Agent TypeOrganisationHistoryPrior to 1851 the area of Australia now known as Victoria was part of the colony of New South Wales and was administered by the Government of New South Wales in Sydney. On 5 August 1850, the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed the Australian Colonies Government Act which made provision for the separation of Victoria from New South Wales.[2] Enabling legislation was passed by the Parliament of New South Wales, and Victoria was formally created a separate colony of the United Kingdom on 1 July 1851.
The Australian Colonies Government Act provided for the colony to be administered by a Lieutenant-Governor and a Legislative Council of 51 members, 21 of which were to be elected and the remainder appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor. The Lieutenant-Governor was subordinate in some matters to the Governor of New South Wales, who was given the title Governor-General. The Legislative Council met for the first time in November 1851 at St Patrick's Hall, Melbourne.
The first Legislative Council existed for five years and was responsible for at least three significant and enduring contributions to the parliamentary system of Victoria:
It drafted the Victorian Constitution, which provides the framework for the system of government in Victoria;
It introduced the secret ballot, an innovation at the time but now common around the world; and
It ordered the construction of the Victorian Parliament House in Melbourne.
The Victorian Constitution was approved by the Legislative Council in March 1854, was sent to Britain where it was passed by the United Kingdom Parliament as the Victoria Constitution Act 1855, was granted Royal Assent on 16 July 1855 and was proclaimed in Victoria on 23 November 1855.[3][4] The Constitution established the Westminster-style system of responsible government that continues in Victoria today.[5]
The election for the first Victorian Parliament was held during the spring of 1856, the first Victorian Members of Parliament met on 21 November 1856 in the recently completed Parliament House and were sworn in, and on 25 November 1856 the first Victorian Parliament was officially opened by Acting Governor Major-General Edward Macarthur.[6] The Legislative Council consisted of thirty members representing six Provinces, each province returning five Members.[7] The Legislative Assembly consisted of sixty members representing thirty-seven multi and single-member electorates.[8]
Until November 2006, the Legislative Council had 44 members serving eight-year terms, elected from single-member constituencies, with half the seats falling vacant every four years. Since then it has had 40 members, each serving four-year terms, and elected from eight multi-member constituencies, each returning five members, elected by proportional representation. Since 2006, the Legislative Assembly has had 88 members elected for fixed four-year terms from single-member constituencies, using preferential voting.
Parliament has sat at Parliament House, Melbourne since 1856, with the exception of the period 1901-1927, when Parliament House was used by the Federal Parliament and the Parliament of Victoria sat at the Royal Exhibition Building
![[2018.0101] ADDRESS TO COMMISSIONERS OF ENQUIRY INTO VICTORIAN TECHNICAL EDUCATION, INCLUDING UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE](/img/placeholder.gif?1741633888 "[2018.0101] ADDRESS TO COMMISSIONERS OF ENQUIRY INTO VICTORIAN TECHNICAL EDUCATION, INCLUDING UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE")