The Tasmanian Parliament’s Legislative Council was established in 1825. Originally, it was the only house of parliament, and its members were appointed by the Governor of Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania). In 1856, Tasmania’s parliament was established with two houses: the House of Assembly as the lower house, and the Legislative Council as the upper house, with members elected by the public.
Over 200 years later, the Legislative Council continues to play an important role in Tasmania’s parliamentary system.
Elected members are referred to as MLCs (Members of the Legislative Council), and their primary role is to review legislation drafted by the House of Assembly. The members also participate in committees that conduct inquiries into government business and issues affecting the community.
There are 15 Legislative Council divisions across Tasmania, and each is represented by 1 member who is elected to serve a six-year term. To make sure that every division has equal representation in the upper house, each division is made up of approximately the same number of voters.
Tasmania's system for electing members to the Legislative Council is different to the rest of Australia. Since 1934, elections have been held on a rotating basis, rather than half or all members going to election at the same time, as other states and the federal senate do.
Each year, two or three Council members will have served their six-year term, and the people in their division will then vote to elect a representative for the next six years.
But why does Tasmania elect Council members this way? The reason is that it provides stability and continuity by avoiding large changes in membership at any one time. It ensures the Council always includes members with experience of past legislative work, supporting informed and consistent review of new legislation.
Voting in a Legislative Council election is compulsory and involves filling out a ballot paper.
The ballot paper has a single column listing all candidates. Under each name, it may show the political party they belong to, or it might say ‘Independent’ if they don’t belong to a party.
Like all Tasmanian elections, voters number the boxes next to each candidate in order of their preference. To have their vote counted, they must number enough candidates, as shown in the instructions on the ballot paper.
Multiple versions of the ballot paper are printed, with the order of candidates rotated on each, so no one gains an advantage from being at the top of the ballot paper.
Because Legislative Council elections are held in different divisions each year, knowing when a division is next going to election can be challenging. To help, our Legislative Council page provides useful information about upcoming elections, and our MyReps tool shows who has been elected to represent each division.
Knowing when and how to take part in elections is one of the important ways we can all support a healthy democracy. This website, and our official TEC social media pages, are some of the ways you can stay informed and get involved.