President of the Senate (Australia)

Presiding officer of the upper house of the Australian Parliament

President of the Senate

Commonwealth Coat of Arms

Flag of Australia

Incumbent
Sue Lines

since 26 July 2022

Australian Senate
Style| The Honourable
Appointer| Elected by the Senate
Inaugural holder| Sir Richard Baker
Formation| 9 May 1901
Deputy| Senator Andrew McLachlan
Salary| A$369,674
Website| aph.gov.au
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The president of the Senate is the presiding officer of the Australian Senate, the upper house of the Parliament of Australia. The counterpart in the lower house is the speaker of the House of Representatives. The office of the presidency of the senate was established in 1901 by section 17 of the Constitution of Australia. The primary responsibilities of the office is to oversee senate debates, determine which senators may speak, maintain order and the parliamentary code of conduct during sessions and uphold all rules and orders of the senate. The current president is Sue Lines, who was elected on 26 July 2022.

The Senate elects one of its members as president at the start of each new term, or whenever the position is vacant. This is usually—though not necessarily—a member of the party or coalition that has formed government in the House of Representatives. Early presidents were members of the largest party or coalition in the Senate, which was not always the governing party, however this is no longer the case.[1]

The president of the Senate's primary task is to maintain parliamentary procedure in the chamber during legislative sessions. Unlike the speaker of the House, the president of the Senate votes as an ordinary member during general debate, and has no casting vote in the case of a tie (a casting vote would effectively give the president's state an extra vote). The president of the Senate has also various administrative and ceremonial duties, sharing responsibility for the management of Parliament House and other parliamentary facilities and services with the speaker of the House.

## Election

[edit]

### Constitutional provisions

[edit]

Section 17 of the Constitution of Australia provides:[2]

> The Senate shall, before proceeding to the despatch of any other business, choose a senator to be the President of the Senate; and as often as the office of President becomes vacant the Senate shall again choose a senator to be the President. The President shall cease to hold his office if he ceases to be a senator. He may be removed from office by a vote of the Senate, or he may resign his office or his seat by writing addressed to the Governor-General.

### Process

[edit]

The president is elected by the Senate in a secret ballot. The clerk conducts the election. The presidency has always been a partisan office and the nominee of the government party has nearly always been elected—although this cannot be guaranteed since the government of the day does not necessarily have a majority in the Senate. The president is assisted by an elected deputy president. The traditional practice has been that the government nominates a senator to be elected as president, and the Opposition nominates a Senator to be deputy president. If there are no other nominations, no election is required; however, the Australian Greens in 2005 and again in 2007 put forward Senator Kerry Nettle as a rival candidate when the position of president was vacant. Neither Government nor Opposition Senators supported that candidacy.[3]

## Role

[edit]

### Parliamentary duties

[edit]

The president's principal duty is to preside over the Senate, to maintain order in the Senate, uphold the Standing Orders (rules of procedure) and protect the rights of backbench senators. The president is assisted by the deputy president and a panel of acting deputy presidents, who usually preside during routine debates.

Although the president does not have the same degree of disciplinary power as the speaker does, the Senate is not as rowdy as most Australian legislative chambers, and thus his or her disciplinary powers are seldom exercised.

Unlike the speaker the president has a deliberative, but not a casting vote (in the event of an equality of votes, the motion fails). This is because the Senate is in theory a states' house, and depriving the president of a deliberative vote would have robbed one of the states or territories one of its senators' votes.

### Administrative duties

[edit]

The Senate president is the chief executive of the Department of the Senate, which is one of the four parliamentary departments. The president chairs the department's budget committee and oversees its organisational structure. The president also co-administers the Department of Parliament Services (DPS) with the speaker of the House of Representatives.[4]

### Ceremonial duties

[edit]

The president of the Senate is ranked highly in the Commonwealth Table of Precedence, either before or after the speaker of the House of Representatives depending on seniority. The president participates in the state opening of parliament, represents the parliament on overseas visits, and receives visiting delegations from other countries (and other distinguished visitors).[4]

## Salary

[edit]

As with all other parliamentarians, the president of the Senate's salary is determined by the Remuneration Tribunal, an independent statutory body. As of 1 July 2019, the base salary for senators is A$211,242. The president is entitled to an additional "salary of office" comprising 75% of the base salary ($158,432), making for a total salary of $369,674 per annum and receives the various other entitlements and allowances available to senators.[5]

## List of presidents of the Senate

[edit]

The position of president of the Senate has been disproportionately held by senators representing the least populous states and territories. There have been 25 presidents of the Senate since 1901. Of these 15 have come from the least populous states (Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania) or the Australian Capital Territory, and 10 have come from the three most populous states (New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland). All Senate presidents have been members of major parties, though not necessarily the governing party.

