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Name: Queensland Past and Present: 100 Years of Statistics,
1896–1996
Section name: Chapter 4, Politics and Government, Section 2
Pages: 102–110
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 The State of Queensland 2009
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
PARLIAMENTARY GOVERNMENT
The electoral system
Under the 1856 New South Wales rules, subsequently consolidated in the Elections Act 1867,
the franchise was restricted to males over the age of 21 years, who were natural-born or
naturalised British subjects, who had resided in the colony for three years and in the electoral
district for six months, and who owned real property of £100 value or leased real property
paying £10 annually or held a pastoral lease, or had an annual salary of £100 or paid board and
lodging at £40 a year or lodging at £10 a year.5 Plural voting was permitted if an elector met the
property qualification in several districts, and the spread of a general election over several
days made it more practicable to travel to several districts, even if few did. In 1872 manhood
suffrage was attained, though plural voting using the old property qualifications remained,
and issue of 'a voter's right', documentary proof of enrolment, was introduced only to be
abolished in 1874 as a nuisance and an obstacle to voting.
Extension of the franchise was relatively slow in Queensland because of obstruction by the
nominated Legislative Council and lack of support in the property-influenced Assembly. Only
after a much broader Commonwealth franchise had been introduced in 1902 did the Elections
Acts Amendment Act 1905 enfranchise all British-born or naturalised subjects with 12 months'
residence in the State, male or female, but it still retained the alternative of voting in a different
district if the elector held property there (£100 freehold or £20 annual leasehold), a right which
survived until 1915.
The Elections Act 1885 also disqualified 'aboriginal natives of Australia, India, China and the
South Sea Islands' from voting except on a freehold qualification, altered to 'of Australia,
Asia, Africa, or the Islands of the Pacific' by the Elections Acts Amendment Act 1905. The
Elections Acts Amendment Act 1930 restored the franchise to natives of British India and
naturalised Syrians but disfranchised Torres Strait Islander persons and Aboriginal persons of
mixed race subject to the control of the Protector of Aborigines. Eventually, the Elections Acts
Amendment Act 1959 enfranchised Africans and Asians. The Elections Acts Amendment Act
1965 allowed voluntary enrolment of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander persons and the
Elections Act Amendment Act 1971 made their enrolment compulsory. The Elections Act and
The Criminal Code Amendment Act 1973 reduced the minimum age for electors to 18 years.
The Elections Acts Amendment Act 1914 made both enrolment and voting compulsory;
enrolment had been compulsory for the separate Commonwealth roll since 1911 and voting
became compulsory for federal elections in 1924. At the three elections prior to the introduction
of compulsory voting, turnout had averaged 75.7%. At the three subsequent elections turnout
rose only slightly, to 82.8%, and the next three to 86.7%, after which it always remained above
90% except for the wartime election of 1944.
Originally, the boundaries of electoral districts were drawn by the government of the day and
embodied in successive Electoral Districts Acts (1858, 1864,1872,1878 and 1887). The 1910
Act transferred the responsibility to three electoral commissioners appointed for the purpose
of working under criteria laid down in the legislation and subsequently amended from time to
time. Initially, in 1858, only the south-eastern part of the colony, inside a line from just south of
Mackay to west of Roma, was divided into electoral districts. The 1864 Act extended that area
to a line north of Winton and Cardwell, and the 1872 Act included the rest of the colony.6 Up
102
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Table 4.3 Electoral zones and districts, Queensland, 1949-1985
Vote
value
24
28
13
10
Quota of
voters (a)
— number —
10,795
9,373
7,696
4,613
Metropolitan
Provincial cities (b)
Country
28
12
38
11,383
12,524
8,467
.10
.00
.48
South-eastern
Provincial cities (b)
Country
Western and far northern
47
13
15
7
13,212
13,171
10,054
7,927
.00
.00
.31
.67
Electoral Districts Act 1971-77 South-eastern
Provincial cities (b)
Country
Western and far northern
47
13
15
7
15,454
14,656
10,929
8,176
.00
.05
.41
.89
South-eastern
Provincial cities (b)
Country
Western and far northern
51
13
17
8
19,357
18,149
13,131
9,386
1.00
1.07
1.47
2.06
Legislation
Zone
Electoral Districts Act 1949
Brisbane metropolitan
South-eastern
Northern
Western
Electoral Districts Act 1958
Electoral Districts Act 1971
Electoral Districts Act J985
Districts
1.00
.15
.40
2.34
(a) A tolerance of up to 20% plus or minus applied. However, in the case of the western and far northern zone, the Acts of 1971,
1971-1977 and 1985 provided that special treatment could be given to any electoral district in this zone and the quota might be
departed from by more than 20%.
(b) The provincial cities quotas have been calculated by averaging the quotas specified for each provincial city allocated to the
zone.
