- Home
About Us
The Parliament of New South Wales acknowledges the traditional owners, the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation, along with all the Traditional Owners of the lands it represents, and thanks them for their custodianship of country.
The Parliament of New South Wales is Australia's oldest legislative body. It had its beginnings when NSW was a British Colony under the control of a Governor appointed by the British Government. A small appointed Legislative Council of government officials began meeting in 1824 to advise the Governor on legislative matters. By 1843, this had been enlarged with two-thirds of its members elected by adult males who met certain property requirements. In 1856, under a new Constitution, the Parliament became bicameral with a fully elected Legislative Assembly and an appointed Legislative Council. The right to vote was extended to all adult males in 1858. In 1901 New South Wales became a sovereign state of the Commonwealth of Australia and many government functions were transferred to the new Commonwealth Government. In 1902 women gained the right to vote and the current Constitution of NSW was adopted (although changed many times since). By the 1980s, the Legislative Council had, like the Legislative Assembly, become a fully democratically elected house.
The Parliament of New South Wales today is, therefore, made up of two Houses - the Legislative Assembly (Lower House - with a green colour theme) and the Legislative Council (Upper House - with a red colour theme).
The principal functions of the Parliament of New South Wales are:
- provision of responsible Government in the tradition of the Westminster system
- representation of the people
- passage of legislation
- approval of finance for government operations
- monitoring and scrutiny of government administration and expenditure.
The building known as Parliament House houses the Assembly and Council Chambers, offices for Members and their staff and accommodation for the Parliamentary staff who provide services for Members and others. In addition to space set aside for the provision of joint services such as the library and dining rooms, there are storage areas, a central plant room and car parking. The historic facade of the building includes part of the 1816 Sydney Hospital (known as the "Rum Hospital"), which together with its 'twin', 'The Mint', further south along Macquarie Street, is the oldest surviving building in the Sydney CBD.
The two House Departments provide procedural and administrative services, including financial and human resource management to their own Members and staff. In terms of the service provided, the principal clients of Parliament House are the Members, who are elected to represent the people of NSW. The Members have elected Presiding Officers and office holders who are recipients of more specialised services. However, the Parliament encourages visitors on both sitting and non-sitting days and the active involvement of citizens through functions, its committee system, educational and community activities.
In the running of Parliament as an administrative entity, the two Presiding Officers have a role that is similar to Ministers and their departments. The Speaker and the President are the single employing authority of the staff in their respective Departments and the joint employing authority for the joint services staff. In consultation with their Clerks (the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly and the Clerk of the Legislative Council) the Presiding Officers determine policy for the operation of their House Department and jointly for the whole of the Parliament.
Last modified 28/02/2008 12:34:39 : Update this page