How many members constitute a quorum in the House of Representatives?

A quorum in the Australian House of Representatives is one-fifth of the total membership, currently 30 members of the 151-seat chamber. The quorum is set by section 39 of the Australian Constitution and is the minimum number of members required to be present for the House to transact business legally.

If the House is not at quorum, no business can be done. Any member can call attention to the lack of quorum, after which the bells are rung for four minutes to summon members to the chamber. If the quorum is still not present, the House is adjourned until the next sitting day. The Senate has its own quorum, set by section 22 of the Constitution at one-third of the total membership, currently 26 of 76 senators.

In practice, quorum calls happen occasionally during low-attendance periods. Question Time, divisions, and major debates always attract a quorum or more. Some procedural sessions, particularly late at night or during constituency periods, can fall below quorum and provoke a quorum call. Both major parties have whips who manage attendance and prompt members to return to the chamber when needed.

The federal Constitution's quorum provisions reflect 1901-era assumptions about attendance and travel. Modern Parliament Houses include separate offices for each member where work continues outside the chamber. Members attend the chamber for divisions, speeches, ministerial statements, and questions, but spend much time in offices, committee meetings, constituency events, and intergovernmental discussions. The quorum rule has been suggested for constitutional amendment by some commentators, with proposals to reduce or increase the threshold, but the constitutional provisions have not been changed by referendum since federation. Various state and territory parliaments have their own quorum rules under their own constitutions and standing orders.