President of the South Australian Legislative Council
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The Honourable (within the Commonwealth)
Joint Parliamentary Services Committee
 President of the Legislative Council Parliament of South Australia | |
|---|---|
 Crest of the South Australian Legislative Council | |
since 3 May 2022 | |
| Style | Madam/Mr President (informal and within the house) The Honourable (within the Commonwealth) |
| Member of | Legislative Council Joint Parliamentary Services Committee |
| Appointer | Elected by the South Australian Legislative Council |
| Term length | At His Majesty's pleasure with the confidence of the House or until resignation |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution Act 1934 (Sections 23-25) |
| Precursor | Governor (1836-1851) Speaker (1851-1857) |
| Inaugural holder | James Hurtle Fisher |
| Formation | 22 April 1857 |
| Salary | $326,550 (including $186,600 MP salary + 75%) |
| Website | Official website |
The President of the South Australian Legislative Council is the presiding officer of the South Australian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of South Australia. The other presiding officer is the speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly.[1]
The current President of the Legislative Council is Liberal Party member, Terry Stephens, who has served since 2022, and previously served in 2020.
Election of President
The President of the Legislative Council is elected by all Members of the Council to chair over the proceedings of the Council, must be seen as impartial and authoritative in maintaining order and enforcement of the Standing Orders (or rules and procedures of the Council) of the Council.[2]
The President, along with the Speaker of the House of Assembly are both members of the Joint Parliamentary Service Committee, which regulates the functions and operations of the Parliament, and its staff.[3]
The election of the Office of President is governed by Chapter III of the Standing Orders. If an election of the President is required, members of the Council are asked to submit nominations, which must be seconded by another member. If at the time of the election, there are no other nominations for the position, the nominee is deemed elected unopposed; however, if more than two Members have been nominated, then a secret ballot is held, with the nominee with the majority of the votes of the Members present becoming President; but if no candidate has a majority, then a process whereby the name of the Member who has the smallest number of votes is removed and another ballot held. This continues until the number of nominees is reduced to two, and then the nominee of those final two with the majority of votes is elected President.[2]
2020 Deadlocked Ballot
In 2020, the election of President saw an unusual deadlock contest between Liberal Party nominee Jing Lee and John Dawkins, a former Liberal member nominated by the Labor Party and the cross-bench. After two consecutive ballots, which resulted in an 11–11 deadlock, the tie-break procedure under Section 20 of the Standing Orders was triggered. Per the rules, both names were placed in a box; the Clerk of the Legislative Council drew John Dawkins' name first, officially electing him President.[2][4]
Absence of president
Unlike the House of Assembly's Deputy Speaker, the Legislative Council has no formal deputy to the President. If the President needs to leave the chair during a sitting period, the President may select another member of the Council to act in their place; and in the absence of the President in any other occasion, the Standing Orders direct that the Council shall select another member to fill the office until the next meeting of the Council.[2]
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