Commonwealth of Australia Constitution
Disagreement between the Houses.
- Jurisdiction
- Australia
- Provision
- 57
- Source language
- English
- Recorded status
- in force
More details
- Recorded status
- in force
Provision text
Official sourceIf the House of Representatives passes any proposed law, and the Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which the House of Representatives will not agree, and if after an interval of three months the House of Representatives, in the same or the next session, again passes the proposed law with or without any amendments which have been made, suggested, or agreed to by the Senate, and the Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which the House of Representatives will not agree, the Governor-General may dissolve the Senate and the House of Representatives simultaneously. But such dissolution shall not take place within six months before the date of the expiry of the House of Representatives by effluxion of time. If after such dissolution the House of Representatives again passes the proposed law, with or without any amendments which have been made, suggested, or agreed to by the Senate, and the Senate rejects or fails to pass it, or passes it with amendments to which the House of Representatives will not agree, the Governor-General may convene a joint sitting of the members of the Senate and of the House of Representatives. The members present at the joint sitting may deliberate and shall vote together upon the proposed law as last proposed by the House Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act (The Constitution) 25 Compilation No. 6 Compilation date: 29/7/77 Registered: 18/11/21 Rectified Authorised Version registered 13/05/2026 C2013Q00005 Chapter I. The Parliament. Part V. Powers of the Parliament. Section 58. of Representatives, and upon amendments, if any, which have been made therein by one House and not agreed to by the other, and any such amendments which are affirmed by an absolute majority of the total number of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives shall be taken to have been carried, and if the proposed law, with the amendments, if any, so carried is affirmed by an absolute majority of the total number of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, it shall be taken to have been duly passed by both Houses of the Parliament, and shall be presented to the Governor-General for the Queen’s assent.
Source record
Source and verification
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution · legislation.gov.au · Retrieved 18 August 2026.
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