Statistics by Parliament


You are currently viewing the Senate statistical archive. This site contains data to 31 December 2011. For information after that date, please see Senate StatsNet.

These statistics relate to legislation, questions, divisions and days and hours of meeting.

  • 31st Parliament - 12 February 1978 to 18 September 1980
      1978 1979 1980 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 211 192 156 559
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved 27 23 20 70
    Bills amended (including bills to which requests agreed to) 13 8 13 34
    Amendments/requests moved in committee of the whole 135 272 138 545
    Amendments/requests agreed to 52 45 98 195
    Bills referred to committees 2 0 1 3
    Questions without notice 2168 2205 1352 5725
    Questions placed on notice 1116 1199 894 3209
    Sitting days 76 71 50 197
    Hours of sitting 461 hrs 01 min 538 hrs 59 mins 372 hrs 25 mins 1372 hrs 25 mins
    Divisions 62 130 86 278
  • 32nd Parliament - 25 November 1980 to 16 December 1982
      1980 1981 1982 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 23 191 165 379
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved 4 32 37 73
    Bills amended (including bills to which requests agreed to) 2 19 23 44
    Amendments/requests moved in committee of the whole 17 442 228 687
    Amendments/requests agreed to 15 200 144 359
    Bills referred to committees 0 0 3 3
    Questions without notice 216 2033 1917 4166
    Questions placed on notice 243 1443 1700 3386
    Sitting days 7 72 73 152
    Hours of sitting 45 hrs 33 mins 520 hrs 56 mins 547 hrs 23 mins 1113 hrs 52 mins
    Divisions 7 124 113 244
  • 33rd Parliament - 21 April 1983 to 24 October 1984
      1983 1984 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 155 179 334
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved 39 34 73
    Bills amended (including bills to which requests agreed to) 20 27 47
    Amendments/requests moved in committee of the whole 344 331 675
    Amendments/requests agreed to 156 226 382
    Bills referred to committees 3 1 4
    Questions without notice 1473 1438 2911
    Questions placed on notice 647 587 1234
    Sitting days 63 63 126
    Hours of sitting 483 hrs 06 mins 492 hrs 41 mins 975 hrs 47 mins
    Divisions 103 115 218
  • 34th Parliament - 21 February 1985 to 5 June 1987
      1985 1986 1987 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 206 172 91 469
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved 53 73 27 153
    Bills amended (including bills to which requests agreed to) 33 40 17 90
    Amendments/requests moved in committee of the whole 262 559 293 1114
    Amendments/requests agreed to 149 233 143 525
    Bills referred to committees 3 3 2 8
    Questions without notice 1641 1903 899 4443
    Questions placed on notice 762 818 229 1809
    Sitting days 74 86 42 202
    Hours of sitting 516 hrs 53 mins 741 hrs 36 mins 320 hrs 06 mins 1578 hrs 35 mins
    Divisions 121 189 90 400
  • 35th Parliament - 14 September 1987 to 22 December 1989
      1987 1988 1989 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 96 163 210 469
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved 35 63 78 176
    Bills amended (including bills to which requests agreed to) 15 39 55 109
    Amendments/requests moved in committee of the whole 177 585 1038 1800
    Amendments/requests agreed to 61 316 639 1016
    Bills referred to committees 5 1 1 7
    Questions without notice 896 1735 1903 4534
    Questions placed on notice 170 589 698 1457
    Sitting days 42 89 92 223
    Hours of sitting 304 hrs 16 mins 740 hrs 01 min 751 hrs 36 mins 1795 hrs 53 mins
    Divisions 78 158 197 433
  • 36th Parliament - 8 May 1990 to 18 December 1992
      1990 1991 1992 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 144 211 260 615
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved 82 88 90 260
    Bills amended (including bills to which requests agreed to) 48 71 67 186
    Amendments/requests moved in committee of the whole 538 920* 955* 2413
    Amendments/requests agreed to 304 617 443 1364
    Bills referred to committees 22 41 55 118
    Questions without notice 1305 1900 1713 4918
    Questions placed on notice 423 1221 896 2540
    Sitting days 59 83 76 218
    Hours of sitting 475 hrs 57 mins 767 hrs 19 mins 728 hrs 31 mins 1971 hrs 47 mins
    Divisions 107 150 221 478

    * these figures also include amendments/requests moved as a result of the adoption of the report of a committee

