Votes

Parliament must vote on a bill at least three times before it becomes law.

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New votes are currently not being added to WhereTheyStand because the underlying data source has changed. Work is underway to fix this.

A bill must have three "readings" in the House of Representatives before enactment. These are called the first reading, second reading, and third reading. Each reading is voted on and succeeds if more members of Parliament vote in favour than against.

There are four types of vote:

  • Voice votes are the simplest type of vote. Members of Parliament shout "aye" or "no" and the Speaker makes an assessment based on how loud each side is. Any member can then call for a more formal vote.
  • Party votes are the most common type of recorded vote. Each party has a number of seats in the House and casts that number of votes (minus any absences) according to its party policy.
  • Personal votes are also called conscience votes. Each member of Parliament decides how to vote on the bill, independent of any party policy.
  • Split party votes are similar to a party vote, except one or more parties may treat the vote as a personal vote while other parties may treat it as a party vote. If a party splits its party vote across more than one position (yes, no or abstain) it must give notice of which members' votes are being allocated to each position.

Other votes may take place during the Committee of the Whole House stage. These votes are on individual amendments to a bill. WhereTheyStand does not currently record these votes.

If a bill passes all three readings it is given Royal Assent by the Governor-General. It then becomes law, although most bills specify in more detail when its provisions come into effect.

Find a vote

If you're looking for a specific bill, check the bills page.

Case-insensitive match on the bill title.

Show votes from this date range.

Vote type
Bill type

The result of the vote to search for.

All votes

894 results.

Electoral (Registration by Special Vote) Amendment Bill

7 June 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
59Aye
60No
0Abstain
0Absent

International Transparent Treaties Bill

7 June 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
57Aye
62No
0Abstain
0Absent

Statutes Repeal Bill

30 May 2017 · 3rd reading · Party vote
105Aye
14No
0Abstain
0Absent

Taxation (Budget Measures: Family Incomes Package) Bill

25 May 2017 · 3rd reading · Party vote
86Aye
31No
0Abstain
2Absent

Taxation (Budget Measures: Family Incomes Package) Bill

25 May 2017 · 2nd reading · Party vote
86Aye
31No
0Abstain
2Absent

Trade (Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties) Amendment Bill

24 May 2017 · 3rd reading · Party vote
60Aye
59No
0Abstain
0Absent

Point England Development Enabling Bill

23 May 2017 · 2nd reading · Party vote
62Aye
43No
14Abstain
0Absent

Education (Update) Amendment Bill

11 May 2017 · 3rd reading · Party vote
62Aye
56No
0Abstain
1Absent

Equal Pay Amendment Bill

10 May 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
59Aye
60No
0Abstain
0Absent

Arbitration Amendment Bill

10 May 2017 · 1st reading · Party vote
107Aye
12No
0Abstain
0Absent
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