The Parliament of South Australia is a bicameral (two house) Parliament made up of elected representatives. The structure of our Parliament is set out in the South Australian Constitution.
The House of Assembly: The House of Assembly is made up of 47 Members of Parliament (MPs). The 47 MPs have been elected to represent the South Australian people in the House for 4 years. An MP represents an electorate of approximately 25,000 voters. The political party who can form a majority of MPs in the House of Assembly becomes the Government of South Australia, and they get the ability to choose the Ministers who run the Executive. The Speaker keeps order, and the symbol of the House of Assembly is the Mace.
The Legislative Council: The Legislative Council is made up of 22 Members (MLCs). MLCs are elected by the people of South Australia for 8 year terms, and MLCs represent the whole state. This means all 22 MLCs work for you. The votes are counted differently for the Legislative Council, and there are often more minor parties or independents in this House of Parliament. The President keeps order, and the symbol of the Legislative Council is the Black Rod.
Image Credit: Parliament of South Australia
Here is a comparison with the Federal Parliament:
Image Credit: Parliament of South Australia
We are currently in our 55th Parliament in South Australia (2022-2026). The four-year period before that (2018-2022) was the 54th Parliament.