A.—s

42

The Bill.

successor shall, if the term has not then expired, be chosen to hold the place from the date of his election until the expiration of the term. The name of any senator so chosen or appointed shall be certified by the Governor of the State to the Governor-General. 16. The qualifications of a senator shall be the same as those of a member of the House of Representatives. 17. The Senate shall, before proceeding to the despatch of any other business, choose a senator to be the President of the Senate ; and as often as the office of President becomes vacant the senate shall again choose a senator to be President. The President shall cease to hold his office if he ceases to be a senator. He may be removed from office by a vote of the Senate, or he may resign his office or his seat by writing addressed to the Governor-General. 18. Before or during any absence of the President, the Senate may choose a senator to perform his duties in his absence. 19. A senator may, by writing addressed to the President, or to the Governor-General if there is no President or if the President is absent from the Commonwealth, resign his place, which thereupon shall become vacant. 20. The place of a senator shall become vacant if for two consecutive months of any session of the Parliament he, without the permission of the Senate, fails to attend the Senate. 21. Whenever a vacancy happens in the Senate, the President, or if there is no President or if the President is absent from the Commonwealth, the Governor-General, shall notify the same to the Governor of the State in the representation of which the vacancy has happened. 22. Until the Parliament otherwise provides, the presence of at least one-third of the whole number of the senators shall be necessary to constitute a meeting of the Senate for the exercise of its powers. 23. Questions arising in the Senate shall be determined by a majority of votes, and each senator shall have one vote. The President shall in all cases be entitled to a vote; and when the votes are equal the question shall pass in the negative. Pact lll.—House of Repbesentatives. 24. The House of Representatives shall be composed of members directly chosen by the people of the Commonwealth, and the number of such members shall be, as nearly as practicable, twice the number of the senators. The number of members chosen in the several States shall be in proportion to the respective numbers of their people, and shall, until the Parliament otherwise provides, be determined, whenever necessary, in the following manner :— (1.) A quota shall be ascertained by dividing the number of the people' of the Commonwealth, as shown by the latest statistics of the Commonwealth, by twice the number of the senators. (2.) The number of members to be chosen in each State shall be determined by dividing the number of the people of the State, as shown by the latest statistics of the Commonwealth, by the quota; and if on such

Explanation.

16. Qualifications of Senator. —The qualifications of a Senator are to be the same as those of a member of the House of Representatives (see section 34). 17. The President.—The Senate is to choose its own President, and may remove him. 18 to 23. Miscellaneous. —These are sections of minor importance, providing for the absence of the President, the resignation of Senators, vacancies by absence, the notification of vacancies, a quorum of the Senate, and voting in the Senate. 24 to 27. Members of the House. —The members cf the House of Representatives are to be directly chosen by the people of the Commonwealth, in proportion to population. The number of members of the House is to be, as nearly as possible, twice the number of all the Senators; and with a view to this, the number of members for each State is to be found (until the Parliament provides a different method) as follows: Divide the population of the Commonwealth by twice the number of Senators; the result—the "quota," as it is called —is the number of people to each member; and each State is to have a member for each quota of its population. If a fraction greater than one-half the quota remains, the State is to have one more member. But notwithstanding these'provisions, each .Original State (see section VI.) is to have at least five members. In reckoning population, persons disqualified, by reason of their race, from voting in their own State,