What is the President of the Senate?

The President of the Senate is the presiding officer of the upper house of the federal Parliament. The President chairs the Senate during sittings, enforces the Standing Orders, calls senators to speak, maintains order, rules on points of procedure, and represents the Senate to external bodies. The current President is Sue Lines (Labor, Western Australia), elected on 26 July 2022 and continuing in office.

The President is elected by senators at the start of each Parliament or when a vacancy arises, in a similar process to the Speaker's election in the House. The convention is that the governing party's nominee wins, although the President is expected to act impartially in chair from that point on. The President continues to vote on Senate divisions like other senators but does not have a casting vote in addition to their personal vote.

The President's duties parallel the Speaker's in the House. The President calls the Senate to order at the start of each sitting day, presides over debate, recognises senators wishing to speak, rules on points of order, maintains discipline, names or suspends disorderly senators, and puts motions to the vote. During Question Time, the President manages the questioning of ministers in the Senate, rules on relevance of answers, and disciplines senators who interject inappropriately.

The President holds the symbolic Black Rod of the Senate, which is carried in procession at the start of each sitting day. The President's office is supported by the Clerk of the Senate, the Deputy President (who presides when the President is absent), and Temporary Chairs of Committees. The Deputy President is sometimes from a different party from the President, reflecting the Senate's more consensual character. Notable Presidents include Sir Richard Baker (the first President, 1901 to 1906), Margaret Reid (1996 to 2002, the first woman President), John Hogg (2008 to 2014), Stephen Parry (2014 to 2017, who resigned over a dual citizenship issue), Scott Ryan (2017 to 2022), and Sue Lines (from 2022). The President earns an additional salary similar to the Speaker on top of the base parliamentary salary.