| Terms of Members of Parliament/Council |
The 2016 State Referendum has changed the term of Parliament from up to 3 years to a fixed 4 year term. |
Local councils have 4 year fixed terms. |
| Number of Members |
Currently 93 elected from single-member electoral districts. |
77 Mayors and 501 Councillors across 54 divided and 23 undivided local government areas. |
| Electoral Legislation |
Electoral Act (1992).
Referendums Act (1997).
|
Local Government Electoral Act (2011).
City of Brisbane Act (2010).
Local Government Act (2009)
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Voting Systems
(definitions) |
Full preferential voting (number every square in the order of your preferences). |
Optional Preferential Voting for divided councils and First-Past-The-Post for undivided and multi-member divisions. Mayors are elected under the Optional Preferential Voting system. |
| Enrolment and Voting Eligibility |
Same as for Commonwealth, an elector must have resided in the Queensland electoral district for one month.
A British subject (who is not an Australian citizen) in order to be entitled for enrolment under the Elections Act (1983) on 31 December 1991, the person had to be on an Australian (Commonwealth, State or Territory) roll between 1 May and 1 August 1983.
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Electors eligible to vote for the Legislative Assembly. |
| Redistribution Provisions and Frequency |
The Electoral Commissioner is a member of the Queensland Redistribution Commission, the temporary body which reviews and realigns state electoral boundaries. A review can be triggered as a result of one of three circumstances:
- The Electoral Act is amended, changing the number of electoral districts;
- A certain number of elections and a minimum period of time passes:
(i)One year after the return of writs for the second general election held after the previous electoral redistribution becomes final; or
(ii) - 7.5 years after an electoral redistribution becomes final;
- Enrolment changes where one-third or more districts are out of quota (the average number of enrolled electors +/- 10%) for two months in a row.
|
Local Government Act (2009); and City of Brisbane Act (2010).
The Electoral Commissioner is a member of the Local Government Change Commission, which reviews local government boundaries. However the Change Commission may not act until the Minister for Local Government proposes a change.
The Change Commission is responsible for assessing whether a local government change proposed by the minister is in the public interest.
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| Joint Rolls Arrangements between Commonwealth, States and Territories |
Provided by the Australian Electoral Commission since 1992. |
Electoral rolls are provided by the Australian Electoral Commission. |
| Funding, Donations and Disclosure Provisions |
FUNDING
- Election funding is provided for candidates and registered political parties.
- Election funding eligibility is based on a candidate achieving at least 6% of the formal first preference vote.
- Election funding entitlement is calculated based on a dollar per vote figure or the candidate's actual expenditure; whichever is the least.
- Policy development payments are paid to eligible political parties biannually from an allocated pool of $3million.
- Electoral participants are subject to electoral expenditure caps.
- Reforms to election funding amounts and eligibility criteria are due to commence on 1 July 2022.
DISCLOSURE
- Gifts and loans of $1,000 or more must be disclosed within 7 business days of the gift being made or received.
- Within the last 7 business days prior to polling day, political parties and candidates must disclose gifts of $1,000 or more within 24 hours.
- Political parties and associated entities are required to disclose all income, expenditure, debts and loans every 6 months.
- Third parties must disclose gifts and loans received of $1,000 or more within seven days of the gift being used to incur political expenditure.
- All electoral expenditure must be disclosed by candidates, registered political parties, associated entities and registered third parties within 15 weeks after the election. Third parties must register if they intend, or actually do, incur electoral expenditure of $6,000 or more.
- Publishers and broadcasters are required to disclose electoral advertisements for each election
Gifts of foreign property and gifts from property developers (including their close associates) are prohibited. |
- Political parties and candidates must disclose gifts and loans of $500 or more within 7 business days.
- Within the last week prior to polling day gift/loan recipients must disclose gifts or loans received of $500 or more within 24 hours.
- All electoral participants must disclose all electoral expenditure within 7 business days, if they spend more than $500 in total. Any participant who spends less than $500 must disclose the amount of expenditure within 15 weeks after polling day.
- Donors who incur political expenditure (including making gifts) cumulatively of $500 or more, must disclose all donations or expenditure, even if no one recipient received more than $500.
- Gifts from property developers (including their close associates) are prohibited.
- There is no election funding for local government elections.
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| Interesting and Particular Feature(s) |
Unicameral Parliament. |
Brisbane City Council is the largest Local Government in population and budget in Australia. |
