Editing Australian Senate (section)

==Origins and role==
[[File:Australian Senate 1923.jpg|thumb|The Australian Senate in 1923]]
The [[Constitution of Australia]] established the Senate as the second chamber of the national parliament of the newly [[Federation of Australia|federated Australia]]. In contrast to countries employing a pure [[Westminster system]] the Senate plays an active role in legislation and is not merely a chamber of review. Instead of being modelled solely after the [[House of Lords]], as the [[Senate of Canada]] was, the Australian Senate was in part modelled after the [[United States Senate]], by giving equal representation to each state and almost equal powers with the lower house.<ref name="Part V">{{Cite web|url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/~/link.aspx?_id=AFF6CA564BC3465AA325E73053DED4AA&_z=z#chapter-01_part-05_53|title=Part V – Powers of the Parliament|language=en-AU|access-date=13 May 2017|archive-date=5 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170505192600/http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/~/link.aspx?_id=AFF6CA564BC3465AA325E73053DED4AA&_z=z#chapter-01_part-05_53|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book| last = Viglianti-Northway| first = Karena| title = The Intentions of the Framers of the Australian Constitution Regarding Responsible Government and Accountability of the Commonerslth Executive to the Australian Senate| publisher = University of Technology Sydney| year = 2020| url = https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/140943/2/02whole.pdf| access-date = 5 September 2020| archive-date = 3 March 2021| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210303184433/https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/140943/2/02whole.pdf| url-status = live}}</ref> This was done to give less populous states a real influence in the Parliament, while also maintaining the traditional review functions upper houses have in the Westminster system. This has led to the description of a "[[Westminster system#"Washminster system"|Washminster system]]" to describe the Australian political structure.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How have the British and US systems of government influenced the Australian government system? |url=https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice/ |access-date=2023-12-05 |website=Parliamentary Education Office |language=en |archive-date=12 March 2023 |archive-url=https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20230312065832/https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/your-questions-on-notice/questions/what-are-reserve-powers/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Elaine |date=1980 |title=The "Washminster" Mutation |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00323268008401755 |journal=Australian Journal of Political Science |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=32–40 |doi=10.1080/00323268008401755 |url-access=subscription |via=Taylor & Francis Online |doi-access= |access-date=17 December 2023 |archive-date=18 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218151705/https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00323268008401755 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Thompson |first=Elaine |date=2001 |title=The Constitution and the Australian System of Limited Government, Responsible Government and Representative Democracy: Revisiting the Washminster Mutation |url=https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/UNSWLJ/2001/53.html |journal=University of New South Wales Law Journal |volume=24 |issue=3 |via=[[Austlii]] |access-date=17 December 2023 |archive-date=18 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231218151901/https://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/viewdoc/au/journals/UNSWLJ/2001/53.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although the [[Prime Minister of Australia|prime minister]] and [[Treasurer of Australia|treasurer]], by convention (though not legal requirement), are members of the House of Representatives (after [[John Gorton]] was appointed prime minister in 1968, he resigned from the Senate and was elected to the House), other ministers may come from either house,<ref name="senatebrief14">{{cite web |url=http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Senate_Briefs/Brief14 |title=No. 14 – Ministers in the Senate |date=December 2016 |website=Senate Briefs |publisher=Parliament of Australia |access-date=31 December 2016 |archive-date=31 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161231170531/http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Senate/Powers_practice_n_procedures/Senate_Briefs/Brief14 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the two Houses have almost equal legislative power.<ref name="Part V"/> As with most upper chambers in [[bicameralism|bicameral parliament]]s, the Senate cannot introduce or amend [[appropriation bill]]s (bills that authorise government expenditure of public revenue) or bills that impose taxation, that role being reserved for the lower house; it can only approve, reject or defer them (as famously occurred in the lead up to [[1975 Australian constitutional crisis|the Dismissal]]). That degree of equality between the Senate and House of Representatives reflects the desire of the Constitution's authors to prevent the more populous states totally dominating the legislative process.

In practice, however, most legislation (except for [[private member's bill]]s) in the Australian Parliament is initiated by the government, which has control over the lower house. It is then passed to the Senate, which has the opportunity to amend the bill, pass or reject it. In the majority of cases, voting takes place along [[Party line (politics)|party lines]], although there are occasional [[conscience vote]]s.

The Senate maintains [[Australian senate committees|a number of committees]], which engage in a wide variety of inquiries. The results have no direct legislative power, but are valuable forums that raise many points of view that would otherwise not receive government or public notice.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Information on Senate Committees |url=https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Getting_involved |access-date=2024-03-02 |website=Parliament of Australia |language=en-AU |archive-date=2 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302224501/https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Committees/Senate/Getting_involved |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[File:Senate, Old Parliament House, Canberra.JPG|thumb|The Senate chamber at [[Old Parliament House, Canberra]], where the Parliament met between 1927 and 1988.]]