Our Common Bond
Parliament, elections and voting in Australia
Ten questions on elections and Parliament. Every question on this topic, with its answer, is listed under the summary.
Independent, non-government site: tests, applications and appointments are handled only on the Home Affairs website.
Your score
0 / 0
0 / 10 answered
Pick an answer to start
| Practice set of 10 questions, target 75% |
| You can still miss 2 |
Practice questions adapted by Radif Partners from Our Common Bond. Not the official test questions.
Questions adapted from Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0, by Radif Partners.
In Australia citizens aged 18 or over must enrol and vote in federal, state and territory elections and in referendums; if they do not vote and have no good reason, they may be fined. Voting is by secret ballot, so nobody may know how you voted unless you tell them, and the Australian Electoral Commission, which is independent of the government, runs federal elections and referendums and keeps the electoral roll. The Australian Parliament has two Houses. The House of Representatives, also called the Lower House or the People's House, has over 150 members elected in electorates, with seats shared by population. The Senate, called the Upper House, the House of Review or the States' House, has 76 senators: 12 for each state and 2 each for the ACT and the Northern Territory. A Bill passed by a majority in both Houses becomes law when the Governor-General gives Royal Assent. Our bank has 13 questions on this topic.
1.How many senators does each state elect?
- · 2
- · 6
- ✓ 12
- · 76
Every state has equal representation in the Senate, regardless of its size or population. Each state elects 12 senators, while the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory elect two each, for a total of 76 senators.
Where to check: Part 3: The Senate
2.Who signs a Bill to make it law (Royal Assent)?
- · The Prime Minister
- · The Chief Justice
- ✓ The Governor-General
- · The Speaker
A proposed law, called a Bill, must be agreed by a majority in both Houses of Parliament. It then goes to the Governor-General, whose signature, known as Royal Assent, turns the Bill into law.
Where to check: Part 3: How are laws made?
3.Which agency conducts federal elections and referendums and maintains the Commonwealth electoral roll?
- · The Australian Taxation Office
- · The High Court
- · The Department of the Prime Minister
- ✓ The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is an agency of the Commonwealth that conducts federal elections and referendums and maintains the electoral roll. It is independent, so neither political parties nor people in government can influence its decisions.
Where to check: Part 3: How do I have my say?
4.Australian elections use a secret ballot. What does this mean?
- ✓ Nobody is entitled to know how you voted unless you decide to tell them
- · Votes are counted in secret by the government
- · Only some people are told about the election
- · Candidates are kept secret until election day
Because Australia votes by secret ballot, voters can choose any candidate freely and safely. Nobody is entitled to know how you voted, unless you decide to tell them yourself.
Where to check: Part 3: How do I have my say?
5.Which is another name for the Senate?
- · The People's House
- ✓ The States' House
- · The Lower House
- · The Governor's House
The Senate is also known as the Upper House, the States' House or the House of Review. The House of Representatives, by contrast, is known as the People's House, or simply the Lower House.
Where to check: Part 3: The Senate
6.Who forms the Opposition after a federal election?
- · All independent members
- ✓ The party or coalition holding the second highest number of seats in the House of Representatives
- · The Senate as a whole
- · Members chosen by the High Court
The Opposition is the party or coalition that wins the second highest number of seats in the House of Representatives. Its leader is known as the Leader of the Opposition.
Where to check: Part 3: How is the Australian Government formed?
7.When a member of parliament proposes a new law or a change to an existing one, what is the proposal called?
- · A Royal Assent
- · A writ
- ✓ A Bill
- · A portfolio
A Bill is a proposal for a new law or for a change to a current law. Both Houses of Parliament consider, debate and vote on it, and if each agrees by a majority, it goes to the Governor-General for Royal Assent.
Where to check: Part 3: How are laws made?
8.How many senators are there in total?
- · 150
- · 12
- · 52
- ✓ 76
Each of the six states elects 12 senators and the two mainland territories elect 2 each, which gives 76. The House of Representatives has over 150 members.
Where to check: Part 3: The Senate
9.How many senators do the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory each elect?
- ✓ Two
- · Twelve
- · One
- · Six
The states elect 12 senators each, whatever their population, while the ACT and the Northern Territory elect 2 each.
Where to check: Part 3: The Senate
10.Which is another name for the House of Representatives?
