The Senate

The Australian Government is formed by the party or coalition of parties with the support of the majority – more than half – of members elected to the House of Representatives.

There are members of the government in the Senate. The government does not need to have the majority of seats in the Senate.

The government has many jobs including:

• writing and introducing bills – proposed laws – into Parliament
• putting laws into action
• making important decisions on behalf of Australians.

The opposition is formed by the largest party or coalition of parties that are not in government. The opposition is sometimes called the alternative government.

There are members of the opposition in the Senate. The opposition can have less than half or a majority of seats in the Senate.

The opposition has many jobs including:

• scrutinising – closely examining – the work of the government
• debating bills – proposed laws – in the Parliament
• providing alternative ideas on how Australia should be governed.

Minor parties only have a small number of members elected to Parliament.

Independents are members of Parliament who don’t belong to a political party.

Sometimes, minor parties and independents are called the crossbench because they sit on the seats that curve around at the end of the Senate and House of Representatives. 

I am a member of the Senate who has been chosen to run the meetings of the Senate.

My job is to:

• run meetings of the Senate
• make sure the rules of the Senate are obeyed
• represent the Senate at official events.

I am a senator who has been chosen to be the leader of the government team in the Senate.

My job is to:

• lead the government team in the Senate
• act as the chief government spokesperson in the Senate
• be a minister and have responsibility for a portfolio.

We are members of the Australian Government who have been given an area of responsibility – a portfolio – for how Australia is run. Some areas of responsibility are health, foreign affairs and the environment.

Our job is to:

• work with the Prime Minister and other ministers to develop new laws and put laws into action
• manage the government department we are responsible for, such as the Department of Defence or Treasury
• manage and take responsibility for the actions of the department we are responsible for.

We are members of government who are not ministers.

Our job is to:

• represent the people in our state or territory in the Australian Parliament
• work to provide help and services to our communities
• debate and vote on bills – proposed laws.

I am a senator who has been chosen to be the leader of the opposition team in the Senate.

My job is to:

• lead the opposition team in the Senate
• lead the opposition’s scrutiny – close examination – of the government in the Senate
• be a shadow minister. 

We are members of the opposition who have been given the responsibility of scrutinising – closely examining – the work of ministers. We also develop our own ideas for how Australia should be run.

If the opposition becomes the government, we may become ministers, so it is important we know about the government departments we are responsible for examining.

We are members of the opposition who are not shadow ministers.

Our job is to:

• represent the people in our state or territory in the Australian Parliament
• work to provide help and services to our communities
• debate and vote on bills – proposed laws.

I help the President of the Senate run meetings of the Senate. I am an expert on the rules of the Senate. I work here but I am not an elected member of parliament.

My job is to:

• help the President and senators to organise what happens on a sitting day
• record the actions and decisions of the Senate
• advise senators on parliamentary rules. 

I help the Clerk and the President of the Senate run meetings of the Senate. I am an expert on the rules of the Senate. I work here but I am not an elected member of parliament.

My job is to:

• help senators with the running order for Senate meetings
• record the actions and decisions of the Senate.

I am responsible for taking care of the Black Rod. I work here but I am not an elected member of parliament.

My job is to:

• lead the President of the Senate into and out of the Senate while carrying the Black Rod
• assist the President to keep order
• stand guard during a division vote to make sure any late senators can’t come in.

I am a ceremonial object carried by the Usher of the Black Rod when leading the President of the Senate into the Senate at the start of each day. In fact, the Usher carries me whenever they are doing Senate work. If I don’t have a job to do, I stand next to the Usher’s chair on the government side of the Senate.

We record what is said in Parliament. We work here but we are not elected members of parliament.

Our job is to:

• take short turns in the Senate making sure the computer system records everything that is said
• write down what has been recorded and edit it so it reads well.

We are journalists, photographers, camera people and researchers who report on Parliament. We work for different media organisations and have offices here in Parliament House.

Our job is to:

• attend press conferences, interview members of Parliament and gather information to produce stories so Australians can understand what is happening in Parliament
• watch Parliament at work and report on what happens.