It is important to understand how South Australia’s Parliament works and how to vote in its elections to make your vote effective.
In South Australia, you democratically elect candidates to parliament to represent you and to review and make laws on your behalf every four years.
These candidates are usually – but not always – members of political parties. Political parties can become the South Australian Government if a majority of their candidates get elected. The largest party not able to form government is called the Opposition. A party without a majority can form government if it makes an alliance with enough other parties and candidates to have a majority.
Candidates who do not belong to a party are called independents. Independents and members of smaller parties that are elected and do not join the government or the opposition are sometimes called the Crossbench.
Candidates who are successfully elected are called Members of the House of Assembly (MHA) or Members of the Legislative Council (MLC). They either represent a certain electorate in the House of Assembly or the whole of South Australia in the Legislative Council.
The South Australian Parliament is made of two parts called houses:
The House of Assembly (Lower House):
Made up of 47 members. This is where laws are made, and the state budget is passed. The Premier, the leader of the government, is the leader of the winning political party.
The Legislative Council (Upper House):
Made up of 22 members. This is where laws passed by the House of Assembly are reviewed.
MLCs are elected by the whole state for eight-year terms, with only half of the Council’s members facing election in each four-year electoral cycle.
Voting for candidates in both houses is important because they both have an important role in government decision-making. Both houses need to agree before new laws are made.
For more information, visit the South Australian Parliament website.
