Western Australian Legislative Assembly

Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly
41st Parliament
Type
Type	Lower house of the Parliament of Western Australia
History
Founded	30 December 1890; 133 years ago
Leadership
Speaker	Michelle Roberts, Labor ; since 29 April 2021
Deputy Speaker	Stephen Price, Labor ; since 11 May 2017
Leader of the House	David Templeman, Labor ; since 17 March 2017
Manager of Opposition Business	Peter Rundle, Nationals ; since 30 January 2023
Government Whip	Cassie Rowe, Labor ; since 17 March 2021
Opposition Whip	Vacant ; since 31 October 2023
Structure
Seats	59
Political groups	Government (53); Labor (53); Opposition (6); National (3); Liberal (3)
Length of term	4 years
Elections
Voting system	Full preferential voting
First election	December 1890
Last election	13 March 2021
Next election	8 March 2025
Meeting place
	Legislative Assembly Chamber; Parliament House, Perth; Western Australia, Australia
Website
	WA Legislative Assembly

The Western Australian Legislative Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the Parliament of Western Australia, an Australian state. The Parliament sits in Parliament House in the Western Australian capital, Perth.

The Legislative Assembly today has 59 members, elected for four-year terms from single-member electoral districts. Members are elected using the preferential voting system. As with all other Australian states and territories, voting is compulsory for all Australian citizens over the legal voting age of 18.

Role and operation

Most legislation in Western Australia is initiated in the Legislative Assembly. The party or coalition that can command a majority in the Legislative Assembly is invited by the Governor to form a government. That party or coalition's leader, once sworn in, subsequently becomes the Premier of Western Australia, and a team of the leader's, party's or coalition's choosing (whether they be in the Legislative Assembly or in the Legislative Council) can then be sworn in as ministers responsible for various portfolios. As Australian political parties traditionally vote along party lines, most legislation introduced by the governing party will pass through the House of Assembly.

History

Members of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly, 1896

The Legislative Assembly was the first elected legislature in Western Australia, having been created in 1890, when Western Australia gained self-government. It initially consisted of 30 members, all of whom were elected, although only male landowners could vote. This replaced a system where the Governor was responsible for most legislative matters, with only the appointed Legislative Council to guide him.

Suffrage was extended to all adult males in 1893, although Indigenous Australians were specifically excluded. Women gained the right to vote in 1899, making Western Australia the second of the Australian colonies (behind South Australia) to do so. In 1921, Edith Cowan became the first woman to be elected to parliament anywhere in Australia when she won the Legislative Assembly seat of West Perth for the Nationalist Party.^[1]

Electoral distribution and reform

For many years, Western Australia used a zonal electoral system for both houses of parliament. In most Australian jurisdictions, each state electorate represents an approximately equal number of voters. However, in Western Australia, until 2008 an MP represented 28,519 voters in greater Perth (the Metropolitan Region Scheme area) or 14,551 country voters.^[2] At the 2006 census taken on 8 August 2006, 73.76% of Western Australia's residents lived in and around Perth,^[3] but only 34 of Western Australia's 57 Legislative Assembly seats, representing 60% of the total, were located in the metropolitan region. There has been strong support over time in some quarters for the principle of one vote, one value, particularly from the Labor Party who were at particular disadvantage under the system. Up until 2005, reform had proceeded gradually—the most dramatic changes had occurred with the enactment of the Electoral Districts Act 1947 and the Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987, the latter of which raised the number of metropolitan seats from 29 to 34.^[4]

Effective on 20 May 2005, the Electoral Amendment and Repeal Act 2005 (No.1 of 2005) abolished the country-metropolitan distinction for the Legislative Assembly, but all seats then in place remained until the following election on 6 September 2008. A redistribution of seats announced by the Western Australian Electoral Commission on 29 October 2007 places 42 seats in Perth and 17 in the country, with a variation of ±10% from the average population normally permitted. The only distinction for rural seats is that any seat with an area of 100,000 square kilometres (38,610 sq mi) or greater (that is, 4% of the State's land area) may have a variation of +10%–20% from the average, using an adjusted population based on the seat's area in square kilometres.^[5]

Current distribution of Assembly seats

Party	Seats held^[6]
Labor	53	53
National	3	3
Liberal	3	3
Total	59

30 votes as a majority are required to pass legislation.

