Parliament of South Australia

The Parliament of South Australia is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of South Australia. It has two parts: the 47-seat House of Assembly (the lower house) and the 22-seat Legislative Council (the upper house). Elections happen every 4 years, where all members of the lower house and half of the upper house are chosen.

It follows a Westminster system of parliamentary government, meaning the leaders of the government must be part of the parliament and keep the support of the House of Assembly. The parliament meets at Parliament House on North Terrace in Adelaide, the state capital.

Unlike the federal parliament and most other state parliaments, the South Australian Constitution does not count the monarch or the governor of South Australia as part of the parliament. However, the governor still has an important role in helping the parliament make laws.

The parliament can create laws for South Australia, but these laws must follow the Constitution of South Australia. Sometimes, the federal parliament can override state laws, depending on the Constitution of Australia. Courts, like the Supreme Court of South Australia and the High Court of Australia, also watch over the parliament to make sure it follows the rules. The parliament also has other powers, such as looking into issues, doing research, and calling people to share information.

History

Further information: History of Australia and History of South Australia

Early colonial period and establishment

Further information: British colonisation of South Australia

When South Australia was founded, its leaders set up a new way to govern. They had a Governor and a Resident Commissioner, along with a group of leaders called the Legislative Council. This Council helped make laws and manage money. In 1842, new rules changed how things worked, making South Australia follow British ways more closely. This new Council was the first true parliament in South Australia. It met in a special building that later became known as Old Parliament House.

In 1851, people started voting for the Legislative Council. At first, only certain men who owned property could vote. The Council had 24 members, with some chosen by the Governor and others elected by people. In 1853, plans were made for a new parliament with two houses, but there was some confusion. By 1856, a new law created the Parliament of South Australia with two houses.

Responsible government

The new law in 1856 set up a parliament with two houses: the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. The Legislative Council had 18 members chosen by property owners, and the House of Assembly had 36 members chosen by men who could vote. This law also allowed the government to work better, with leaders needing support from the House of Assembly. Women could vote and run for office starting in 1895.

After federation

South Australia became part of Australia in 1901. This changed some of the powers of its parliament. The number of members in the House of Assembly changed over time, growing and shrinking depending on the needs of the state.

Playmander years

For many years, the way people voted in South Australia was unfair to city voters. Rural areas had more power than they should have, meaning fewer people could decide elections. This changed in the late 1960s when fairer voting rules were put in place.

Evolution of the Legislative Council

The Legislative Council also changed over time. It started with 18 members and grew to 22. For a long time, only property owners could vote for these members. In 1973, this changed so that anyone could vote, making the Council more fair.

Electoral systems

Originally, people voted in a simple way, but the system changed many times. Today, voting is done in a way that lets people choose their leaders more fairly. Voting has been required since 1942 for the House of Assembly and since 1985 for the Legislative Council. Elections now happen every four years on a fixed date.

House of Assembly

Main article: South Australian House of Assembly

The House of Assembly is the lower house of South Australia's Parliament. It has 47 members, each elected by voters in different areas called electorates. These elections use a voting system where everyone ranks their choices.

When a member leaves office or can no longer serve, a special election called a by-election is held to choose a replacement.

The leader of the party with the most support in the House becomes the Premier, leading the government. The House is managed by a Speaker who cannot be a member of a political party except during certain election times.

Most of South Australia's people live in the main city area, which has most of the seats in the House. This often affects the results of elections.

The House usually serves for four years, but sometimes it can be dissolved early if important votes go against the government or if there are disagreements between the two houses of Parliament.

Legislative Council

Main article: South Australian Legislative Council

The Legislative Council is the upper house of the Parliament of South Australia. It has 22 members called councillors (MLCs). These councillors are elected by people all across the state using a special voting system. Their terms usually last 8 years, but elections for the Legislative Council happen every 4 years, with half of the seats up for election each time.

The Legislative Council reviews laws that the lower house has passed. It can suggest changes or even reject some money-related bills, though it cannot start or change bills about taxes or spending on its own. This sometimes leads to disagreements between the two houses. The Council also checks on how the government is working, both during meetings and through special groups called committees. Because of the way councillors are elected, many different parties and independent members are in the Legislative Council, making it hard for any one group to control it alone.

Resolution of deadlocks between the Houses

When the two parts of the South Australia parliament disagree on a law, there is a special way to solve the problem. If the lower house passes a bill but the upper house rejects it twice after elections, the Governor can call for a special election for more members in the upper house or ask everyone to vote again for both houses at once. This is called a double dissolution. Usually, only half of the upper house is elected at each vote, but a double dissolution would let all members be chosen at once. After such an election, some members would serve shorter terms before voting again.

Even though this special election method has rarely been used, the parliament often tries to find agreement by having representatives from both houses discuss the problem together and suggest ways to fix it.

Salaries of Members of Parliament

Members of Parliament (MPs) in South Australia receive their pay based on rules set by a special law. Their basic pay is linked to what federal MPs earn, but it is a little less by $42,000. An independent group decides the basic pay for federal MPs, and another group decides extra benefits for South Australian MPs, like travel costs and other help.

Starting from July 2025, a South Australian MP’s basic yearly pay is $197,270, plus an extra $20,503 for common costs. Ministers and important office holders, like the Leader of the Opposition, receive extra pay on top of this basic amount.

State First Nations Voice

Further information: Australian Indigenous advisory bodies § South Australia

In March 2023, South Australia created a special group called the Aboriginal Voice to Parliament. This group helps represent the Aboriginal people of South Australia to the state parliament and government. Many people attended the ceremony to celebrate this new group, even though it was rainy.

The state is split into six areas. In each area, Aboriginal voters choose a "Local Voice" to represent them. These local voices then choose two leaders, one male and one female, to be part of the State First Nations Voice. The State Voice also chooses its own leaders, who can speak in parliament about laws that matter to the First Nations peoples in South Australia. They cannot vote on laws, but they can talk to government leaders and departments.

Longest-serving members

Members of the South Australian upper and lower houses with over 30 years of service.

The longest serving current member of Parliament is Tom Koutsantonis, who was elected to State Parliament in 1997 at age 26.

Location

Main article: Parliament House, Adelaide

The Parliament of South Australia meets at Parliament House in Adelaide, the state capital. This building is located at the corner where King William Street meets North Terrace. It replaced an older, crowded building known as "Old Parliament House," which was built in 1843 and later extended in 1857. Because of money problems, the current Parliament House took many years to build, from 1874 to 1939.

After the new Parliament House was finished in 1939, the Old Parliament House was used for different purposes, like a recruiting office and government offices. Since 1995, it has been used again by the parliament for offices and meetings.