Source: Electoral Administrative Review Commission, Report on Queensland Legislative Assembly Electoral System, vol. 1,
1990, p. 127.
to 1910 most urban electoral districts returned two members, but from the 1910 Act onwards
only single-member districts existed.
The Electoral Districts Acts and the redistributions drawn by commissioners after 1910 had
usually given some weightage to rural areas generally and pastoral and remote mining areas in
particular. The 1949 Act regularised the process by dividing the State into four zones with
varying quotas for the districts in each (table 4.3). The 1958 Act reduced the number of zones
to three, before the 1971 Act went back to four.7 The Electoral Act 1992 abolished zones, but
made provision for weightage for the largest electoral districts exceeding 100,000 km2 in area.
The Australian colonies followed the British method of voting, 'first past the post' or plurality.
The Elections Act 1892 introduced optional preferential voting known locally as 'contingent'
voting. It had very limited impact on election outcomes and was abandoned in 1942. The
Elections Act Amendment Act 1962 restored preferential voting but on a compulsory basis.
Requirement of a complete set of preferences was removed by the Electoral Act 1992 after
which optional preferential voting—where an elector may record second and subsequent
preferences if they wish but it is not obligatory to do so—has been used.
Parliament
Queensland alone among the six States has a single-chamber (unicameral) legislature as the
consequence of abolishing its upper house, the Legislative Council. In four of the colonies the
103
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
Returning Officer W. H. Ryder and his staff counting referendum votes,
Treasury Building, Brisbane, 1899.
upper house converted to popular election, originally on a much narrower franchise than was
used for the Assembly, and these were better protected against attack by reformers and, later,
abolitionists. Salaries were introduced for Members of the Assembly in 1889, but Members of
the Council remained unpaid. The Labor Party made abolition of the Council its policy in
1893 and the Ryan Labor Government elected in 1915 had promised action.
A referendum on the question was held on 5 May 1917, the same day as a federal election, and
failed 179,105 to 116,196. The Ryan Government then sought the appointment of an additional
13 members, ostensibly to ensure a quorum could be maintained for the conduct of business in
the Council. Despite Labor's success at the 1918 State election Council obstruction continued,
but the Governor refused to make additional appointments. When the Governor retired, the
Speaker and former Labor Minister, William Lennon, was made Lieutenant-Governor to act
and on 19 February 1920 he appointed another 14 members chosen by the Government. This
gave the Government a 35-29 majority.
At the 1920 election, at which abolition of the Council was an issue, Labor retained office only
narrowly, but its opponents were now divided between the Country Party that wanted the
existing Council replaced, and the Nationalists who wanted it retained. The necessary legislation
to abolish it, the Constitution Act Amendment Act 1921, was carried 39-30 in the Assembly and
28-10 in the Council. The Council met for the last time on 27 October 1921.8 A subsequent
Labor Government entrenched the abolition by providing that reintroduction of the Legislative
104
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Council would have to pass a referendum in the Constitution Act Amendment Act 1934. From
time to time since then the possibility of restoring bicameralism has been raised, but no serious
steps have been taken to reintroduce it.
The Payment of Members Act 1889 replaced modest attendance allowances with a more
generous annual salary, thereby opening membership more widely. An attempt in 1876 to
introduce a bill 'for the payment of the expenses incurred by members of the Legislative
Assembly in attending Parliament' did not proceed beyond the first reading. The Members
Expenses Act 1886 (Old) allowed members to draw £2 2s for each sitting day they attended
with a maximum of £200 a year. This annual limit was raised to £300 in 1889. Members' salaries
were halved to £150 in 1892 by the Griffith Government,9 but soon returned to £300 (table
4.4). Provision of staff and other resources at Parliament House and at each Member's office
in their electoral district, allowances which recognise the greater cost of representing large
and remote districts, and salaries which have kept pace with inflation, have assisted members
to meet extended responsibilities.
The Elections Act 1915 permitted the election of women to the Legislative Assembly, though
the first woman was not elected until 1929. At the 1995 election 74 (25.5%) candidates were
women, as were 13 (14.6%) of the elected candidates.
The absence since 1922 of an upper house led to the extensive use of committees, including
joint committees with the Council to oversight parliamentary activity.10 In later years the number
of committees reduced significantly.
A Subordinate Legislation Committee was established in 1975 which, with extended
responsibilities, grew into the Scrutiny of Legislation Committee. In 1988-89 two committees
Queensland Legislative Assembly, 1896.
105
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
A procession marking the arrival of Lord Lamington, Brisbane, 1896.