Notes

^ After the 2021 election, the Nationals and Liberals formed an opposition alliance. However, it is not a formal coalition and both parties maintain their independence from each other.

References

^ "Edith Dircksey Cowan". Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
^ Western Australian Electoral Commission (30 September 2007). "Electoral enrolment statistics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
^ Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Perth (Statistical Division)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
* Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Western Australia". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
^ "Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987". Western Australian Legislation. 12 July 1987. Retrieved 26 February 2021.
^ Electoral Amendment and Repeal Act 2005 (No. 1 of 2005), retrieved 26 February 2021
^ "WA Election 2017". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 March 2017.

[1] After the 2021 election, the Nationals and Liberals formed an opposition alliance. However, it is not a formal coalition and both parties maintain their independence from each other.

[2] "Edith Dircksey Cowan". Biographical Register of Members of the Parliament of Western Australia. Retrieved 8 November 2021.

[3] Western Australian Electoral Commission (30 September 2007). "Electoral enrolment statistics" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 July 2008. Retrieved 15 January 2008.

[4] Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Perth (Statistical Division)". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 15 January 2008.
* Australian Bureau of Statistics (25 October 2007). "Western Australia". 2006 Census QuickStats. Retrieved 15 January 2008.

[5] "Acts Amendment (Electoral Reform) Act 1987". Western Australian Legislation. 12 July 1987. Retrieved 26 February 2021.

[EARA_2005-6] Electoral Amendment and Repeal Act 2005 (No. 1 of 2005), retrieved 26 February 2021

[7] "WA Election 2017". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 17 March 2017.

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v t e Members of the Parliament of Western Australia
Legislative Assembly	1890–1894 1894–1897 1897–1901 1901–1904 1904–1905 1905–1908 1908–1911 1911–1914 1914–1917 1917–1921 1921–1924 1924–1927 1927–1930 1930–1933 1933–1936 1936–1939 1939–1943 1943–1947 1947–1950 1950–1953 1953–1956 1956–1959 1959–1962 1962–1965 1965–1968 1968–1971 1971–1974 1974–1977 1977–1980 1980–1983 1983–1986 1986–1989 1989–1993 1993–1996 1996–2001 2001–2005 2005–2008 2008–2013 2013–2017 2017–2021 2021–2025
Legislative Council	1832–1870 1870–1872 1872–1874 1890–1894 1894–1896 1896–1898 1898–1900 1900–1902 1902–1904 1904–1906 1906–1908 1908–1910 1910–1912 1912–1914 1914–1916 1916–1918 1918–1920 1920–1922 1922–1924 1924–1926 1926–1928 1928–1930 1930–1932 1932–1934 1934–1936 1936–1938 1938–1940 1940–1944 1944–1946 1946–1948 1948–1950 1950–1952 1952–1954 1954–1956 1956–1958 1958–1960 1960–1962 1962–1965 1965–1968 1968–1971 1971–1974 1974–1977 1977–1980 1980–1983 1983–1986 1986–1989 1989–1993 1993–1997 1997–2001 2001–2005 2005–2009 2009–2013 2013–2017 2017–2021 2021–2025

v t e Government of Western Australia
Executive	Monarchy Governor Premier Deputy Premier Cabinet Entities Police
Legislative	Parliament Legislative Assembly MLAs Electoral districts Speaker Legislative Council MLCs Electoral regions President Opposition Leader
Judicial	Supreme Court District Court Children's Court Family Court Magistrates Court Other courts and tribunals