No. | Image  | Name  | Party  | State  | Term start  | Term end

|
|
|
|
|
|

1 |  | Sir Richard Baker |   | Free Trade | South Australia | 9 May 1901 | 31 December 1906
2 |  | (Sir) Albert Gould |   | Free Trade /
Anti-Socialist | New South Wales | 20 February 1907 | 30 June 1910
| Liberal
3 |  | Harry Turley |   | Labor | Queensland | 1 July 1910 | 8 July 1913
4 |  | Thomas Givens |   | Labor | Queensland | 9 July 1913 | 30 June 1926
| National Labor
| Nationalist
5 |  | Sir John Newlands |   | Nationalist | South Australia | 1 July 1926 | 13 August 1929
6 |  | Walter Kingsmill |   | Nationalist | Western Australia | 14 August 1929 | 30 August 1932
| United Australia
7 |  | Patrick Lynch |   | United Australia | Western Australia | 31 August 1932 | 30 June 1938
8 |  | John Hayes |   | United Australia | Tasmania | 1 July 1938 | 30 June 1941
9 |  | James Cunningham |   | Labor | Western Australia | 1 July 1941 | 4 July 1943
10 |  | Gordon Brown |   | Labor | Queensland | 23 September 1943 | 19 March 1951
11 |  | Ted Mattner |   | Liberal | South Australia | 12 June 1951 | 7 September 1953
12 |  | (Sir) Alister McMullin |   | Liberal | New South Wales | 8 September 1953 | 30 June 1971
13 |  | Sir Magnus Cormack |   | Liberal | Victoria | 17 August 1971 | 11 April 1974
14 |  | Justin O'Byrne |   | Labor | Tasmania | 9 July 1974 | 11 November 1975
15 |  | (Sir) Condor Laucke |   | Liberal | South Australia | 17 February 1976 | 30 June 1981
16 |  | (Sir) Harold Young |   | Liberal | South Australia | 18 August 1981 | 4 February 1983
17 |  | Doug McClelland |   | Labor | New South Wales | 21 April 1983 | 23 January 1987
18 |  | Kerry Sibraa |   | Labor | New South Wales | 17 February 1987 | 31 January 1994
19 |  | Michael Beahan |   | Labor | Western Australia | 1 February 1994 | 30 June 1996
20 |  | Margaret Reid |   | Liberal | ACT | 20 August 1996 | 18 August 2002
21 |  | Paul Calvert |   | Liberal | Tasmania | 19 August 2002 | 14 August 2007
22 |  | Alan Ferguson |   | Liberal | South Australia | 14 August 2007 | 25 August 2008
23 |  | John Hogg |   | Labor | Queensland | 26 August 2008 | 30 June 2014
24 |  | Stephen Parry |   | Liberal | Tasmania | 7 July 2014 | 2 November 2017
25 |  | Scott Ryan |   | Liberal | Victoria | 13 November 2017 | 13 October 2021
26 |  | Slade Brockman |   | Liberal | Western Australia | 18 October 2021 | 26 July 2022
27 |  | Sue Lines |   | Labor | Western Australia | 26 July 2022 | Incumbent

## Deputy President

[edit]

Andrew McLachlan (Lib), deputy president of the Senate since July 2022

As well as a president, the Senate also elects a deputy president, whose formal title is Deputy President and Chairman of Committees. Until 1981, the title was just Chairman of Committees; it was changed "to reflect more accurately the nature of the office in practice". The position is not provided for by the constitution, but instead by the Senate's standing orders – it was borrowed more or less directly from the colonial legislative councils.[6] The deputy president's main tasks are to preside over committees of the whole and to serve as presiding officer when the president of the Senate is absent.[7][8]

### List

[edit]

There have been 36 deputy presidents of the Senate, two of whom served multiple non-consecutive terms.[9]

#  | Name  | Party  | State  | Term start  | Term end

|
|
|
|
|

1 | Robert Best |   | Protectionist | Victoria | 9 May 1901 | 31 December 1903
2 | William Higgs |   | Labor | Queensland | 16 March 1904 | 31 December 1906
3 | George Pearce |   | Labor | Western Australia | 21 February 1907 | 13 November 1908
4 | Henry Dobson |   | Anti-Socialist | Tasmania | 25 November 1908 | 30 June 1910
| Liberal
5 | David O'Keefe |   | Labor | Tasmania | 1 July 1910 | 30 July 1914
6 | George Henderson |   | Labor | Western Australia | 9 October 1914 | 30 June 1917
| National Labor
| Nationalist
7 | John Shannon |   | Nationalist | South Australia | 12 July 1917 | 30 June 1920
8 | Thomas Bakhap |   | Nationalist | Tasmania | 21 July 1920 | 30 June 1923
9 | John Newlands |   | Nationalist | South Australia | 5 July 1923 | 30 June 1926
10 | William Plain |   | Nationalist | Victoria | 1 July 1926 | 30 June 1932
| United Australia
11 | Herbert Hays |   | United Australia | Tasmania | 1 September 1932 | 23 September 1935
12 | Burford Sampson |   | United Australia | Tasmania | 24 September 1935 | 30 June 1938
13 | James McLachlan |   | United Australia | South Australia | 1 July 1938 | 30 June 1941
14 | Gordon Brown |   | Labor | Queensland | 1 July 1941 | 22 September 1943
15 | Ben Courtice |   | Labor | Queensland | 23 September 1943 | 1 November 1946
16 | Theo Nicholls |   | Labor | South Australia | 6 November 1946 | 19 March 1951
17 | George Rankin |   | Country | Victoria | 12 June 1951 | 30 June 1953
18 | Albert Reid |   | Country | New South Wales | 8 September 1953 | 22 May 1962†
19 | Gerald McKellar |   | Country | New South Wales | 7 August 1962 | 21 December 1964
20 | Tom Drake-Brockman |   | Country | Western Australia | 16 March 1965 | 11 November 1969
21 | Tom Bull |   | Country | New South Wales | 25 November 1969 | 30 June 1971
22 | Edgar Prowse |   | Country | Western Australia | 17 August 1971 | 31 December 1973
23 | James Webster |   | Country /
National Country | Victoria | 5 March 1974 | 21 December 1975

