parliament now

The election for the 43^rd Parliament of Australia was held on 21 August 2010 – we will update Parliament NOW as the new Parliament is established. Visit the Australian Electoral Commission for official 2010 election information.

Download: Parliament NOW [PDF 702kb, 12 pages]

Get the latest on Australia’s federal parliament

Today's Parliament is the 42^nd to be elected since Federation in 1901. It was officially opened on 12 February 2008 following the federal election held on 24 November 2007.

The Parliament is made up of 226 parliamentarians – 150 members in the House of Representative and 76 senators in the Senate.

According to section 28 of the Constitution, House of Representatives elections must be held at least every three years. Half-Senate elections are usually held at the same time as House of Representatives elections.

The next federal election will be held on 21 August 2010.

The government is formed by the party or coalition of parties that has a majority in the House of Representatives. The current government is made up of members of the Australian Labor Party.

Today's parliament looks like this: