Tasmanian House of Assembly
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The House of Assembly, or lower house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of Tasmania in Australia. The other is the Legislative Council. It sits in Parliament House in the state capital, Hobart.
The Assembly has 25 members, five members each coming from one of the five electorates. These are commonly known as seats. These are intended to represent approximately the same population in each electorate. Voting is by a form of proportional representation using the single-transferable vote (STV), known as the Hare-Clark system.
The number of seats was reduced from 35 (seven members from each of five electorates) for the 1998 state election. This was criticised by the minor parties, the Greens in particular, as reducing the minor parties representation in parliament.
Most legislation is initiated in the House of Assembly. The party or coalition with the most seats in the lower house is invited by the Governor to form government. The leader of that party subsequently becomes Premier of Tasmania, and their senior colleagues become ministers responsible for various portfolios. As Australian political parties traditionally vote along party lines, most legislation introduced by the governing party will pass through the House of Assembly.
See also
- Parliaments of the Australian states and territories
- Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1989-1992
- Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1992-1996
- Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1996-1998
- Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 1998-2002
- Members of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, 2002-2006
Current Distribution of Seats
| Party | Seats Held | Percentage of House |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Labor Party | 14 | 56% |
| Liberal Party | 7 | 28% |
| Tasmanian Greens | 4 | 16% |