Queensland Legislative Council
Encyclopedia
The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house
of the parliament
in the Australia
n state of Queensland
. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.
Consequently, the Queensland Legislative Assembly
is the only unicameral state Parliament in Australia. Australia's two territories, the Northern Territory
and the Australian Capital Territory
, maintain unicameral parliaments.
Most of the early members of the Council came from wealthy families, were well educated and were born in England. Absenteeism
was a problem in the early years, with some members returning to England, being absent for several years.
as undemocratic and a tool of patronage
, and upon the establishment of a secure Labor majority in the Assembly in 1915, Labor sought the house's abolishment. Unsurprisingly, bills for its abolition were rejected by the Council itself in 1915 and 1916, and a referendum failed on 5 May 1917 on a vote of 179,105 to 116,196. In 1920, the Government under Premier Ted Theodore
changed tack, persuading the Governor of Queensland to appoint additional members of the Council, thus securing a majority in that Chamber.
The abolition bill was eventually passed by the Assembly on a 51-15 vote on 24 October 1921; the members who voted for the abolition were known as the "suicide squad". The bill was then introduced to the Council by the leader of the Government in the Council, Alfred James Jones
, who remarked, "Until we had a majority here, [the Council] was obstructive, and now that we have a majority here it is useless." However, Opposition councillor Patrick Leahy protested that the abolition of the chamber would result in the Assembly being "able to do what it thinks fit" and becoming unaccountable. The Council rose for the last time at 8:37 p.m. on 27 October 1921, after voting itself out of existence.
The non-Labor parties petitioned the British Government, but Colonial Secretary
, Winston Churchill
, concluded that the matter was "essentially one for determination locally", and the Governor felt "unable to say that there is evidence of any strong or widespread feeling in the country against this assent being given." Royal Assent was given on 3 March 1922, and the Act was proclaimed in the Government Gazette 20 days later.
Labor's view was summed up in 1980 by Labor politician and historian Dr Denis Murphy
, who claimed the "dominance of wealth and property over the Queensland parliament" was broken. However, some scholars and political commentators have argued that the excesses of the Bjelke-Petersen
years (1968–1987) in Queensland were only possible because of the absence of a house of review, and that the problem was not the Council itself but its existence as a nominated rather than elected body (Legislative Councils in all other states were fully elective by 1900, except in New South Wales
where some nominative features lasted until the 1970s.)
Upper house
An upper house, often called a senate, is one of two chambers of a bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the lower house; a legislature composed of only one house is described as unicameral.- Possible specific characteristics :...
of the parliament
Parliament of Queensland
The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...
in the Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n state of Queensland
Queensland
Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...
. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.
Consequently, the Queensland Legislative Assembly
Queensland Legislative Assembly
The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...
is the only unicameral state Parliament in Australia. Australia's two territories, the Northern Territory
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory is a federal territory of Australia, occupying much of the centre of the mainland continent, as well as the central northern regions...
and the Australian Capital Territory
Australian Capital Territory
The Australian Capital Territory, often abbreviated ACT, is the capital territory of the Commonwealth of Australia and is the smallest self-governing internal territory...
, maintain unicameral parliaments.
Most of the early members of the Council came from wealthy families, were well educated and were born in England. Absenteeism
Absenteeism
Absenteeism is a habitual pattern of absence from a duty or obligation. Traditionally, absenteeism has been viewed as an indicator of poor individual performance, as well as a breach of an implicit contract between employee and employer; it was seen as a management problem, and framed in economic...
was a problem in the early years, with some members returning to England, being absent for several years.
Abolition
The Legislative Council was seen by the Australian Labor PartyAustralian Labor Party
The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia...
as undemocratic and a tool of patronage
Patronage
Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows to another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings or popes have provided to musicians, painters, and sculptors...
, and upon the establishment of a secure Labor majority in the Assembly in 1915, Labor sought the house's abolishment. Unsurprisingly, bills for its abolition were rejected by the Council itself in 1915 and 1916, and a referendum failed on 5 May 1917 on a vote of 179,105 to 116,196. In 1920, the Government under Premier Ted Theodore
Ted Theodore
Edward Granville Theodore was an Australian politician. He was Premier of Queensland 1919–25, a federal politician representing a New South Wales seat 1927–31, and Federal Treasurer 1929–30.-Early life:...
changed tack, persuading the Governor of Queensland to appoint additional members of the Council, thus securing a majority in that Chamber.
The abolition bill was eventually passed by the Assembly on a 51-15 vote on 24 October 1921; the members who voted for the abolition were known as the "suicide squad". The bill was then introduced to the Council by the leader of the Government in the Council, Alfred James Jones
Alfred James Jones
He was born at Gayndah, Queensland in 1871, and after a basic education became a stockman and miner. He spent a short time teaching, was a Cobb & Co driver and spent six years mining. He married Martha Elizabeth Leggett in Gayndah in 1895....
