Australia’s 48th Federal Parliament Kicks Off
(MENAFN) Australia’s 48th federal parliament was officially inaugurated on Tuesday in Canberra, marking the formal start of legislative business following the country’s general election in May.
The parliamentary session begins more than two months after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s Labor Party secured a commanding second-term victory in the May 3 election.
During Tuesday’s opening proceedings, Milton Dick was confirmed once again as Speaker of the House of Representatives—the parliament’s lower chamber—while Sue Lines was reappointed as President of the Senate, which serves as the upper house.
Both officials, members of the Labor Party, will oversee order, enforce parliamentary rules, and manage debates within their respective chambers.
Under parliamentary rules, each can continue attending party meetings; however, Dick may only cast a vote in the lower house during a tie, while Lines retains full voting rights in the Senate on all issues.
Speaking at a ceremonial gathering in the Great Hall of Parliament House—preceded by a traditional Aboriginal welcome—Prime Minister Albanese addressed the nation’s newly elected lawmakers.
He encouraged all 226 federal members to write Australia’s “next chapter” with grace and courage.
Earlier that morning, Albanese stated that each day of the new parliamentary term would be “an opportunity” for his administration to deliver tangible outcomes for Australians.
The first sitting day of a new parliament traditionally includes a series of ceremonial events. After the Great Hall address, members of both the lower and upper houses took their oaths and were formally sworn in.
Among the fresh faces sworn in was Charlotte Walker, a 21-year-old Labor senator from South Australia, who makes history as the youngest-ever member of the Australian Senate.
Following the May election, Labor controls 94 of the 150 seats in the House of Representatives—matching the highest seat count ever achieved by a single party—and holds 29 of 76 Senate seats.
The opposition Liberal-National Coalition occupies 43 seats in the lower house and 27 in the Senate.
On Tuesday morning, Coalition leader Sussan Ley acknowledged the party’s current challenges, stating that the opposition is at a “low point” following its defeat. Still, she pledged that the party would work diligently to hold the Albanese government accountable.
Parliament will move to legislative matters on Wednesday. Prime Minister Albanese has previously declared that the government’s top legislative priority will be introducing a bill to reduce higher education student loan debt by 20 percent, in line with a key election commitment.
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