- · The States' House
- ✓ The People's House
- · The House of Review
- · The Upper House
The House of Representatives is known as the People's House or the Lower House. The Senate is the Upper House, the States' House or the House of Review.
Where to check: Part 3: The House of Representatives
11.What decides how many members each state or territory has in the House of Representatives?
- · Its land area
- · How long ago it became a colony
- ✓ The number of people who live there
- · Nothing: each has the same number
Seats in the House of Representatives follow population, so states with more people have more members. In the Senate, by contrast, every state has the same number.
Where to check: Part 3: The House of Representatives
12.What can happen to a person who fails to vote and has no good reason?
- · You lose your citizenship
- · You are sent to prison straight away
- · Nothing happens
- ✓ You may have to pay a fine
Voting is compulsory, and a person who fails to vote without a good reason may be fined. Compulsory voting makes sure the people have a say in who governs them.
Where to check: Part 3: How do I have my say?
13.What happens to a Bill once a majority in each House of Parliament has agreed to it?
- ✓ It goes to the Governor-General, who signs it into law
- · It goes to a referendum
- · It goes to the High Court for approval
- · It goes to the states for a vote
After both Houses pass a Bill, the Governor-General signs it. That signature is called Royal Assent and makes the Bill a law.
Where to check: Part 3: How are laws made?
Parliament, elections and voting
13
questions here, 229 in the whole bank. Open one to see the answer and where to check it in Our Common Bond.
Questions adapted from Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond, © Commonwealth of Australia, CC BY 4.0, by Radif Partners.
Questions, dates and fees by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How questions and dates are built
Your vote, in four rules
- Compulsory. Citizens aged 18 and over must enrol and vote in federal, state and territory elections and referendums. Without a good reason, not voting can bring a fine. The booklet notes that local elections may be optional in some states.
- Enrolment first. If you are not correctly enrolled, you cannot vote.
- Secret. The secret ballot means you vote privately and freely; no one is entitled to know your choice.
- Independent referee. The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), a Commonwealth agency, conducts federal elections and referendums and maintains the electoral roll, free from influence by parties or the government.
Compulsory voting is presented as a way of making sure the people have a say in who governs and represents them. Part 4 returns to it as a sign of how much Australians value taking part.
The two Houses compared
| House of Representatives | Senate | |
|---|---|---|
| Other names | Lower House, People's House | Upper House, House of Review, States' House |
| Members | over 150 | 76 |
| How seats are shared | by population; one member per electorate | 12 per state, 2 per mainland territory |
| Role | consider, debate and vote on new laws; discuss national matters | the same, as a house of review |
| Forms the government? | yes: majority party or coalition governs | no |
Parties, government and opposition
A political party is a group of people who share ideas about how the country should be governed and work to turn them into laws. The booklet names the main ones: the Liberal Party of Australia, the Australian Labor Party, the Nationals and the Australian Greens. Most parliamentarians belong to a party; those who do not are independents, and anyone is free to join a party. After a federal election, the party or coalition with a majority in the House of Representatives generally forms the government and its leader becomes Prime Minister. The party or coalition with the second largest number of members forms the Opposition, led by the Leader of the Opposition.
From Bill to law
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Bill | a member of Parliament proposes a new law or a change to an existing one |
| 2. Debate | the House of Representatives and the Senate consider, debate and vote on it |
| 3. Majority | if a majority in each House agrees, it goes to the Governor-General |
| 4. Royal Assent | the Governor-General signs it and it becomes law |
State and territory parliaments make their own laws in a similar way. Remember that the Governor-General signs but does not debate: the decision is Parliament's, and Royal Assent is the formal last step. The page on the King, Governor-General and Prime Minister explains the rest of the Governor-General's role.
Numbers that are easy to mix up
12 is the number of senators per state, not the total. 76 is the total in the Senate. "over 150" is the size of the House of Representatives. 18 is the voting age, the same as the age for jury service and for standing for parliament. A good drill is to write the four numbers on a card with a label, then mix the labels up and match them again.
Revising
This topic spans the "How do I have my say?" section at the start of Part 3 and the pages on Parliament and law-making later on, pages 24 and 27 to 30 of the testable section. Do the practice set above, then open the full list of questions under the summary and read each explanation. Voting also appears among a citizen's duties and privileges on the responsibilities page.