The new leader of the Greens sits in the Senate. Why is that so unusual in Australian politics?

The 2025 federal election resulted in some surprising outcomes, together with the loss by the Greens Chief, Adam Bandt, of his seat within the Home of Representatives. The brand new Greens chief is Senator Larissa Waters.

Does it matter {that a} get together chief sits within the Senate, and why do the leaders of main events nearly all the time come from the decrease Home?

The reply is that by conference, fairly than an specific constitutional requirement, the prime minister sits within the decrease home of parliament. Events with aspirations to type authorities subsequently select leaders from amongst their members within the decrease home.

Prime ministers within the Home of Lords

Traditionally, in the UK, prime ministers may sit in both home. Within the nineteenth century, most prime ministers sat within the Home of Lords, and two began within the Home of Commons and ended their prime ministership within the Lords.

However within the twentieth century, the conference developed of the prime minister holding a seat within the Home of Commons.

This was for 3 causes. First, as a matter of practicality, the Home of Commons is the place the principle work of presidency happens, and the prime minister’s involvement is required.

Second, in keeping with conference, the monarch appoints as prime minister the one who instructions the boldness of the decrease home, which is tough to do from outdoors it.

Third, the Home of Lords just isn’t elected, and subsequently doesn’t have a democratic mandate. It ceased to be acceptable in the UK for an unelected individual to control as prime minister.

When the Conservative prime minister, Harold Macmillan, resigned all of the sudden for well being causes in 1963, Lord House was appointed as Conservative Celebration chief and prime minister. He renounced his earldom after which ran efficiently in a byelection for a seat within the Home of Commons.

A main minister within the Senate?

In Australia, the place is completely different as a result of the Senate is elected by the folks. A senator can subsequently be thought to be having a democratic mandate, though she or he represents a state, fairly than being elected by a selected citizens.

Part 64 of the Commonwealth Structure requires ministers to be both a member of the Home of Representatives or the Senate, with a 3 month leeway interval to turn into elected. However it doesn’t require that the prime minister sit within the Home of Representatives. It’s as an alternative a matter of customized, practicality and conference.

When the prime minister, Harold Holt, went lacking whereas swimming within the ocean in December 1967, the Liberal Celebration selected Senator John Gorton as its new chief.

Gorton was appointed prime minister on January 10 1968, regardless of being a Senator, however resigned from the Senate on February 1 1968 and was elected to fill the emptiness in Holt’s decrease Home seat on February 24.

Gorton was subsequently prime minister whereas being a Senator for 3 weeks, and prime minister with no seat in parliament in any respect for simply over three weeks. It was typically accepted that as prime minister, he ought to sit within the decrease home.

Premiers in state higher homes

On the state stage, premiers have typically sat within the higher home, not less than for a brief interval.

One notable instance is that of Hal Colebatch in Western Australia. In 1919, Colebatch, who was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council, was performing premier, whereas the premier, Henry Lefroy, was at a convention in Melbourne. There was an outbreak of Spanish flu within the japanese states. In scenes paying homage to the COVID pandemic, Colebatch gained immense reputation by slamming shut the state border. His personal premier was even prevented from returning house.

Lefroy ultimately resigned as premier, and Colebatch changed him, regardless of sitting within the Legislative Council. However Colebatch didn’t final lengthy within the job. He tried, however failed, to discover a decrease home seat to maneuver to. As well as, his well being was failing, as was his reputation after rioting throughout a wharf strike led to the dying of a employee. So Colebatch resigned as premier, having spent his total premiership as a member of the Legislative Council.

In New South Wales, when the Labor premier, Neville Wran, shocked his colleagues by resigning in Might 1986, the get together elected Barrie Unsworth as its chief.

Unsworth was a member of the Legislative Council. He was nonetheless appointed as premier. A Labor backbencher within the Legislative Meeting resigned to permit Unsworth to contest his secure Labor seat. Regardless of a big swing in opposition to him, Unsworth narrowly received the seat by 54 votes and continued as premier till 1988.

Leaders of main and minor events

The primary drawback with a major minister or premier sitting within the higher home is that the federal government is fashioned from the decrease home, and the prime minister or Premier have to be the one who holds its confidence. That is tough when there isn’t any direct accountability to the decrease home, because it can not query a major minister or premier who sits within the different home.

For that reason, events that might probably win authorities will ordinarily select a frontrunner from amongst their members within the decrease Home, and politicians with management ambition will usually search to switch from the higher to the decrease home to boost their probabilities to steer.

Because of the Senate’s proportional voting system, minor events usually tend to have better numbers within the Senate than the Home of Representatives. It’s subsequently logical that their management ought to come from the Senate, particularly when they’re unlikely to have the numbers within the decrease Home to type a authorities. However for main events, their chief is ordinarily chosen from among the many members of the Home of Representatives, in case authorities beckons.