The Opening of Parliament
Yesterday, 22 July 2025, marked the formal opening of the 48th Parliament. This date was set by the Governor-General, Her Excellency the Honourable Ms Sam Mostyn AC, who issued a proclamation calling the Parliament together following the federal election held on 3 May 2025.
The broadcast of the proceedings is available on the Australian Parliament House Streaming Channel.
Welcome to Country
The opening day of the new Parliament began with a Welcome to Country ceremony, provided for in House standing orders and a resolution of the Senate.
Yesterday’s ceremony was held in the Great Hall at Parliament House, led by Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan, and followed by a smoking ceremony on the Parliament House Forecourt.
Image above: Ngunnawal elder Aunty Violet Sheridan delivers the Welcome to Country on the opening day of the 48th Parliament. Courtesy of AUSPIC.
The House of Representatives acknowledges both the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples as the traditional custodians of the Canberra area. For the opening of the previous Parliament, in 2022, the Welcome to Country was performed by the House family as representatives of the Ngambri community.
Assembly of members
Five minutes before the time specified by the Governor-General’s proclamation, the bells rang throughout Parliament House to call members and senators to their respective chambers.
Before the bells stopped ringing, the Serjeant-at-Arms placed the Mace (a symbol of the authority of the House and the Speaker) below the Table. This act signified that the House was not properly constituted because it had not yet elected a Speaker.
When the bells stopped, the Clerk of the House read the proclamation calling the Parliament together. Shortly afterwards, the Usher of the Black Rod, the Senate’s counterpart to the House’s Serjeant-at-Arms, was admitted to the Chamber to announce a message from the Deputy appointed by the Governor-General, the Hon Stephen Gageler AC, Chief Justice of the High Court of Australia, inviting members to attend the Senate Chamber.
Members then travelled in procession to the Senate Chamber to hear the Deputy formally declare the Parliament open.
Swearing in of members
Following the Deputy’s address, members returned to the House of Representatives Chamber to be sworn in where the Hon Michelle Gordon AC, a Justice of the High Court of Australia authorised by the Governor-General, took the Speaker’s Chair.
The Clerk read to the House the judge’s authorisation to administer the oath or affirmation of allegiance and tabled the returns to the writs, which indicates the member elected for each electoral division.
Members were called to the Table in groups to either swear an oath or make an affirmation, and sign the oath or affirmation form.
Image above: Members of the House of Representatives being sworn in on the opening day of the 48th Parliament. Courtesy of AUSPIC.
Election of Speaker
After members were sworn in, the Clerk presided over the election of a Speaker and called for nominations. The Hon Milton Dick MP, who served as Speaker during the previous Parliament, was re-elected unopposed as Speaker for the 48th Parliament.
Mr Dick thanked the House before taking the chair as Speaker. The Serjeant-at-Arms placed the Mace on the Table to signify that the House was properly constituted.
Image above: The Hon Milton Dick MP being led to the Speaker’s Chair after being elected as Speaker in the 48th Parliament. Courtesy of AUSPIC.
Governor-General’s speech
Later in the day, the Speaker, preceded by the Serjeant-at-Arms and accompanied by the clerks and members, again walked in procession from the House to the Senate, where the Governor-General made her opening speech.
The opening speech is a formal declaration of the causes of the calling together of the Parliament, and contains a brief review of the affairs of the nation and a forecast of the government’s proposed program of legislation.
At the conclusion of the speech, a copy was presented to the President of the Senate and the Speaker. The Governor-General left the Senate Chamber, and the Speaker and members returned in procession to the House.
Formal business
Before the Governor-General’s speech was reported to the House by the Speaker, the House undertook some ‘formal business’. This tradition is a symbolic declaration by the House that it is master of its own program of business.
Traditionally, the formal business takes the form of the presentation and first reading of a bill. This bill is termed the ‘formal’ or ‘privilege’ bill. It is non-contentious and may not be proceeded with further.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister, the Hon Anthony Albanese MP, presented the Therapeutic Goods Amendment Bill 2025 and moved that the second reading be made an order of the day for the next sitting.
Announcements by the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition (and other party leaders) of the composition of the ministry and party appointments also took place at this time.
The Speaker then formally reported the Governor-General’s speech to the House and a committee, consisting of the Prime Minister, Ms Ali France MP and Ms Sarah Witty MP, was appointed to prepare and deliver an ‘Address in Reply’ later in the day. The Address in Reply is a resolution expressing loyalty to the King and thanking the Governor-General for the speech.
Other business
The House was then free to proceed to other business before adjourning for the day. Business conducted included elections of the Deputy Speaker and Second Deputy Speaker, nominations of members for the Speakers’ Panel and a motion to agree to the 2025 program of sittings.
Want to find out more?
For more information about the opening of Parliament, refer to Infosheet 9 - A new Parliament and the Australian House of Representatives’ YouTube channel.
Visiting Parliament House
Information on visiting Parliament House is available on the Visit Parliament webpage. Visitor Services can be contacted on 02 6277 5399 (International +61 2 6277 5399) or by email at visitorservices@aph.gov.au.