I’ve been working recently in the Legislative Council of South Australia. It’s in the east wing of Parliament House, which was built in 1936. The west wing was built in 1889 and the Old Parliament House dates back to 1855.
According to the Parliament website:
From 1843 to 1851, South Australia was governed by a Legislative Council of seven members, all nominated by the Crown, who ran the colony under the direction of the Governor.
The new Legislative Council of 1851 comprised 24 members, eight nominated by the Crown and 16 returned by the electors. The Governor no longer presided over deliberations and the members elected their own speaker.
The Constitution of the new Council was in some respects an experiment and power to amend it was given to Council, subject to approval by the Crown. This hybrid Council of appointed and elected Members continued to be the Legislature until the inauguration of responsible Government in 1857.
Jordan Bastoni writes:
“The Legislative Council was formed to protect people with property, the social elite, and so voting rights for the Legislative Council were subject to a property qualification.
“The Legislative Council became heavily dominated by conservative members. This led to a very unrepresentative chamber, in which the Labor Party could never win more than four out of 20 seats.
“The unrepresentative Legislative Council was coupled with an electoral system for the House of Assembly that was heavily malapportioned. Metropolitan electorates, that could be expected to return Labor MPs, were three times as large as rural electorates, which most commonly returned Liberal Country League MLCs.”
Wikipedia adds:
“Even after electoral legislation had been implemented in 1967 by Steele Hall that produced a fairer electoral system for the House of Assembly, the council remained unchanged. It was only in 1973 under Don Dunstan that changes were finally made.
“Dunstan, a social reformist, tired of the council’s obstructionist attitude, and put forward bills for its reform. Initially rejected by the council, the reform created a single statewide electorate of 22 members, with half being elected each time. It eventually passed with bipartisan support.”
Today, the Legislative Council acts as a house of review. The political numbers are divided equally between the Government (Labor), the Opposition (Liberal) and crossbenches (Greens, Family First, Independent).
Proceedings are usually rather sedate compared with the House of Assembly.
The chamber is still modelled on the House of Lords to the extent that messages from the Governor are read in the Legislative Council and Parliament is officially opened there.
Portraits of the Queen and Prince Philip adorn the main entrance.
Amazing scenes in the Upper House Burnside Council and strong attitude against new labor Minister Worsley M.L.C. has meant television crews and media were in the chamber.Family First members Brokehshire and Hood gave strong comments.I consider there has not been a censure motion passed before for forty years.Now former Minister Holloway has resigned.Changes are now also under way with the Rann Goverment.Premier has announced he is steping down soon.Years ago i can remember when there was 4 ministers in the Upper House.Currently 2011 there is only 2.