106
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Table 4.4 Parliamentary salaries, Queensland, and
average male earnings, Australia (a), 1896-1995
Year
Annual
parliamentary
salary,
Queensland (b) (c)
Male average
annual earnings,
Australia (b) (d)
1896
1901
$
600
600
$
100
104
1914
1926
1931
1941
1946
600
1,500
1,000
1,300
1,700
287
517
470
541
660
1951
1956
1961
1966
1971
2,750
4,982
5,300
6,700
9,690
1,258
1,841
2,272
2,855
4,352
1976
1981
1986
1991
1995
21,840
33,690
45,177
64,268
75,449
8,715
14.264
22,126
29,635
33,940
Ratio
6.0
M
2.1
2.9
2J.
2.4
2.6
2.2
2.7
2.3
2.3
2.2
2.5
2A
2.0
2.2
2.2
(a) Queensland figures are not available for all years.
(b) June, or closest available to June.
(c) Figures apply to backbenchers' salaries and exclude allowances for participating on
parliamentary committees, etc.
(d) For 1896 and 1901 average amount of wages payable, and may include females,
juniors, etc; for 1914—1931 weighted average nominal weekly rate payable for a full
week's work for adult males, for 1941-1981 average weekly earnings per employed male
unit; for 1986—1995 average weekly total male earnings, not seasonally adjusted. Annual
earnings calculated by multiplying weekly earnings by 52.
Source: Government Superannuation Office, unpublished data; Queensland Parliamentary
Library, unpublished data; ABS, Labour and Industrial Branch Report, 1912-1921, and
Labour Report, 1922-1973 (Historical Microfiche Series 61-002), Cat. nos. 1122.0 and
1123.0; ABS, Averge Weekly Earnings, Australia, 1941-1990, Cat. no. 6350.0; ABS,
Average Weekly Earnings, Australia, May 1991 and February 1996, Cat. no. 6302.0.
were created by statute, the Public Accounts Committee Act 1988 and the Public Works
Committee Act 1989, and subsequently another under the Criminal Justice Act 1989, the
Parliamentary Criminal Justice Committee. A fourth statutory committee set up under the
Electoral and Administrative Review Act 1989 to oversee that Commission evolved into the
Legal, Constitutional and Administrative Review Committee after the Commission completed
its work. These were joined by a set of Estimates Committees to scrutinise government
expenditure at public hearings.
Cabinet
The attainment of responsible government in the 1850s involved a division of duties between
the existing Executive Council, still presided over by the Governor, which conducted the formal
business of government and the new Cabinet, presided over by the Premier, which made the
effective decisions, some of which had then to be passed to Executive Council for ratification.
Constitutional doctrine originally intended to preserve the independence of Parliament from
107
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
Table 4.5 Ministerial portfolios, Queensland, 1915-1996
Ryan Ministry 1 June 1915 Nicklin Ministry 12 August 1957
Borbidge Ministry 26 February 1996
Premier
Chief Secretary
Attorney-General
Treasurer
Home Secretary
Secretary for:
Mines
Public Works
Agriculture and Stock
Public Lands
Railways
Public Instruction
Vice-President of Executive
Council
Minister without Portfolio
Premier
Deputy Premier
Attorney-General
Treasurer
Minister for:
the Arts
Families, Youth and Community Care
Health
Justice
Police and Corrective Services
Economic Development and Trade
Racing
Primary Industries, Fisheries and Forestry
Education
Tourism, Small Business and Industry
Mines and Energy
Environment
Sport
Local Government and Planning
Training and Industrial Relations
Natural Resources
Transport and Main Roads
Public Works and Housing
Emergency Services
Minister Assisting the Premier
Premier
Chief Secretary
Attorney-General
Treasurer
Minister for:
Labour and Industry
Education
Housing
Public Lands and Irrigation
Development, Mines and Main Roads
Transport
Agriculture and Stock
Health and Home Affairs
Public Works and Local Government
Vice-President of the Executive
Council
Source: Queensland Parliamentary Debates
manipulation by the Crown was embodied in a series of Officials in Parliament Acts which
fixed the maximum number of members who might hold public office, that is, be Ministers of
the Crown who as a consequence were at risk of divided loyalty, and up to 1920 specified the
titles of those offices.
The first Cabinet in 1860 comprised the three main public offices of pre-responsible government
times but the number grew faster than the size of the Assembly, to eight in 1896, 11 in 1949,
and 18 in 1975. Similarly, the range of ministerial business extended as State activity first
concentrated on economic development and its infrastructure, then basic social welfare and,
most recently, the encouragement of various social issues. Portfolio titles record the trends
(table 4.5).
Federation of the Australian colonies in 1901 made the new national government the principal
advocate of more independence for Australian Governments, legislatures and courts and less
control for the Governors-General and Governors on the spot and the Colonial/Dominions
Office in London; the States, including Queensland, tended to lag behind slightly. The
'dominions' acquired greater international status at the peace conferences that ended World
War I and by becoming members of the League of Nations. The Imperial Conference in 1926
established that each dominion government was supreme in its own affairs, and the Statute of
Westminster 1931 (Imp) ended the doctrine of repugnance begun in 1578.
