Western Australian Legislative Assembly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Legislative Assembly |
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|---|---|
| 41st Parliament | |
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| Type | |
| Type |
Lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia
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| History | |
| Founded | 30 December 1890 |
| Leadership | |
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Speaker
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Michelle Roberts, Labor
Since 29 April 2021 |
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Deputy Speaker
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Stephen Price, Labor
Since 11 May 2017 |
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Leader of the House
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David Templeman, Labor
Since 17 March 2017 |
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Manager of Opposition Business
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Peter Rundle, Nationals
Since 30 January 2023 |
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Government Whip
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Cassie Rowe, Labor
Since 17 March 2021 |
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Opposition Whip
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Vacant
Since 31 October 2023 |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 59 |
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Political groups
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Government (53) Labor (53) Opposition (6) National (3) Liberal (3) |
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Length of term
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4 years |
| Elections | |
| Full preferential voting | |
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Last election
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13 March 2021 |
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Next election
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8 March 2025 |
| Meeting place | |
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| Legislative Assembly Chamber Parliament House, Perth Western Australia, Australia |
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| Website | |
| WA Legislative Assembly | |
The Western Australian Legislative Assembly is an important part of the government in Western Australia. It's like one of the two main rooms, or "houses," where laws are made for the state. This group meets at Parliament House in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia.
Today, the Legislative Assembly has 59 members. These members are chosen by people voting in different areas, called electoral districts. Each member serves for four years. People vote for them using a system called preferential voting. In Australia, if you are 18 or older and an Australian citizen, you must vote.
Contents
How the Assembly Works
Most new laws in Western Australia start in the Legislative Assembly. The political party or group of parties that wins the most seats in the Assembly gets to form the government. The Governor officially invites their leader to do this.
Forming the Government
Once the leader is chosen, they become the Premier of Western Australia. The Premier then picks a team of people to be ministers. These ministers are in charge of different areas, like education or health. They can be members of either the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council.
Because political parties usually vote together, most new laws suggested by the government will pass easily in the Assembly. This is how new rules and changes are made for Western Australia.
History of the Assembly
The Legislative Assembly was first created in 1890. This was when Western Australia started to govern itself. At first, it had 30 members, all chosen by voters. However, only men who owned land could vote back then. Before this, the Governor made most of the laws, with some advice from the Legislative Council.
Voting Rights and Changes
In 1893, more men were allowed to vote, even if they didn't own land. But, Indigenous Australians were still not allowed to vote. In 1899, women in Western Australia gained the right to vote. This made Western Australia the second place in Australia to allow women to vote, after South Australia.
A big moment happened in 1921 when Edith Cowan became the first woman ever elected to any parliament in Australia. She won a seat in the Legislative Assembly for the Nationalist Party. She represented the area of West Perth.
Fairer Voting Areas
For many years, Western Australia used a special system for voting areas. In most places, each voting area has about the same number of voters. But in Western Australia, until 2008, a member of parliament in Perth represented more voters than a member in a country area.
Changes to Voting Districts
This meant that areas around Perth had fewer representatives compared to how many people lived there. Many people, especially from the Labor Party, wanted a system where "one vote, one value" was true for everyone. This means every vote should count equally.
Over time, changes were made to make the system fairer. In 2005, a new law removed the difference between city and country voting areas for the Legislative Assembly. This change started to be used after the election in 2008. Now, there are 42 seats in Perth and 17 in country areas. This helps make sure everyone's vote is more equal.
Who Holds Seats Now?
This table shows how many seats each political party has in the Legislative Assembly right now.
| Party | Seats held | |
|---|---|---|
| Labor | 53 |
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| National | 3 |
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| Liberal | 3 |
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| Total | 59 | |
To pass a new law, at least 30 votes are needed in the Legislative Assembly.
Learn More
- 2021 Western Australian state election
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
- Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 2021–2025
- Speaker of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly
- Electoral districts of Western Australia
- Western Australian Legislative Council
- Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
