Frequently Asked Questions

The South Australian Parliament makes laws that govern South Australia. While some exclusive powers are held by the federal government (or the Commonwealth as it is also called), powers over some areas of law are shared by the states and the Commonwealth. Laws governing law and order, commerce and industry, primary production, education, housing, health, transport and development are the domain of the states.
You can find out more about federal parliament by visiting here.

In order for a law to be made, a Bill must successfully pass both houses of Parliament by majority vote in identical form. This involves three stages of readings. Typically this can take some months. Should amendments be made, these amendments would also need to pass both houses in the same way to form part of the new law or Act.

There are two houses in Parliament, the Legislative Assembly (the Lower House) and the Legislative Council (the Upper House). In South Australia, the Lower House is made up of 47 Members of Parliament (MPs) who represent the voters from geographical districts defined by the Electoral Commission. The Upper House is made up of Members of the Legislative Council (MLCs) who represent voters across the whole state. To find out more about the South Australian electoral system, visit here.

For a law to be made, a Bill must successfully pass both houses of Parliament by majority vote in identical form. This involves three stages of readings. This can take some months. Should amendments be made, these amendments would also need to pass both houses in the same way to form part of the new law or Act.

The Legislative Council (or Upper House as it is commonly referred to) plays an important role, ensuring that the interests of all members of the community are heard and proportionally represented.

The Legislative Council is designed to act as a house of review for legislation. The Greens have two representatives in the state Upper House – myself and Robert Simms - who collectively share the balance of power with other cross-bench MLCs.

A Bill is a proposal for a draft law or legislation. Head here to find out more about the stages of a bill and the law making process.

A motion is a proposal that represents the will of the House. There are two types of motions. Substantive motions are self-contained proposals that represent the opinion of the House, while subsidiary motions relate to Parliamentary procedure.

The Greens’ platform centres on four pillars: ecological sustainability, participatory democracy, social justice, and peace and non-violence. At our core, we believe in putting people and the environment ahead of short-term vested interests. In all we do, we are working to create a fairer future for all Australians. To find out more about our work, view a full list of our policies here and follow me at the links below.

As small or insignificant as one vote might seem, elections have been won and lost on a knife-edge. Many recent elections have been very close, so never doubt that your vote counts. Voting helped the Greens to have over 40 elected members across state and federal politics. By voting, you’re sending a signal to the Parliament and the community about the issues you care about. Go into the polling booth informed, and make your vote count!

To find out more about how voting works, head to the Australian Electoral Commission website, where there is lots of information and videos about how the electoral system works.

There’s never been a more important moment in history to vote Greens. With a Government bent on downplaying the impacts of climate change, and so many other environmental challenges, a vote for the Greens is a vote for a greener, fairer future for all of us.

Collect a How to Vote card from a Greens volunteer on polling day and follow the instructions on how to put the Greens first on both ballot papers. By doing so, you’re sending a strong message to the major parties about the issues you care about. Remember, your vote is powerful – the Greens won’t get elected without your support!

Go to the contact page to see all the ways you can get in touch. Tammy's team look forward to hearing from you!