An Act to Reform the Parliament and Parliamentary System in Baustralia, and for purposes connected therewith

Be it Enacted by His Most Gracious and Excellent Majesty, by and with the Advice and Consent of Parliament assembled, as follows–

Preface

1. The short title for this Act is the Parliamentary Reform Act, 2025.

Parliament of Baustralia

2. Any present legislature of Baustralia, upon this Act being granted Royal Assent, ceases to exist and be abolished in its entirety, together with any and all rights, privileges and powers thereunto belonging, and any enactments connecting the same
3. Baustralia will have a unicameral legislature known as the Parliament of Baustralia, or Parliament.
4. Parliament will be responsible for making laws, in the forms of legislation, which will become effective when granted Royal Assent.

Standing Orders

5. Parliament will pass, by a Special Resolution via a simple majority, a set of rules and regulation of Parliament known as the Standing Orders.
6. Standing Orders will set out the rules, regulations, privileges, rights and responsibilities of Members of Parliament and the conduct and administration of Parliament as a whole.
7. Notwithstanding Section 2a of this Act, there will be presented a copy of the Standing Orders that will take effect upon being presented before the first open session of Parliament by the relevant government ministry tasked with justice affairs.
8. The aforesaid Standing Orders will be capable of being amended further as laid out in the previous sections of this Act as is usual under the provisions of this Act.

Procedures of Parliament

9. Under the Standing Orders, Parliament will undertake any procedures touching therewith.
10. A “Period of Parliament”, or simply “Parliament”, is the period of parliamentary time between one general election and the next.
11. A “Parliamentary Session” or “Session”, is the period where parliamentary business may be conducted.
12. A Session may not last more than thirty days in duration, and if a session reaches that time period, it automatically ceases to exist.
13. Each Period of the Parliament of Baustralia, upon the conclusion of a general election, is to be reopened by the Crown of Baustralia by a Speech from the Throne.
14. A “Dissolution of Parliament” refers to the termination of life of the duration of the present Parliament, following which all elected Members of Parliament in office cease to remain as such.
15. A “Calling of Parliament” refers to the issuing of a writ, or other ceremonies, relating to the resumption of the sitting of the Parliament.
16. A “Prorogation of Parliament” refers to the interruption, or discontinuance of the sitting for a given period of time, without the dissolution of Parliament.
17. The powers relating to the Dissolution of Parliament and the Calling of Parliament are exercised solely by the power of the Crown, upon the explicit advice of the Prime Minister.
18. The term “powers relating” refers to the powers relating to the issuing of a writ for a parliamentary election.
19. No judiciary nor any court of Baustralia may–
1. question the exercise or purported exercise of the powers referring to calling, dissolution or prorogation;
2. any decision or purported decision relating to those powers; or
3. the limits or extent of those powers.
20. If a Parliament has not been dissolved earlier, a Parliament will dissolve at the beginning of the day that is the fifth anniversary of the day on which it first met.

Resolutions of Parliament

21. Any matter which requires the will of Parliament to be expressed, will be passed as a Resolution.
22. The form, reference and citation of a Resolution will be assigned by the officials of Parliament.

Supremacy of Parliament

23. Parliament cannot be constrained nor bound by an Act of Parliament for itself.
24. No judiciary nor any court in Baustralia may–
1. question the exercise or purported bounds or provisions of any enactment or statute passed by Parliament;
2. any decision or purported decision relating to those powers; or
3. the limits or extent of those powers.

Members of Parliament

25. An elected member to the Parliament will be known as a Member of Parliament, or MP.
26. A Member of Parliament will be duly elected under the rules of First-past-the-post (FPTP) voting method.
27. To stand for election as a Member of Parliament, one must be–
1. a Citizen of Baustralia;
2. not less than fifteen years of age;
3. not have been disqualified or restricted by a Baustralian court;
4. not be convicted of the crime of Treason;
5. be of sound mind and body; and
6. not be declared bankrupt.

Barring Provisions for Members of the House of Lords

28. Any person who is–
1. a Lord or Lady Royal;
2. a Lord or Lady Temporal;
3. a Lord or Lady Spiritual;
4. a Lord or Lady Appellant; or
5. any other class of membership of the House of Lords, will not have an automatic right to seat, to speak, to debate or vote in Parliament, unless being duly elected as a Member of Parliament under the provisions of this Act.

Provisions for non-Voting

29. A Member of Parliament, who does not speak, debate or vote in Parliament during six consecutive Session, ceases to be a Member of Parliament, at the beginning of the following Session.
30. Section 29 does not apply to a Member of Parliament in respect of non-Voting if–
1. the person was disqualified from sitting or voting in Parliament, or suspended from its service, for the whole of the Session under the Standing Orders; or
2. Parliament resolves by a Resolution that it should not apply to the Member of Parliament in question by reason of special circumstance.

Ridings

31. A Member of Parliament will be duly elected from an electoral constituency known as a Riding.
32. The Election Commission of Baustralia will formulate the boundaries of a jurisdiction which will encompass a single Riding and which will be promulgated by an Order of Council.
33. Each Riding will elect no more than three Members of Parliament.

Election Commission of Baustralia

34. An independent entity known as the Election Commission of Baustralia will be established.
35. The Election Commission of Baustralia will observe, monitor, administrate and certify any and all elections to Parliament, including a general election and a by-election.
36. The Election Commission of Baustralia will have the authority to make provisions carrying into effect–
1. for prescribing anything under this Act for purposes of election of Members of Parliament;
2. for the registration of anything required or authorised under this Act;
3. for the administration and overseeing of election procedures; and
4. for the giving of any notice required or authorised to be given to any person under this Act.
37. The Election Commission of Baustralia will be headed by a Chief Election Commissioner, who will be nominated by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and other Leaders of Minor Parties in Parliament, and confirmed by the Crown under letters patent.
38. The Chief Election Commissioner will be assisted by no more than two Associate Election Commissioners, who will be nominated by a committee comprising the Prime Minister, the Leader of the Opposition, and other Leaders of Minor Parties in Parliament, and confirmed by the Crown under letters patent.
39. One must fulfil the following requirements to be a Chief Election Commissioner, or an Associate Election Commissioner–
1. be a Citizen of Baustralia;
2. be no less than fifteen years of age;
3. not be disqualified or restricted by a Baustralian court;
4. not be a Member of Parliament;
5. not be a Secretary of State or any other kind of minister or junior minister in the Government or Cabinet of Baustralia;
6. not be convicted of the crime of Treason;
7. be of sound mind and body; and
8. not be declared bankrupt.

Publication of Statute Law

40. The relevant ministry tasked with justice affairs will be responsible for the timely and public publication of all Acts of Parliament, together with its updating and access.

Consequential Provisions for Unicameral Chamber

41. The Privy Council will, by Order of Council, appropriately allocate any seats for Members of Parliament of the previous Parliament following the granting of Royal Assent to this Act, in order to counteract any discrepancies in number or allocation of seats thereto as a consequence of this Act.
42. Upon this Act being granted Royal Assent, the new Parliament assembled will be reckoned as the 9th Parliament of Baustralia and will automatically continue as if it has already been opened by the Sovereign of Baustralia and had its Speech from the Throne already given, and any other procedure touching the same.
43. Upon this Act being granted Royal Assent, the incumbent Speaker of the House of Commons will become the new Speaker of Parliament, with the duties and office of Lord Speaker being abolished in its entirety.
44. Upon this Act being granted Royal Assent, the incumbent Clerk of Parliament will retain their office.