President of the Victorian Legislative Council
| President of the Legislative Council | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Style | The Honourable |
| Appointer | Elected by the Victorian Legislative Council |
| Inaugural holder | Sir James Frederick Palmer |
| Formation | 21 November 1856 |
| Website | http://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/council/president |
The President of the Victorian Legislative Council, also known as the presiding officer of the council, is the presiding officer of the Victorian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of Victoria and equivalent to the President of the Australian Senate. When there is a vacancy in the office of president, a new president is elected by the members of the council from among its number. The president ceases to hold that office if they cease to be a member of the council, and can be removed at any time by a vote of the members. The current president is Bruce Atkinson.[1]
The role of the President
The president is always a member of the Victorian Legislative Council, and is the ceremonial head of that council. The president performs ceremonial duties, and represents the council to other organisations. In conjunction with the Speaker of the Victorian Legislative Assembly, the president is responsible for the administration of the Victorian Parliament. When the council is sitting, the president enforces procedures and assists the smooth running of council meetings. The president is assisted in their duties by a deputy president.[2]
Choosing the president
The president of the Legislative Council is an elected position. When a new president is required, any member of the Legislative Council may propose, during a council sitting, any other present member for the position of president. If more than one member is proposed and seconded, all members must agree to one particular candidate. After election, the president presents his or herself as the choice of the council to be their president.[2]
List of Presidents of the Legislative Council
- Note: where no political party is listed, this means that either the party is unknown, or that the President in question was not affiliated with any particular party. Multiple parties are listed in cases where the President represented more than one party over his career as a Member of the Legislative Council.
| President[3] | Party (if applicable) | Term in office |
|---|---|---|
| Sir James Frederick Palmer | 21 Nov 1856 – Sep 1870 | |
| Sir William Mitchell | 27 Oct 1870 – 24 Nov 1884 | |
| Sir James MacBain | 27 Nov 1884 – 8 Nov 1892 | |
| Sir William Zeal | 10 Nov 1892 – May 1901 | |
| Sir Henry John Wrixon | 18 Jun 1901 – 28 Jun 1910 | |
| Sir John Mark Davies | 6 Jul 1910 – Jun 1919 | |
| Sir Walter Manifold | Nationalist Party of Australia | 8 Jul 1919 – 28 Aug 1923 |
| Sir Frank Clarke | Nationalist, UAP, Liberal | 29 Aug 1923 – Jun 1943 |
| Sir Clifden Eager | Nationalist, Liberal, Lib. & Country | 29 Jun 1943 – Jun 1958 |
| Sir Gordon McArthur | Lib. & Country, Liberal | 8 Jul 1958 – 10 Aug 1965 |
| Sir Ronald Mack | Liberal | 14 Sep 1965 – 12 Feb 1968 |
| Sir Raymond Garrett | Liberal | 20 Feb 1968 – Jun 1976 |
| William Fry | Liberal | 29 Jun 1976 – Jul 1979 |
| Fred Grimwade | Liberal | 18 Jul 1979 – 15 Jul 1985 |
| Rod Mackenzie | Labor | 16 Jul 1985 – 24 Oct 1988 |
| Alan Hunt | Liberal | 25 Oct 1988 – 26 Oct 1992 |
| Bruce Chamberlain | Liberal | 27 Oct 1992 – 24 Feb 2003 |
| Monica Gould | Labor | 25 Feb 2003 – 18 Dec 2006 |
| Bob Smith | Labor | 19 Dec 2006 – 20 Dec 2010 |
| Bruce Atkinson | Liberal | 21 Dec 2010 – present |
References
- ↑ "Legislative Council - The President". Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- 1 2 "Legislative Council - Role of the President". Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 2 September 2011.
- ↑ "Former Presidents of the Legislative Council". Parliament of Victoria. Retrieved 2 September 2011.