How to register a political party
To register a political party in South Australia it must be either:
- a parliamentary party (a political party relying on a member of parliament for eligibility); or
- a political party whose membership includes 200 members who are on the electoral roll.
To be eligible to register as a parliamentary party in South Australia, it must have either:
- a member of parliament, which includes any member of the Parliament of South Australia; or
- a Senator for the State of South Australia; or
- a member of the House of Representatives chosen in the state of South Australia
An application for registration must be made in writing to the Electoral Commissioner of South Australia and must include:
- the name of the party and any proposed abbreviation; and
- the name, contact details and signature of the registered officer and party contact details; and
- the constitution of the party; and
- a $500 application fee (non refundable).
If the party is not a parliamentary party, the application must include:
- a document that sets out the names and addresses (as enrolled) of 200 electors who are members of the party on whom the party relies for the purpose of qualifying as an eligible political party; and
- declarations of membership (in the form determined by the Electoral Commissioner) completed and signed by the 200 members on whom the party relies for the purpose of qualifying as an eligible political party.
Download the application for the registration of a political party (PDF, 170KB).
For the full instructions and conditions on registering political parties see Part 6 of the Electoral Act 1985.
A registered political party has disclosure obligations under Part 13A of the Electoral Act. Visit our registered political parties page for more information.
Houses of parliament
There are a total of 69 members of parliament in South Australia and they represent the public. They are divided between two houses known as
- House of Assembly (Lower House)
- Legislative Council (Upper House)
Members of parliament get feedback from the public to put together laws and bills for the benefit of the community.
House of Assembly
The House of Assembly consists of 47 members. Each member represents one of the 47 electorates of South Australia. Each electorate is represented by a 'seat' in Parliament. Elections for the House of Assembly occur every 4 years at state elections. The political party or coalition of parties, that wins the most seats at the state election forms government. The leader of the winning political party becomes the Premier of South Australia.
The House of Assembly is where most legislation starts. Members of the House of Assembly introduce legislation. It is discussed and voted on. If it is supported by over 50% of the members, the legislation is passed by the House of Assembly. It is then sent to the Legislative Council for review.
A full list of members of the House of Assembly is available on the Parliament of South Australia website.
Legislative Council
The Legislative Council consists of 22 members. Members are elected for a term of 8 years. At each state election half of the Legislative Council seats are filled. Members for the other half of the seats are elected at the subsequent state election.
Legislative Council members review legislation that has been passed by the House of Assembly.
A full list of members of the Legislative Council is available on the Parliament of South Australia website.