Document ID: chunk:federal_register_of_legislation:C2013Q00005:body:0:p10
Version: federal_register_of_legislation:C2013Q00005
Segment Type: other
Provision Reference: 
Character Range: 22877–26081

the President is absent from the Commonwealth the Governor-General, shall notify the same to the Governor of the State in the representation of which the vacancy has happened.

22.  Quorum.

  Until the Parliament otherwise provides, the presence of at least one-third of the whole number of the senators shall be necessary to constitute a meeting of the Senate for the exercise of its powers.

23.  Voting in Senate.

  Questions arising in the Senate shall be determined by a majority of votes, and each senator shall have one vote.  The President shall in all cases be entitled to a vote; and when the votes are equal the question shall pass in the negative.

Part III.—The House of Representatives.

24.  Constitution of House of Representatives.

  The House of Representatives shall be composed of members directly chosen by the people of the Commonwealth, and the number of such members shall be, as nearly as practicable, twice the number of the senators.

  The number of members chosen in the several States shall be in proportion to the respective numbers of their people, and shall, until the Parliament otherwise provides, be determined, whenever necessary, in the following manner:—
 (i.) A quota shall be ascertained by dividing the number of the people of the Commonwealth, as shown by the latest statistics of the Commonwealth, by twice the number of the senators:
 (ii.) The number of members to be chosen in each State shall be determined by dividing the number of the people of the State, as shown by the latest statistics of the Commonwealth, by the quota; and if on such division there is a remainder greater than one-half of the quota, one more member shall be chosen in the State.

  But notwithstanding anything in this section, five members at least shall be chosen in each Original State.

25.  Provision as to races disqualified from voting.

  For the purposes of the last section, if by the law of any State all persons of any race are disqualified from voting at elections for the more numerous House of the Parliament of the State, then, in reckoning the number of the people of the State or of the Commonwealth, persons of that race resident in that State shall not be counted.

26.  Representatives in first Parliament.

  Notwithstanding anything in section twenty-four, the number of members to be chosen in each State at the first election shall be as follows:

New South Wales...........................           twenty-three;
Victoria...........................................  twenty;
Queensland.....................................      eight;
South Australia...............................       six;
Tasmania.........................................    five;

  Provided that if Western Australia is an Original State, the numbers shall be as follows:—

New South Wales...........................           twenty-six;
Victoria...........................................  twenty-three;
Queensland.....................................      nine;
South Australia...............................       seven;
Western Australia...........................         five;
Tasmania.........................................    five.

27.  Alteration of number of