Humanities desk
< March 1	<< Feb \| March \| Apr >>	Current desk >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 2[edit]

Entering the Australian House of Representatives[edit]

I live in Dunkley, so I would have been paying attention to yesterday's by-election even if I didn't want to. Now that Jodie Belyea has won, is she my federal member, or is there a date in the future when she will become my federal member? I know in the US, election winners take office on a certain date, and in the UK, they take office instantly, but I don't know about here. Nyttend (talk) 19:14, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

I couldn't find an exact answer, but I assume that since Australia follows the Westminster system, that they hold their office as soon as they are elected. However: A Member may not take part in any proceedings of the House until sworn in. It is also considered that a Member should not participate in the work of committees until sworn in. House of Representatives Practice: Swearing-in. Alansplodge (talk) 20:43, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

In Canada, the swearing in takes place within days following a by-election, as soon as the winner is certified. This is usually almost immediate, except in very close races where a re-count may be ordered, in which case it can take a few weeks for the process to unfold. I expect it's the same for Australia as our political systems are very much alike. Xuxl (talk) 21:47, 2 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Nyttend -- Congressmembers elected in a regularly-scheduled election take office on a fixed date, but sometimes those elected to fill an unexpectedly vacant seat can take office quickly even in the U.S. What info Wikipedia has is apparently at By-election#United States, though we don't call them "By-elections", but instead "Special elections"... AnonMoos (talk) 02:25, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

AnonMoos, oops, yes, I wasn't thinking there. Of course winners of special elections take office soon, or otherwise David Curson wouldn't have been in Congress at all. I don't remember ever having a special election in districts where I lived, or maybe I wouldn't have made that mistake. Nyttend (talk) 02:49, 4 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Presumably the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) gets to declare the winner, and that person becomes the new member at that moment. The swearing in matters for actually participating in parliament or being in any formal position. HiLo48 (talk) 02:33, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Specifically the returning officer. Alansplodge (talk) 14:37, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

The answer is that Jodie Belyea is not officially your member - yet. That's because the Australian Electoral Commission has not yet certified the result, which they cannot do until the last of the postal votes arrive in about a week or so, even if the numbers of them could not possibly affect the result. And then there may be preferences that have to be allocated yada yada. But when the AEC is finally able to make its certification, Belyea will have been your member since election day, 2 March, and she will be backpaid accordingly. It's true that she must be sworn in, in order to participate in the business of the House of Reps, but that doesn't impinge on the fact that she will have been the member for Dunkley since 2 March. That's no different from the winning US presidential candidate becoming president at noon on 20 January because the US Constitution says so, but being unable to execute the functions of their office until they're sworn in (usually within an hour of noon anyway). -- Jack of Oz ^{[pleasantries]} 21:38, 3 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Out of intersest, in the UK, the winner of the 2024 Rochdale by-election on 29 February, was sworn in yesterday, only six days later. Alansplodge (talk) 14:05, 5 March 2024 (UTC)[reply]