. But they were not always from the party that was leading the government.

No. Image Name Party State Term start Term end
1 Richard Baker 1900 (cropped).jpg Sir Richard Baker   Free Trade South Australia 9 May 1901 31 December 1906
2 Albert John Gould (cropped).jpg (Sir) Albert Gould   Free Trade /
Anti-Socialist
New South Wales 20 February 1907 30 June 1910
  Liberal
3 Harry Turley - Swiss Studios (cropped).jpg Harry Turley   Labor Queensland 1 July 1910 8 July 1913
4 Thomas Givens - Humphrey & Co (cropped).jpg Thomas Givens   Labor Queensland 9 July 1913 30 June 1926
  National Labor
  Nationalist
5 John Newlands 1926 (1) (cropped).jpg Sir John Newlands   Nationalist South Australia 1 July 1926 13 August 1929
6 Walter Kingsmill 1922 (cropped).jpg Walter Kingsmill   Nationalist Western Australia 14 August 1929 30 August 1932
  United Australia
7 Patrick Lynch, President of the Senate.jpg Patrick Lynch   United Australia Western Australia 31 August 1932 30 June 1938
8 Portrait of J. B. Hayes (cropped).jpg John Hayes   United Australia Tasmania 1 July 1938 30 June 1941
9 Senator James Cunningham (cropped).jpg James Cunningham   Labor Western Australia 1 July 1941 4 July 1943
10 Gordon Brown 1933.jpg Gordon Brown   Labor Queensland 23 September 1943 19 March 1951
11 Edward Mattner.jpg Ted Mattner   Liberal South Australia 12 June 1951 7 September 1953
12 Alister McMullin (cropped).jpg (Sir) Alister McMullin   Liberal New South Wales 8 September 1953 30 June 1971
13 Magnus Cormack 1964.jpg Sir Magnus Cormack   Liberal Victoria 17 August 1971 11 April 1974
14 Justin O'Byrne 1970.jpg Justin O'Byrne   Labor Tasmania 9 July 1974 11 November 1975
15 Condor Laucke 1969.jpg (Sir) Condor Laucke   Liberal South Australia 17 February 1976 30 June 1981
16 Harold Young 1970 (cropped).jpg (Sir) Harold Young   Liberal South Australia 18 August 1981 4 February 1983
17 Doug McClelland 1973.jpg Doug McClelland   Labor New South Wales 21 April 1983 23 January 1987
18 Kerry Sibraa   Labor New South Wales 17 February 1987 31 January 1994
19 Michael Beahan   Labor Western Australia 1 February 1994 30 June 1996
20 Margaret Reid 2021-11-28.jpg Margaret Reid   Liberal ACT 20 August 1996 18 August 2002
21 Paul Calvert.jpg Paul Calvert   Liberal Tasmania 19 August 2002 14 August 2007
22 Alan Ferguson.jpg Alan Ferguson   Liberal South Australia 14 August 2007 25 August 2008
23 John Hogg.jpg John Hogg   Labor Queensland 26 August 2008 30 June 2014
24 Stephen Parry.jpg Stephen Parry   Liberal Tasmania 7 July 2014 2 November 2017
25 Senator Scott Ryan.jpg Scott Ryan   Liberal Victoria 13 November 2017 13 October 2021
26 Joint Standing Committee on the Parliamentary Library 2023 (Brockman cropped).png Slade Brockman   Liberal Western Australia 18 October 2021 26 July 2022
27 Sue Lines 2017-02-23.JPG Sue Lines   Labor Western Australia 26 July 2022 Incumbent

The Deputy President

McLachlan Profile
Andrew McLachlan (Lib), Deputy President of the Senate since July 2022

The Senate also chooses a Deputy President. Their full title is Deputy President and Chairman of Committees. Before 1981, they were just called "Chairman of Committees." The name changed to better describe their job.

This job is not in the Constitution. It comes from the Senate's own rules. The Deputy President's main jobs are to lead "committees of the whole." These are special meetings where all senators discuss a bill in detail. The Deputy President also leads meetings when the President is away.

List of Deputy Presidents

There have been 37 Deputy Presidents of the Senate. Two people have held the job more than once.

# Name Party State Term start Term end
1 Robert Best   Protectionist Victoria 9 May 1901 31 December 1903
2 William Higgs   Labor Queensland 16 March 1904 31 December 1906
3 George Pearce   Labor Western Australia 21 February 1907 13 November 1908
4 Henry Dobson   Anti-Socialist Tasmania 25 November 1908 30 June 1910
  Liberal
5 David O'Keefe   Labor Tasmania 1 July 1910 30 July 1914
6 George Henderson   Labor Western Australia 9 October 1914 30 June 1917
  National Labor
  Nationalist
7 John Shannon   Nationalist South Australia 12 July 1917 30 June 1920
8 Thomas Bakhap   Nationalist Tasmania 21 July 1920 30 June 1923
9 John Newlands   Nationalist South Australia 5 July 1923 30 June 1926
10 William Plain   Nationalist Victoria 1 July 1926 30 June 1932
  United Australia
11 Herbert Hays   United Australia Tasmania 1 September 1932 23 September 1935
12 Burford Sampson   United Australia Tasmania 24 September 1935 30 June 1938
13 James McLachlan   United Australia South Australia 1 July 1938 30 June 1941
14 Gordon Brown   Labor Queensland 1 July 1941 22 September 1943
15 Ben Courtice   Labor Queensland 23 September 1943 1 November 1946
16 Theo Nicholls   Labor South Australia 6 November 1946 19 March 1951
17 George Rankin   Country Victoria 12 June 1951 30 June 1953
18 Albert Reid   Country New South Wales 8 September 1953 22 May 1962†
19 Gerald McKellar   Country New South Wales 7 August 1962 21 December 1964
20 Tom Drake-Brockman   Country Western Australia 16 March 1965 11 November 1969
21 Tom Bull   Country New South Wales 25 November 1969 30 June 1971
22 Edgar Prowse   Country Western Australia 17 August 1971 31 December 1973
23 James Webster   Country /
National Country
Victoria 5 March 1974 21 December 1975
Tom Drake-Brockman   National Country Western Australia 17 February 1976 30 June 1978
24 Douglas Scott   National Country New South Wales 15 August 1978 10 December 1979
25 Ron Maunsell   National Country Queensland 19 February 1980 30 June 1981
26 Doug McClelland   Labor New South Wales 20 August 1981 4 February 1983
27 David Hamer   Liberal Victoria 21 April 1983 30 June 1990
28 Mal Colston   Labor Queensland 21 August 1990 16 August 1993
29 Noel Crichton-Browne   Liberal Western Australia 17 August 1993 9 May 1995
30 Margaret Reid   Liberal ACT 9 May 1995 20 August 1996
Mal Colston   Independent Queensland 20 August 1996 6 May 1997
31 Sue West   Labor New South Wales 6 May 1997 30 June 2002
32 John Hogg   Labor Queensland 19 August 2002 25 August 2008
33 Alan Ferguson   Liberal South Australia 26 August 2008 30 June 2011
34 Stephen Parry   Liberal Tasmania 4 July 2011 6 July 2014
35 Gavin Marshall   Labor Victoria 7 July 2014 9 May 2016
36 Sue Lines   Labor Western Australia 30 September 2016 26 July 2022
37 Andrew McLachlan   Liberal South Australia 26 July 2022

See also

  • Clerk of the Australian Senate
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