Parliament

Tasmania, the second oldest settlement in Australia, was founded at Risdon Cove on the River Derwent by Lieutenant John Bowen in September 1803. Shortly after, Colonel William Paterson established a settlement on the Tamar River in the island’s north. Until 1812, the colony was divided into two counties and managed separately from Sydney.

In 1812, Colonel Thomas Davey was appointed as the first Lieutenant-Governor of the entire colony. On December 3, 1825, Van Diemen’s Land, as it was then known, became a self-administered colony. It was governed by the Lieutenant-Governor and a six-member Legislative Council.

The colony’s name was changed to Tasmania in 1856, the same year responsible government was introduced, and the bicameral Parliament held its first meeting. Since then, the Tasmanian Parliament has consisted of two chambers: the Legislative Council (upper house) and the House of Assembly (lower house). The House of Assembly, which forms the government based on the majority party, is the primary legislative body, while the Legislative Council serves as a review chamber, offering additional scrutiny and checks on the decisions and legislation of the government-dominated House of Assembly.

If you’d like to have a look at the differences between the electorates, the Tasmanian Electoral Commission is the best place to start. The TEC can tell you who represents you in either Federal, State or Local government and the info can be found here.

Visiting Parliament

Visiting Parliament is something that every Tasmanian should do at least once. I’m happy to meet up with people as they tour our historic workplace whenever possible.

A number of COVID-19 restrictions are still in place. However, please see the Parliament of Tasmania website (linked) for more information or contact my office, if you are interested in visiting Tasmania’s Parliament.