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Difficulty: MediumThe House of Representatives

The Australian Federal Parliament consists of the King (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate, and the House of Representatives. How is the number of members in the House of Representatives for each state and territory determined?

  1. The number of members is based on the population of the state or territory.Answer
  2. B
    Each state is represented by an equal number of members, regardless of its population.
  3. C
    The number of members is based on the geographic land size of the state or territory.

Answer

The number of members for the House of Representatives is determined based on the population of each state and territory.
The correct answer is that membership is based on population because the House of Representatives is designed to represent the Australian people. The country is divided into electorates, and each electorate elects one member. Because each electorate must have a similar number of voters, states with higher populations are divided into more electorates and thus have more members.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the primary purpose of the House of Representatives.
It is known as the 'People's House' and represents the interests of individuals in their local electorates.
Understanding the representative nature of the house clarifies why population is the key metric.
2
Distinguish between the two houses of Federal Parliament.
The Senate has equal representation for states, while the House of Representatives has representation based on population.
Contrasting the two houses prevents common confusion regarding how seats are allocated.
3
Conclude how seats are distributed.
Australia is divided into electorates with roughly equal numbers of voters; therefore, states with more people have more electorates and more members.
This confirms that population density directly dictates the number of members.

Key Concept

Proportional Representation in the House of Representatives

Hints

1
Think about why the House of Representatives is often called the 'People's House'.
2
Does it make more sense for a house representing the 'people' to be based on the number of people (population) or the size of the land?

Practice More

Review the composition of the Senate to understand how it differs from the House of Representatives.
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

The House of Representatives

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