A.—s

Yearly session of Parliament. 7. 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. Privileges, &c, of Houses. 8. The privileges, immunities, and powers of the Senate and of the House of Eepresentatives, and of the members and the Committees of each House, shall be such as are from time to time declared by the Parliament, and until declared shall be those of the Commons House of Parliament of the United Kingdom, and of its members and Committees, at the establishment of the Commonwealth. Pact ll.—The Senate. The Senate. 9. The Senate shall be composed of six Senators for each State, and each Senator shall have one vote. The Senators shall be directly chosen by the people of the State as one electorate. The Senators shall be chosen for a term of six years, and the names of the Senators chosen by each State shall be certified by the Governor to the Governor-General. The Parliament shall have power, from time to time, to increase or diminish the number of Senators for each State, but so that the equal representation of the several States shall be maintained and that no State shall have less than six Senators. 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, and if any elector votes more than once he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour. Mode of election of Senators. 10. The Parliament of the Commonwealth may make laws prescribing a uniform manner of choosing the Senators. Subject to such laws, if any, the Parliament of each State may determine the time, place, and manner of choosing the Senators for that State. Continuance of existing election laws until the Parliament otherwise provides. Until such determination, and unless the Parliament of the Commonwealth otherwise provides, the laws in force in the several States for the time being, relating to the following matters —namely, the manner of conducting elections for the more numerous House of the Parliament of the State, the proceedings at such elections, Returning Officers, the periods during which elections may be continued, and offences against the laws regulating such elections —shall, as nearly as practicable, apply to elections in the several States of Senators. Failure of a State to choose members not to prevent business. 11. The failure of any State to provide for its representation in the Senate shall not affect the power of the Senate to proceed to the despatch of business. Issue of writs. 12. For the purpose of holding elections of members to represent any State in the Senate the Governor of the State may cause writs to be issued by such persons, in such form and addressed to such Eeturning Officers as he thinks fit. Retirement of members. 13. As soon as practicable after the Senate first meets the Senators chosen for each State shall be divided by lot into two classes. The places of the Senators of the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the third year, and the places of those of the second class at the expiration of the sixth year, from the commencement of their term of service as herein declared, and afterwards there shall be an election every third year accordingly. For the purposes of this section the term of service of a Senator shall begin on and be reckoned from the first day of January next succeeding the day of his election, except in the case of the first election, when it shall be reckoned from the first day of January preceding the day of his election. The election to fill the places of Senators retiring by rotation shall be made in the year preceding the day on which they are to retire. How vacancies filled. 14. If the place of a Senator becomes vacant before the expiration of his term of service the Houses of Parliament of the State he represented shall, sitting and voting together, choose a person to fill the vacancy until the expiration of the term or until the election of a successor as hereinafter provided, whichever first happens. And if the Houses of Parliament of the State are in recess at the time when the vacancy occurs, the Governor of the State, with the advice of the Executive Council thereof, may appoint a person to fill the vacancy until the beginning of the next session of the Parliament of the State or until the election of a successor, whichever first happens. At the next general election of members of the House of Eepresentatives, or at the next election of Senators for the State, whichever first happens, a 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. Qualifications of member. 15. The qualifications of a Senator shall be those of a member of the House of Eepresentatives. Election of President of the Senate. 16. The Senate shall, at its first meeting and before proceeding to the despatch of any other business, choose a member to be President of the Senate; and as often as the office of President

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