What the House of Representatives does

The short answer

the House of Representatives does

The House represents electoral divisions, considers legislation, scrutinises government and determines who can command confidence to form government. It is more than the chamber shown during Question Time.

This is a federal system guide. State constitutions, parliaments and local-government laws can allocate comparable functions differently.

The useful question is not only “what is the rule?” but also “who administers it, which document controls it, and when might it change?” That distinction prevents an accurate general explanation from becoming wrong advice in a particular election, chamber or policy setting.

Evidence review

Representation: one member, one electorate

The House of Representatives is composed of members each elected to represent a single electoral division. At a federal election every enrolled voter in each division elects one member. The total number of members is roughly twice the number of senators, currently 150 members across all states and territories. Each member's primary duty is to represent the people of their division regardless of how those people voted. This includes raising local concerns in Parliament, assisting constituents with federal government agencies, and participating in parliamentary debates and committee work. Members are not delegates bound to vote exactly as their electorate instructs. They exercise judgement within the framework of their party, their conscience and the national interest. The representative function is not limited to formal parliamentary sitting days. Members spend substantial time in their electorates meeting constituents, attending community events and operating electorate offices that provide direct assistance to residents.

The Speaker of the House presides over sittings, maintains order and upholds the standing orders. The Speaker is elected by members of the House at the start of each Parliament and does not participate in debates except in a casting-vote situation. By convention the Speaker acts impartially, though they are typically a member of the governing party. The Speaker's role in maintaining order includes the power to name a member for disorderly conduct and to suspend a member from the chamber. The Speaker also has administrative responsibilities for the Department of the House of Representatives and represents the House in dealings with the Governor-General and the Senate.

Evidence review

Making laws: from bill to Act

The House of Representatives is the primary legislative chamber for most bills. While the Senate can also initiate legislation, bills that authorise government spending or taxation, known as appropriation and money bills, must originate in the House. A bill introduced in the House goes through three readings. The first reading is a formality that introduces the bill. The second reading is the main debate on the bill's principles, after which the House votes on whether to agree to the bill in principle. If agreed, the bill proceeds to a detailed consideration stage where members can propose amendments. The third reading is the final vote on the bill as amended. After passing the House the bill is transmitted to the Senate, which can pass it, reject it, or pass it with amendments. If the Senate amends the bill it returns to the House for consideration of those amendments. A bill becomes an Act only after both Houses pass it in identical form and the Governor-General gives royal assent.

Evidence review

Forming and holding government to account

The most consequential power of the House of Representatives is determining who forms government. By constitutional convention the Prime Minister is the member who commands the confidence of the House, demonstrated by the ability to survive a vote on a confidence motion or a major money bill. The government must maintain the confidence of the House to remain in office. Question Time, held on most sitting days, is the most visible accountability mechanism. During Question Time any member may ask a minister a question without notice, and ministers are expected to answer. Beyond Question Time the House scrutinises the executive through committee inquiries, debates on legislation, and the requirement that ministers table documents and reports. Committees of the House can summon witnesses, compel the production of documents and conduct inquiries that examine government decisions, expenditure and policy implementation in detail.

A government that loses the confidence of the House is expected to resign or advise the Governor-General to dissolve the House and call an election. This has rarely occurred in Australian history but it is the central constitutional mechanism that keeps the executive answerable to the legislature. Confidence can be tested explicitly through a confidence motion moved by the opposition or implicitly through the defeat of a major government bill, particularly a money bill. The failure of a money bill is treated as a loss of confidence by convention because a government that cannot secure supply cannot govern. The last occasion a government lost a confidence vote in the House was in 1941, but the possibility is always present and shapes government strategy in every Parliament.

Evidence review

Controlling the public purse

The House of Representatives holds exclusive constitutional power over government spending and taxation. Section 53 of the Australian Constitution provides that proposed laws appropriating revenue or imposing taxation shall not originate in the Senate, and the Senate may not amend such bills in a way that increases any proposed charge or burden on the people. This gives the House the primary role in authorising government expenditure. The annual budget is introduced as a series of appropriation bills in the House, and the House's agreement is required before the government can spend public money. The House's control over supply, meaning the provision of money to the government, is the ultimate parliamentary check on the executive. A government that cannot secure supply through the House can neither govern nor spend, and by convention must either resign or advise the Governor-General to call an election.

Evidence review

Committees and the work beyond the chamber

A large portion of the House's work occurs in committees rather than in the chamber itself. House standing committees cover subject areas such as economics, health, education and infrastructure. Each committee conducts inquiries into specific topics, holds public hearings, receives written submissions and produces reports with recommendations. Committee membership reflects the composition of the House, and committees often operate with a degree of cross-party cooperation that is less visible in chamber debates. The House also participates in joint committees with the Senate on topics including intelligence and security, human rights, public accounts and audit. Committee reports frequently influence legislation, government policy and public understanding, even when the committee's recommendations are not adopted in full.

Common questions

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