17

A.—s

The Bill.

South Australia, as for the time being are parts of the Commonwealth, and such colonies or territories as may be admitted into or established by the Commonwealth as States ; and each of such parts of the Commonwealth shall be called a " State." " Original State " shall mean such States as are parts of the Commonwealth at its establishment. VII. " The Federal Council of Australasia Act, 1885," is hereby repealed, but so as not to affect any laws passed by the Federal Council of Australasia and in force at the establishment of the Commonwealth. Any such law may be repealed as to any State by the Parliament of the Commonwealth, or as to any colony not being a State by the Parliament thereof. VIII. After the passing of this Act " The Colonial Boundaries Act, 1895," shall not apply to any colony which becomes a State of the Commonwealth, but the Commonwealth shall be taken to be a self-governing colony for the purposes of that Act. IX. The Constitution of the Commonwealth shall be as follows :— The Constitution. This Constitution is divided as follows :—■ Chapter I.—The Parliament. Part I.—General. Part ll.—The Senate. Part lll.—The House of Eepresentatives. Part IV.—Both Houses of the Parliament. Part V.—Powers of the Parliament. Chapter ll.—The Executive Government. Chapter lll.—The Judicature. Chapter IV.—Finance and Trade. Chapter V.-—The States. Chapter VI. —New States. Chapter VII. —Miscellaneous. Chapter Vlll.—Alteration of the Constitution. The Schedule. CHAPTEE I.—THE PAELIAMENT. Pact 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 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.

3—A. 5.

Explanation.

r Section IX. introduces the Constitution, which is divided into Chapters, Parts, and Sections. Sections 1 to 6. The Federal Parliament consists of (1) the Queen, represented by a Governor-General, or, in his absence, an Administrator, salary £10,000, alterable by the Parliament; (2) a Senate ; (3) a House of Eepresentatives. The first Parliament must be summoned for business within six months after establishment of Commonwealth. Until the federal capital is fixed by federal law the Parliament must be summoned to meet at such place within the Commonwealth as a majority of the Governors of States shall direct. (See section 124.) The Governor-General may prorogue the Parliament, and may dissolve the House of Eepresentatives, and in certain special cases under section 57 he may dissolve the Senate. There must be annual sessions.