Parliament of Tasmania

The Parliament of Tasmania is the bicameral legislature of the Australian state of Tasmania. It follows a Westminster-derived parliamentary system and includes the governor of Tasmania (who represents the King), the Legislative Council (the upper house), and the House of Assembly (the lower house). The Legislative Council has met in Parliament House, Hobart since 1841, and the House of Assembly joined them from its start in 1856. The Parliament of Tasmania first met in 1856.

The powers of this Parliament are set out in the Constitution of Tasmania. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, Tasmania has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Constitution of Australia guides its relationship with the national government. Tasmania gave up some powers to the Commonwealth but keeps full control in other areas.

The leader of the party or group that has the support of the House of Assembly is asked by the governor to lead the Government and become the premier of Tasmania. Over time, Tasmanian Parliament has often included people who also served in the national government, more than other states.

Today, the Government is led by a Liberal minority government, formed after the 2025 state election. This group is called the Third Rockliff ministry and includes members from the Liberal party.

History

The island of Van Diemen’s Land, now called Tasmania, was settled by the United Kingdom in 1803. It was first managed by the governor of New South Wales as part of the Colony of New South Wales. In 1825, Van Diemen’s Land became its own British colony, with a group of six men advising the leader, the lieutenant governor of Van Diemen's Land.

Later, in 1850, the British Parliament allowed Van Diemen’s Land to choose its own leaders. The group of advisors grew from six to 24, with some chosen by the leader and others by property owners. By 1854, they created rules for self-government and a new two-part parliament. In 1856, the colony’s name changed from Van Diemen’s Land to Tasmania.

Houses of Parliament

Main article: Tasmanian House of Assembly

The Tasmanian House of Assembly is the lower house of the Tasmanian Parliament. It has 35 members, with seven members elected from the five divisions. The divisions are: Bass, Braddon, Clark, Franklin, and Lyons. The Tasmanian House of Assembly electoral divisions share the same names and boundaries as the Australian House of Representatives divisions for Tasmania.

Members are elected using the Hare-Clark voting system for a term of up to 4 years.

Main article: Tasmanian Legislative Council

The Tasmanian Legislative Council is the upper house of the Tasmanian Parliament. It has 15 members, each elected from a single-member electoral division. The boundaries of the divisions are reviewed by tribunal every 9 years.

Elections are held every year on a 6-year cycle; 3 divisions will be up for election in May one year, then 2 divisions in May the following year and so on. As such, each member will normally serve a term of 6 years.

The current distribution of seats is:

Longest-serving members

These are the members of Tasmania's upper and lower houses who have served for more than 30 years.