Passage of Australia Acts 1986 by the Imperial, Commonwealth and each State Parliament
ended any role the British Government might have still had in Queensland's constitutional
arrangements. However, the Queen remained the Head of State of Queensland and still
108
POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT
Table 4.6 Governors of Queensland, 1859-1997
Governor
Sir George Ferguson Bowen, GCMG
Colonel Samuel Wensley Blackall
Marquis of Normanby
Date appointed
December 1859
August 1868
August 1871
William Wellington Cairns, CMC
Sir Arthur Edward Kennedy, GCMG, CB
Sir Anthony Musgrave, GCMG
Sir Henry Wylie Norman, GCB, GCMG, CIE
Lord Lamington, GCMG
January
July
November
May
April
1875
1877
1883
1889
1896
Sir Herbert Charles Chermside, GCMG, CB
Lord Chelmsford, KCMG
Sir William MacGregor, GCMG, CB
Sir Hamilton John Goold-Adams, GCMG, CB
Sir Matthew Nathan, PC (Ire.), GCMG
March
November
December
March
December
1902
1905
1909
1915
1920
June
June
October
March
March
1927
1932
1946
1958
1966
March
April
July
July
July
1972
1977
1985
1992
1997
Sir John Goodwin, KCB, CMC, DSO
Sir Leslie Wilson, GCSI, GCMG, GCIE, DSO
Sir John Lavarack, KCMG, KCVO, KBE, CB, DSO
Sir Henry Abel Smith, KCMG, KCVO, DSO
Sir Alan James Mansfield, KCMG, KCVO
Sir Colin Thomas Hannah, KCMG, KBE, CB
Commodore Sir James Maxwell Ramsay, KCMG, KCVO, CBE, DSC
Sir Walter Benjamin Campbell, AC, QC
Leneen Forde, AC
Major General Peter Maurice Arnison, AD
Source: ABS, Queensland Year Book, 1995.
appointed, on the advice of the Premier, a Governor to act on her behalf who could discharge
still uncodified reserve powers. A list of Queensland Governors for the period 1859-1997 is
shown in table 4.6.
Since the appointment of Sir John Lavarack in 1946 all Queensland governors have been
Australians, by birth or residence, with one exception who was connected by marriage to the
royal family—Sir Henry Abel-Smith (1958-66). Their previous experience has been in either
the armed services or law.
Other important agencies of government
The Auditor-General was initially one more colonial official, eligible for appointment by the
Governor to a mixed Legislative Council. After the introduction of responsible government,
the office became the link whereby the legislature was able to scrutinise government expenditure
and thus an essential part of the accountability of the Cabinet collectively and Ministers
individually for the funds appropriated for them to spend on public purposes. The office was
created by the Revenue and Audit Act 1861, succeeded by the Audit Act 1874 and then the
Financial Administration and Audit Act 1977. Establishment of a Public Accounts Committee
in 1988 enhanced the effectiveness of the audit process.11
A Parliamentary Commissioner for Administrative Investigations, often called the Ombudsman
after the original Scandinavian version, was appointed under the Parliamentary Commissioner
Act 1974 to investigate complaints about alleged maladministration by public officials and
bodies. A separate office of Information Commissioner to review freedom of information
109
QUEENSLAND PAST AND PRESENT
His Excellency the Governor reading the Queen's Proclamation from the
Treasury Building, Brisbane, 1901.
decisions was created by the Freedom of Information Act 1992 and has been filled by the
Ombudsman. Both commissioners assist citizens in areas where previously they would have
had to seek help from Members of the Legislative Assembly who would approach ministers
and departments on their behalf, but possibly without the resources and powers available to
the statutory offices. The Judicial Review Act 1991 has simplified and made more effective
applications to the ordinary courts by aggrieved persons.12 In 1993 proposals were made for a
substantial reorganisation of administrative tribunals in Queensland.13
The Criminal Justice Commission, created by the Criminal]ustice Act 1989, investigates official
misconduct in the State, assists agencies in detecting and preventing official misconduct, and
reports to Parliament.
POLITICAL PARTIES
Pastoralists dominated the early Queensland parliaments but without much direct political
conflict with the urban liberals, the other identifiable interest. Only after about 1880 was there
evidence of an emerging two-party system, with one group based on the country led by Sir
Thomas Mcllwraith and the other on Brisbane and adjacent electoral districts led by Sir Samuel
Griffith, alternating in office.
The rise of a Labor political organisation outside Parliament, the Workers' Political Association,
and victories for Labor candidates in by-elections prior to the 1893 election when they won 16
110