  • 37th Parliament - 4 May 1993 to 30 November 1995
      1993 1994 1995 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 144 168 183 495
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved and items (etc.) opposed 51 76 94 221
    Bills amended (including bills in relation to which requests agreed to and items (etc.) negatived) 45 54 74 173
    Amendments/requests moved 553 1097 1181 2831
    Amendments/requests agreed to 355 771 809 1935
    Items (etc.) opposed 44 50 161 255
    Items (etc.) negatived 35 29 122 186
    Bills referred to committees 43 53 44 140
    Questions without notice 1181 1702 1464 4347
    Questions placed on notice 957 970 783 2710
    Sitting days 53 80 78 211
    Hours of sitting 521 hrs 12 mins 628 hrs 10 mins 637 hrs 15 mins 1786 hrs 37 mins
    Divisions 197 146 115 458
  • 38th Parliament - 30 April 1996 to 12 July 1998
      1996 1997 1998 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 85 224 110 419
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved and items (etc.) opposed 37 102 39 177
    Bills amended (including bills in relation to which requests agreed to and items (etc.) negatived) 27 81 38 146
    Amendments/requests moved 890 2207 1263 4360
    Amendments/requests agreed to 390 1337 661 2388
    Items (etc.) opposed 352 270 116 738
    Items (etc.) negatived 70 101 29 200
    Bills referred to committees 45 93 49 187
    Questions without notice 1469 1757 844 4070
    Questions placed on notice 373 641 195 1209
    Sitting days 71 82 42 195
    Hours of sitting 562 hrs 05 mins 740 hrs 40 mins 409 hrs 25 mins 1712 hrs 10 mins
    Divisions 197 289 157 643
  • 39th Parliament - 10 November 1998 to 27 September 2001
      1998 1999 2000 2001 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 29 206 181 171 587
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved and items (etc.) opposed 10 90 80 77 257
    Bills amended (including bills in relation to which requests agreed to and items (etc.) negatived) 6 73 67 53 199
    Amendments/requests moved 218 2147 1404 1289 5058
    Amendments/requests agreed to 119 1605 866 1013 3603
    Items (etc.) opposed 28 155 135 84 402
    Items (etc.) negatived 24 103 100 75 302
    Bills referred to committees 47 74 78 44 243
    Questions without notice 332 1671 1572 1050 4625
    Questions placed on notice 373 1434 1392 675 3874
    Sitting days 15 79 71 52 217
    Hours of sitting 131 hrs 24 mins 698 hrs 36 mins 631 hrs 50 mins 442 hrs 02 mins 1903 hrs 52 mins
    Divisions 59 224 115 66 464
  • 40th Parliament - 12 February 2002 to 30 August 2004
      2002 2003 2004 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 154 155 131 440
    Bills to which amendments/requests were moved and items (etc.) opposed 54 87 62 203
    Bills amended (including bills in relation to which requests agreed to and items etc.) negatived) 40 62 40 142
    Amendments/requests moved 750 1516 858 3124
    Amendments/requests agreed to 437 825 642 1904
    Items (etc.) opposed 77 204 189 470
    Items (etc.) negatived 26 115 132 273
    Bills referred to committees 55 68 47 170
    Questions without notice 1236 1333 807 3376
    Questions placed on notice 1054 1439 691 3184
    Sitting days 60 64 36 162
    Hours of sitting 539 hrs 07 mins 584 hrs 56 mins 387 hrs 14 mins 1511 hrs 17 mins
    Divisions 119 162 114 395
  • 41st Parliament - 16 November 2004 to 17 October 2007
      2004 2005 2006 2007 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 29 167 172 184 552
    Bills to which amendments/requests moved and provisions opposed in committee of the whole 15 66 76 65 222
    Bills amended (including bills in relation to which requests agreed to and provisions negatived) 8 37 26 20 91
    Amendments, requests etc moved in committee of the whole 134 1360 1078 1086 3658
    Amendments, requests etc agreed to 35 702 391 389 1517
    Bills referred to committees 21 65 100 71 257
    Questions without notice 223 1069 1111 737 3140
    Questions placed on notice 309 1149 1497 527 3482
    Sitting days 11 57 58 41 167
    Hours of sitting 93 hrs 21 mins 542 hrs 40 mins 571 hrs 32 mins 402 hrs 38 mins 1610 hrs 11 mins
    Divisions 19 217 299 197 732
  • 42nd Parliament - 12 February 2008 to 19 July 2010
      2008 2009 2010 Total
    Bills passed by the Senate 164 140 116 420
    Bills to which amendments/requests moved and provisions opposed in committee of the whole 48 58 35 141
    Bills amended (including bills in relation to which requests agreed to and provisions negatived) 34 38 26 98
    Amendments, requests etc moved in committee of the whole 833 1196 537 2566
    Amendments, requests etc agreed to 585 784 416 1785
    Bills referred to committees 92 112 76 280
    Questions without notice* 1050 1368 648 3066
    Questions placed on notice 1210 1304 470 2984
    Sitting days 52 53 24 129
    Hours of sitting 481 hrs 37 mins 515 hrs 56 mins 216 hrs 43 mins 1214 hrs 16 mins
    Divisions 151 202 91 444

    * On 24 November 2008 the format of question time was changed to allow 2 supplementaries per question

  • 43rd Parliament - 28 September 2010 to 5 August 2013*
      2010 2011
    Bills passed by the Senate 40 188
    Bills to which amendments/requests moved and/or provisions opposed in committee of the whole 10 65
    Bills amended (including bills in relation to which requests agreed to and provisions negatived) 5 33
    Amendments and/or requests moved in committee of the whole 225 651
    Amendments and/or requests agreed to 70 290
    Bills referred to committees 33 123
    Questions without notice 404 1 453
    Questions placed on notice 436 1 132
    Sitting days 16 56
    Hours of sitting 142 hrs 1 min 558 hrs
    Divisions 61 277

    * Please see Senate StatsNet for data relating to the remainder of the 43rd Parliament.