Tasmanian Parliament

Parliament consists of three parts: the Crown, the Legislative Council and the House of Assembly. These three acting together make State laws for Tasmania. It is the task of Parliament to provide a forum for the people's elected representatives to debate the important issues of the day and make laws accordingly. Tasmania is the second oldest Australian settlement, having been established at Risdon Cove on the River Derwent by Lieutenant John Bowen in September 1803. Shortly after Hobart's settlement, Colonel William Patterson established a settlement on the Tamar River in the north of the island at the site which subsequently became Launceston. Until 1812 the colony was divided into two counties and administered separately from Sydney. In that year Colonel Thomas Davey was appointed the first Lieutenant Governor of the whole colony. Van Diemen's Land, as it was then known, became a colony under its own administration on 3 December 1825. The colony was administered by the Lieutenant Governor, Colonel (later Sir) George Arthur, and a Legislative Council of six members. In 1856 the name of the colony was changed to Tasmania. In the same year responsible government was established and the bicameral Parliament met for the first time. The basic constitutional structure has remained the same since that time. The first elections for the House of Assembly were held in September and October 1856. The first ministry, with Mr W. T. N. Champ as Premier, was sworn in on 1 November and the first Parliament opened on 2 December 1856. The House met in what is now the Members Lounge and continued to do so until 1940 when it moved into its present chamber. Since 1856 there have been a number of constitutional and electoral changes, including voting qualifications, number of Members and the electoral system.