The Queensland Parliament is a unicameral parliament, consisting of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (the Lower House). The Legislative Assembly is comprised of 89 Members who are directly elected and each represent a Queensland state electoral district. The Queensland Constitution declares that the maximum term of a parliament is three years.
The Queensland Parliament first met on 22 May 1860 in a converted former military and convict barracks building which was located in Brisbane’s Queen Street. The Government soon decided to erect a new and more dignified building to house the Parliament and in 1863, a site for the new parliament was chosen in George Street, near the then Government House. A competition for the design of a dedicated parliamentary building was held and colonial architect, Charles Tiffin was awarded the commission with his unusual imitation of a French Renaissance style building.
The foundation stone was laid on 14 July 1865 by Governor George Bowen and the Parliament met for the first time in the new Parliament House on 4 August 1868.
The Parliament was originally comprised of both an Upper and Lower House. However, Queensland’s Upper House, the Legislative Council, was abolished on 23 March 1922. The Queensland Parliament remains the only state parliament in Australia without an Upper House.
Parliament House is located at the corner of George and Alice Streets in the Brisbane central business district and is surrounded by the City Botanic Gardens, the Queensland University of Technology Gardens Point campus and the Brisbane River.
The Queensland Parliament is a unicameral parliament, consisting of the Legislative Assembly of Queensland (the Lower House). The Legislative Assembly is comprised of 89 Members who are directly elected and each represent a Queensland state electoral district. The Queensland Constitution declares that the maximum term of a parliament is three years.
The Mace is the symbol of the Parliament’s authority via the Speaker, which has been derived from the Crown.