| Tom Drake-Brockman |   | National Country | Western Australia | 17 February 1976 | 30 June 1978
24 | Douglas Scott |   | National Country | New South Wales | 15 August 1978 | 10 December 1979
25 | Ron Maunsell |   | National Country | Queensland | 19 February 1980 | 30 June 1981
26 | Doug McClelland |   | Labor | New South Wales | 20 August 1981 | 4 February 1983
27 | David Hamer |   | Liberal | Victoria | 21 April 1983 | 30 June 1990
28 | Mal Colston |   | Labor | Queensland | 21 August 1990 | 16 August 1993
29 | Noel Crichton-Browne |   | Liberal | Western Australia | 17 August 1993 | 9 May 1995
30 | Margaret Reid |   | Liberal | ACT | 9 May 1995 | 20 August 1996

| Mal Colston |   | Independent | Queensland | 20 August 1996 | 6 May 1997
31 | Sue West |   | Labor | New South Wales | 6 May 1997 | 30 June 2002
32 | John Hogg |   | Labor | Queensland | 19 August 2002 | 25 August 2008
33 | Alan Ferguson |   | Liberal | South Australia | 26 August 2008 | 30 June 2011
34 | Stephen Parry |   | Liberal | Tasmania | 4 July 2011 | 6 July 2014
35 | Gavin Marshall |   | Labor | Victoria | 7 July 2014 | 9 May 2016
36 | Sue Lines |   | Labor | Western Australia | 30 September 2016 | 26 July 2022
37 | Andrew McLachlan |   | Liberal | South Australia | 26 July 2022 |

## See also

[edit]

* Clerk of the Australian Senate

## References

[edit]

1. ^ corporateName=Commonwealth Parliament; address=Parliament House, Canberra. "The role of the President of the Senate". www.aph.gov.au. Retrieved 6 September 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
2. ^ Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act - Sect 17
3. ^ Senate Debates, 9 August 2005; 14 August 2007. In 2019 the Australian Greens again put forward another rival candidate
4. ^ a b Senate Briefs: No. 6 - The President of the Senate, Parliament of Australia.
5. ^ Senators' entitlements including remuneration, Parliament of Australia.
6. ^ ANNOTATED STANDING ORDERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN SENATE Chapter 3 - Deputy President and Chairman of Committees: 9 Term of Office, Parliament of Australia.
7. ^ ANNOTATED STANDING ORDERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN SENATE Chapter 3 - Deputy President and Chairman of Committees: 11 Duty of Chairman, Parliament of Australia.
8. ^ ANNOTATED STANDING ORDERS OF THE AUSTRALIAN SENATE Chapter 3 - Deputy President and Chairman of Committees: 13 Absence of President, Parliament of Australia.
9. ^ "Appendix 3―Deputy Presidents and Chairmen of Committees (1901–2009)". Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 10 September 2017.

## External links

[edit]

* The President of the Senate, Senate Brief No 6, March 2017

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Presiding officers of Australian legislatures

Federal, States and territories

Australia|
New South Wales|
Queensland|
South Australia|
Tasmania|
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Western Australia|
Australian Capital Territory|
Northern Territory

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

| Speaker| President

|

House of Rep.

Senate

Milton Dick (ALP)| Sue Lines (ALP)

| Speaker| President

|

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Greg Piper (Ind)| Ben Franklin (Nat)

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Pat Weir
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| Speaker| President

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Assembly

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Leon Bignell (Ind-ALP)| Terry Stephens (Lib)

| Speaker| President

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Assembly

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Michelle O'Byrne (ALP)| Craig Farrell (ALP)

| Speaker| President

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Assembly

Council

Maree Edwards (ALP)| Shaun Leane (ALP)

| Speaker| President

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Assembly

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Stephen Price (ALP)| Alanna Clohesy (ALP)

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Mark Parton
(LIB)

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Robyn Lambley (IND)

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Presidents of the Australian Senate

* Baker
* Gould
* Turley
* Givens
* Newlands
* Kingsmill
* Lynch
* Hayes
* Cunningham
* Brown
* Mattner
* McMullin
* Cormack
* O'Byrne
* Laucke
* Young
* McClelland
* Sibraa
* Beahan
* Reid
* Calvert
* Ferguson
* Hogg
* Parry
* Ryan
* Brockman
* Lines

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