, who remarked, "Until we had a majority here, [the Council] was obstructive, and now that we have a majority here it is useless." However, Opposition councillor Patrick Leahy protested that the abolition of the chamber would result in the Assembly being "able to do what it thinks fit" and becoming unaccountable. The Council rose for the last time at 8:37 p.m. on 27 October 1921, after voting itself out of existence.
The non-Labor parties petitioned the British Government, but Colonial Secretary
Secretary of State for the Colonies
The Secretary of State for the Colonies or Colonial Secretary was the British Cabinet minister in charge of managing the United Kingdom's various colonial dependencies....
, Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, concluded that the matter was "essentially one for determination locally", and the Governor felt "unable to say that there is evidence of any strong or widespread feeling in the country against this assent being given." Royal Assent was given on 3 March 1922, and the Act was proclaimed in the Government Gazette 20 days later.
Labor's view was summed up in 1980 by Labor politician and historian Dr Denis Murphy
Denis Murphy (Australian politician)
Dr. Denis Murphy , was an Australian Labor Party politician, historian and biographer.Murphy taught as an academic at the University of Queensland, writing extensively on the history of Labor in that state...
, who claimed the "dominance of wealth and property over the Queensland parliament" was broken. However, some scholars and political commentators have argued that the excesses of the Bjelke-Petersen
Joh Bjelke-Petersen
Sir Johannes "Joh" Bjelke-Petersen, KCMG , was an Australian politician. He was the longest-serving and longest-lived Premier of Queensland, holding office from 1968 to 1987, a period that saw considerable economic development in the state...
years (1968–1987) in Queensland were only possible because of the absence of a house of review, and that the problem was not the Council itself but its existence as a nominated rather than elected body (Legislative Councils in all other states were fully elective by 1900, except in New South Wales
New South Wales Legislative Council
The New South Wales Legislative Council, or upper house, is one of the two chambers of the parliament of New South Wales in Australia. The other is the Legislative Assembly. Both sit at Parliament House in the state capital, Sydney. The Assembly is referred to as the lower house and the Council as...
where some nominative features lasted until the 1970s.)
Presidents of the Legislative Council
| Member | Party | Term in Office |
| Hon Sir Charles Nicholson Charles Nicholson Sir Charles Nicholson, 1st Baronet was a British-Australian politician, university founder, explorer, pastoralist, antiquarian and philanthropist... |
None | 22 May 1860 – 26 August 1860 |
| Hon Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell Maurice Charles O'Connell (Australian politician) Maurice Charles O'Connell , was a Queensland pioneer and president of the legislative council.O'Connell was born at Sydney in 1812. His father was Sir Maurice Charles O'Connell, his mother was a daughter of Governor Bligh. He was educated at the high school, Edinburgh, and entered the army as an... |
None | 27 August 1860 - 23 March 1879 |
| Hon Sir Joshua Peter Bell Joshua Peter Bell Sir Joshua Peter Bell K.C.M.G. was a pastoralist and parliamentarian from Queensland, Australia. His eldest son was barrister and parliamentarian Joshua Thomas Bell.-Early life:... |
None | 3 April 1879 - 20 December 1881 |
| Hon Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer Arthur Hunter Palmer Sir Arthur Hunter Palmer KCMG was an Irish-Australian politician and a Premier of Queensland.Palmer was born in Armagh, Ireland, the son of Lieutenant Arthur Palmer, R.N., and his wife, Emily née Hunter. Palmer was educated at Youghal Grammar School and a private tutor in Dublin... |
None | 24 December 1881 - 20 March 1898 |
| Rt Hon Sir Hugh Muir Nelson | Ministerialist Continuous Ministry The Continuous Ministry or Continuous Cabinet was an informal designation used to describe two nineteenth century colonial governments: in Queensland, Australia from 1890 to 1899; and in New Zealand from 1876 to 1890 except for 1877-79 & 1884-87.... |
13 April 1898 - 1 January 1906 |
| Hon Sir Arthur Morgan Arthur Morgan (Queensland politician) Sir Arthur Morgan was the Premier of Queensland, Australia from 1903 to 1906.Morgan was born in Warwick, Queensland, the fourth son of James Morgan and his wife Kate, née Barton... |
Ministerialist | 19 January 1906 - 19 December 1916 |
| Hon William Hamilton | Labor Australian Labor Party The Australian Labor Party is an Australian political party. It has been the governing party of the Commonwealth of Australia since the 2007 federal election. Julia Gillard is the party's federal parliamentary leader and Prime Minister of Australia... |
15 February 1917 - 17 August 1920 |
| Hon William Lennon | Labor | 18 August 1920 - 23 March 1922 |
External links
- Constitution Act Amendment Act of 1921
- Abolition of the Legislative Council (Queensland Parliament