APH:The Commonwealth of Australia Parliament was established in 1901, consisting of the Queen (represented by the Governor-General of Australia), the House of Representatives and the Senate. Each member of the House of Representatives represents a constituency and is elected by preferential voting for a term of three years (until the next general election).

The party that wins a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in a general election becomes the The party that won a majority of seats in the House of Representatives in the general election became the ruling party, with the leader of the party serving as prime minister and ministers appointed from among the party's federal congressmen and senators. The current House of Representatives was elected in November 2001, with 150 members, including 68 Liberal Party seats, 64 Australian Labor Party seats, 13 National Party seats, one Rural Liberal Party seat, one Green Party seat, and three independents.

The main responsibilities of the House of Representatives: to legislate or amend existing laws; to oversee the government and control government spending; and to express the will of the electorate. The House of Representatives is in session for about 20 weeks each year, generally from February to March, May to June, and August to December, with each week running from Monday to Thursday.