Introduction

The House of Representatives is the name of the Lower House, one of the two Houses of Federal Parliament for Australia. This is where the all Australians are represented. The government has an absolute majority because it has the most members and stays in control as long as that party has the most votes. The head of the government is called the Prime Minister. The Government passes bills which might become laws if the majority of people in the House agree with it. That is the general idea of the House of Representatives.  The Prime Minister is usually  elected in the House of Representatives. Every three years there must be an election to decide who will be Prime Minister. It is compulsory to vote if you are 18 years of age or older and an Australian citizen. 

The House of Representatives is also known as the Green Room, named for The British House Of Commons on which it is based, representing the ordinary people who used to wear green ,long ago.

The Leader of the Opposition

Mark Latham is the leader of the Australian Labour Party (ALP). He sits on the opposite side to the Prime Minister in the House of Representatives and leads The Opposition, the party who got less votes in the election. The Ministers of the Opposition are called Shadow Ministers. Their job is to check up on the Government and make sure they are doing their job. 

The Prime Minister

The Prime Minister is the leader of the Government. The current Prime Minister's  name is John Howard. The government is responsible for running the country and controls government money. The Prime Minister and members of his political party called Ministers make up The Cabinet who meet regularly and in secret to discuss and argue about government policy. Each Minister is in charge of a specific area (called a portfolio) such as defence, foreign affairs or employment to name a few. 

The Mace

The Mace is carried into the House of Representatives by the Sergeant At Arms. Now, it is strictly Ceremonial. In the past it was used as a weapon when the Speaker was in danger of being stabbed. Ouch! The Mace is the equivalent of the Black Rod which is the symbol of power in the Upper House, known as The Senate.

The Speaker is a Minister of Parliament who runs sessions in the House of Representatives and it is his/her job to maintain order. All the members of the House of Representatives elect the Speaker.

 The Clerk is an expert in regards to the rules that must be followed when business in conducted in the House of Representatives.