Double dissolution is a provision of the Constitution of Australia that allows for both houses of the federal Parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections to be held. This feature is intended to resolve political deadlocks. Specific conditions must be met before a double dissolution can be called. Only the governor general can call a double dissolution, and normally only on the advice of the prime minister. (The governor general is the official representative of the British monarch in the government of Australia . The British monarch is the official head of state of Australia .)
Australia’s Parliament has two houses—the Senate and the House of Representatives. Section 57 of the Constitution allows for the possibility of a double dissolution if, with an interval of at least three months, the Senate twice rejects or fails to pass a piece of legislation that has already been passed by the House or passes it with amendments to which the House will not agree. If these conditions are met, the prime minister can advise the governor general to call a double dissolution, provided that it takes place at least six months before the end of the House’s regular three-year term. After the governor general accepts the advice and dissolves both houses of Parliament, new elections are held for every seat in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
In some instances, a government facing strong opposition in Parliament may intentionally introduce legislation to bring about a double dissolution. In using this strategy, a government would hope to gain additional legislative seats in the election following the double dissolution. However, the government could lose its majority and be swept from power, so this tactic can be risky. The first double dissolution, in 1914, occurred under these circumstances. Prime Minister Joseph Cook led the Fusion Liberal Party, a forerunner of the modern Liberal Party . His party held a one-seat majority in the House of Representatives, and the Australian Labor Party had a majority in the Senate. His government introduced legislation that he knew would cause disagreement between the House and the Senate. After the two houses were unable to reach an agreement on the bill, the governor general approved Cook’s request for a double dissolution. But Labor won majorities in both houses, and Andrew Fisher , the Labor Party leader, replaced Cook as prime minister.
If the parliamentary deadlock continues after fresh elections have been held, the governor general can call a joint sitting (combined meeting) of both houses of Parliament in an attempt to resolve the issue. The only joint sitting occurred in 1974. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam took office in 1972 after leading the Labor Party to victory in House elections. His time in office coincided with an economic recession in Australia, and opposition politicians accused him of overspending on government programs. In 1974, after the Senate had twice refused to pass legislation introduced by Whitlam’s government, Whitlam requested a double dissolution. New elections were held, and in the following elections, no party secured a majority in the Senate. The bills were reintroduced, resulting in a joint sitting during which the bills were passed.
