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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

When was the Australian Capital Territory granted self government?
How many members are there in the Legislative Assembly?
Who is the Chief Minister in the ACT?
Who is the Leader of the Opposition in the ACT?
What is the role of the Speaker in the Legislative Assembly?
What are the Standing Orders?
How many members of each political party are represented in the Sixth Legislative Assembly?
How many members of the Sixth Legislative Assembly are female?
What is an electorate?
Which electoral system is used in the ACT?
When will the next ACT election be held?
How does the ACT Parliament fill casual vacancies?
What is a Question on Notice?
What is a Question Without Notice?
What is a Petition?
What is the Cross bench?

When was the Australian Capital Territory granted self government?
The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) was granted self-government in 1989. Before self-government, the ACT was administered by the Federal Parliament. Our parliament is called the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory. The Assembly is unique in Australia because it holds the power to look after both state and local functions of the Territory.

How many members are there in the Legislative Assembly?
There are 17 members of the Legislative Assembly. They are elected every four years by the people of the ACT to represent them and make decisions on their behalf.

Who is the Chief Minister in the ACT?
The Chief Minister is the head of the government of the ACT. The Chief Minister is elected by members of the Assembly at the first sitting which was held on Wednesday, 5 November 2008. The Chief Minister is Jon Stanhope.

Who is the Leader of the Opposition in the ACT?
The Leader of the Opposition leads the largest non-government party. The Leader of the Opposition is Zed Seselja.

What is the role of the Speaker in the Legislative Assembly?
The Speaker is the Member of the Assembly who controls the proceedings of the chamber. The Speaker presides over all debates, speeches and question time, making sure that the standing orders (rules of conduct) and practices of the Assembly are followed. The Speaker is elected by the Assembly and sits at the head of the chamber on a raised bench.

What are the Standing Orders?
The rules that govern the conduct of debate and Assembly proceedings (including Committees).

How many members of each political party are represented in the Seventh Legislative Assembly?
The Australian Labor Party has 7 members, the Canberra Liberals has 6 members, The Greens has 4.

How many members of the Seventh Legislative Assembly are female?
There are 7 female members in the Seventh Legislative Assembly. They are: Ms Amanda Bresnan (Greens), Ms Joy Burch (Greens), Mrs Vicki Dunne (Liberal), Ms Katy Gallagher (ALP), Ms Meredith Hunter (Greens), Ms Caroline Le Couteur (Greens) and Ms Mary Porter AM (ALP).

What is an electorate?
An electorate is an area represented by one or more members of parliament. Electorates are sometimes referred to as a seat, division or a constituency. The ACT Legislative Assembly has three multi-member electorates: Ginninderra (5 members), Molonglo (7) and Brindabella (5).

Which electoral system is used in the ACT?
The Hare-Clark electoral system is used in the ACT. It is a proportional representation electoral system. A booklet, The ACT's Hare-Clark Electoral System: How it works is available from Elections ACT (Ph: 02 6205 0033). More information is also available on the Elections ACT website: www.elections.act.gov.au

When will the next ACT election be held?
The most recent ACT election was held on 18 October 2008. The ACT has a set election date of the third Saturday of October, every four years. The next ACT election will be held on the 20 October, 2012.

How does the ACT Parliament fill casual vacancies?
Unlike other parliaments in Australia, to fill a casual vacancy (created by the death or resignation of a Member), the ACT Parliament does not hold a by-election. Instead, the new Member is chosen by recounting the votes received by the vacating Member to establish which candidate is next preferred by these voters (the people who originally voted for the vacating Member). For a candidate to be considered in this process, they must have contested the original election and also have indicated that they wish to contest the casual vacancy.

In the event that it is not possible to fill the casual vacancy through this process, (for example, if a candidate does not come forward to contest the vacancy), the Legislative Assembly will choose a person to fill the vacancy. If the vacating Member was elected as a member of a registered political party - the new Member must be of the same political party. If the vacating Member was not a member of a political party (for example, an Independent Member), the person chosen to fill the vacancy cannot have been a member of a registered political party in the 12 months prior to filling the vacancy.

What is a Question on Notice?
A written question listed on the Notice Paper asked of a Minister which is answered in writing.

What is a Question Without Notice?
A question asked orally of a Minister where the Minister usually has no warning of the content of the question.

What is a Petition?
A petition is a written request, calling for the redress of a grievance or seeking action, presented to the Legislative Assembly by a Member. Any citizen or group of citizens of the ACT can submit a petition asking for an action to be taken by the Assembly. It can also ask the Assembly to consider action concerning a personal grievance (e.g. an administrative error). The matter under consideration must be an ACT matter and not a Federal one.

What is the Cross bench?
This is the set of seats for the Members of the Legislative Assembly who belong to neither the government nor the opposition. This is where Members who represent a minor party or who are independent (do not belong to a party) sit.