A.—s

40

The Bill.

CHAPTEE I.—THE PAELIAMENT. Part I.—General. 1. The legislative power of the Commonwealth shall be vested in a Federal Parliament, which shall consist of the Queen, a Senate, and a House of Eepresentatives, and which is hereinafter called " the Parliament," or " the Parliament of the Commonwealth." 2. A Governor-General, appointed by the Queen, shall be Her Majesty's representative in the Commonwealth, and shall have and may exercise in the Commonwealth during the Queen's pleasure, but subject to this Constitution, such powers and functions of the Queen as Her Majesty may be pleased to assign to him. 3. There shall be payable to the Queen out of the Consolidated Eevenue Fund of the Commonwealth for the salary of the Governor-General an annual sum which, until the Parliament otherwise provides, shall be ten thousand pounds. The salary of a Governor-General shall not be altered during his continuance in office. 4. The provisions of this Constitution relating to the Governor-General extend and apply to the Governor-General for the time being, or such person as the Queen may appoint to administer the Government of the Commonwealth; but no such person shall be entitled to receive any salary from the Commonwealth in respect of any other office during his administration of the Government of the Commonwealth. 5. The Governor-General may appoint such times for holding the sessions of the Parliament as he thinks fit, and may also from time to time,- by Proclamation or otherwise, prorogue the Parliament, and may in like manner dissolve the House of Eepresentacives. After any general election the Parliament shall be summoned to meet not later than thirty days after the day appointed for the return of the writs. The Parliament shall be summoned to meet not later than six months after the establishment of the Commonwealth. 6. There shall be a session of the Parliament once at least in every year, so that twelve months shall not intervene between the last sitting of the Parliament in one session and its first sitting in the next session. Part ll.—The Senate. 7. The Senate shall be composed of Senators for each State, directly chosen by the people of the State, voting, until the Parliament otherwise provides, as one electorate. Until the Parliament otherwise provides, there shall be six Senators for each Original State. The Parliament may make laws increasing or diminishing the number of Senators for each State, but so that equal representation of the several Original States shall be maintained, and that no Original State shall have less than six Senators. The Senators shall be chosen for a term of six years, and the names of the Senators chosen for each State shall be certified by the Governor to the Governor-General. 8. The qualification of electors of Senators shall be in each State that which is prescribed by this Constitution, or by the Parliament, as the qualification for electors of members of the House of Eepresentatives; but in the choosing of Senators each elector shall vote only once.

Explanation.

1. The Federal Parliament. —The Parliament is to consist of the Queen and two Houses, to be called the Senate and the House of Bepresentatives. 2, 3, 4. Governor-General. —There is to be a Governor-General appointed by the Queen as her representative in the Commonwealth. He will have the usual duties of a Colonial Governor, subject always, however, to the provisions of the Constitution. His salary is at first to be £10,000 a year, but may be altered by the Parliament at the end of any Governor-General's term of office. No person, while acting as Governor-General, may receive any salary from the Commonwealth for any other office. 5, 6. Sessions of Parliament. —The GovernorGeneral is to have the usual power to summon and prorogue Parliament, and to dissolve the House of Eepresentatives. After a general election the Parliament must meet within thirty days from the return of the writs. There must be at least one session a year, and the first Parliament must meet within six months after the Commonwealth is established. 7. The Senators. —The Senators for each State are to be directly chosen by the people of the State. The Federal Parliament may make electoral divisions in each State; but, until it does so, each State is to be one electorate. Each original State (see section VI.) is to have an equal number of Senators. This number is at first to be six, but may be increased by the Parliament. [States which come in afterwards will not necessarily have equal representation, as that is a matter to be settled by the terms of admission ; see section 120.] The Senators are to be chosen for six years. 8, 9, 10.— Elections of Senators. —ln each State, Senators are to be elected on the same franchise as members of the House of Eepresentatives (see sections 30 and 41) ; and each elector may vote only once.