Parliament of Australia

What Parliament of Australia does

The Parliament of Australia is the federal legislative body of the Commonwealth of Australia, established under the Australian Constitution and convened for the first time in 1901. It comprises two chambers — the Senate (76 senators representing the states and territories) and the House of Representatives (151 members elected from single-member divisions) — and currently operates as the 48th Parliament, formally opened on 22 July 2025 following the 3 May 2025 federal election. The institution is headquartered at Australian Parliament House in Canberra and is funded through annual parliamentary appropriations rather than commercial revenue. Six parliamentary departments provide operational support: the Department of the Senate, the Department of the House of Representatives, the Department of Parliamentary Services (DPS), the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO), the Parliamentary Library, and the Parliamentary Education Office (PEO).

Core digital and physical infrastructure is delivered through a portfolio of in-house products built around the apph.gov.au domain. Information-access platforms include ParlInfo Search (parlinfo.aph.gov.au) for parliamentary records and documents, ParlWork (parlwork.aph.gov.au) for chamber-related material, My Parliament user accounts, and the Watch/Read/Listen streaming service for live and archived proceedings. Civic-participation platforms include the e-Petitions system, the online submission portal for committee inquiries, and committee work pages. Analytical instruments operated by the Parliamentary Budget Office include Build Your Own Budget (BYOB) and the Small Model of Australian Representative Taxpayers (SMART), while the Parliamentary Library publishes the Issues and Insights research series and maintains the Parliamentary Handbook covering biographical and parliamentary records from 1901 to the present. Educational products are delivered through the Parliamentary Education Office (peo.gov.au), supplemented by Senate Briefs and the 25 House of Representatives Infosheets.

The business model is entirely appropriations-based: the institution does not generate commercial revenue and provides core parliamentary services — including access to Hansard, attendance at debates, committee participation, petitions, and educational programs — free of charge to Australian citizens. A limited fee-based layer exists for venue hire, dining, and the Parliament Shop, but core activity is publicly funded. Customer segments comprise Australian citizens (primary, served through representation, petitions, and visitor programs), elected Senators and Members (served through procedural, research, and administrative support), and students and educators (served through formal education programs). Operational scale is anchored by over 3,500 personnel working on sitting days, nearly one million annual visitors to Australian Parliament House, 1,809 recorded e-petitions with more than 2.57 million total signatures, and approximately 1,200 questions on notice per year.

Name

Parliament of Australia

Legal name

Parliament of Australia

Website

https://aph.gov.au

Company type

Public

Founded year

1901

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Parliament of Australia is the federal legislative body established under the Australian Constitution in 1901, comprising the Senate (76 senators) and House of Representatives (151 members). Headquartered in Canberra and funded through government appropriations, it serves Australian citizens with democratic representation, civic engagement programs, and publicly accessible legislative services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Federal Legislative Services

NAICS

Legislative Bodies (921120), Legislative Bodies (92112), Public Finance Activities (92113), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (9211), Public Administration (92)

akta.pro primary industry

State Legislature/Regional Assembly Administration (BPAIABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

State/Provincial Treasury, Budget & Fiscal Management (BPAIABAC), Governor/Executive Office & Cabinet Administration (BPAIABAA)

Keywords

• Federal legislative services
• Parliamentary proceedings
• Legislative information systems
• Government civic education
• Democratic representation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Canberra

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Appropriation: Parliament is funded through government appropriations and does not generate commercial revenue. Services provided to citizens are free of charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Parliament of Australia is the federal legislative body of the Commonwealth of Australia, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. It makes federal laws, represents Australian citizens, exercises oversight of the executive government, and provides public access to parliamentary proceedings, documents, and educational resources through its digital portals and physical venue at Parliament House in Canberra. Services are funded through government appropriations and provided free of charge to the public.

Product overview

The Parliament of Australia website functions as a unified information and service portal for Australia's federal parliamentary system, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives. The core offering is the Parliamentary Business Portal, which provides access to bills, legislation, chamber documents, Hansard, committees, and statistics. Supporting services include the ParlInfo and ParlWork search systems, the Parliamentary Budget Office's analytical tools (BYOB, SMART), the Parliamentary Library with its Issues and Insights research series, the Parliamentary Handbook spanning 1901 to present, and the Parliamentary Education Office's learning resources. The site also delivers educational content through House of Representatives Infosheets and Senate Briefs, media streaming via Watch/Read/Listen, and civic engagement tools including e-Petitions. All services collectively enable public access to parliamentary processes, legislative tracking, and democratic participation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Parliamentary Business Portal A comprehensive portal providing public access to parliamentary proceedings, bills, legislation, chamber documents, Hansard transcripts, Senate estimates, committee activities, and statistics for citizens, parliamentarians, and researchers.
• ParlInfo Search A search system enabling lookup of parliamentary information, documents, and records across the Parliament of Australia. Used by parliamentarians, staff, researchers, and the public to access legislative and procedural data.
• ParlWork A tool providing access to parliamentary work documents and chamber-related information for senators, members, and parliamentary staff.
• Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) Tools Budget analytical tools including Build Your Own Budget (BYOB) and the Small Model of Australian Representative Taxpayers (SMART), used by parliamentarians, policymakers, and the public to explore the impact of economic assumptions and personal income tax policy settings.
• Parliamentary Library Research and information services providing parliamentarians with expert analysis, statistical data, mapping services, and the Issues and Insights publication series.
• Parliamentary Handbook The definitive reference resource on Australia's parliament containing biographical and parliamentary records from 1901 to the present, accessible online.
• Education Resources Educational resources provided by the Parliamentary Education Office to help students, teachers, and schools understand how the Australian Parliament and system of government works, including programs such as the National Youth Parliament and the Yarning Competition.
• House of Representatives Infosheets A series of 25 information sheets providing detailed explanations of the powers, practice, and procedure of the House of Representatives for students, researchers, and members of the public.
• Senate Briefs A series of information sheets providing basic introductions to the Senate and its work, covering topics from electing senators to parliamentary privilege.
• Watch, Read, Listen Live streaming and archived video and audio recordings of parliamentary chamber proceedings, available to the public.
• e-Petitions An online petition system enabling Australian citizens to create and sign petitions for presentation to the House of Representatives, supporting direct democratic participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 1 million visitors annually experiencing Australian democracy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Group of Eight (Go8) UniversitiescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026The Foreign Relations (State and Territory Arrangements) Amendment Bill 2026 affects international partnerships of research-intensive universities. The Group of Eight universities, representing Australia's research-intensive institutions, engaged with Parliament on deregulatory measures while noting the shift from 'foreign relations test' to 'national interest test' for assessing international partnerships.
• Republic of NaurucoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026Joint Standing Committee on Treaties conducting inquiry into the Agreement between Australia and Nauru relating to Air Services under the Vanuatu-Australia Nakamal Agreement framework.
• Republic of KiribaticoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Joint Standing Committee on Treaties conducting inquiry into the Agreement between Australia and Kiribati relating to Air Services.
• Kingdom of CambodiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Joint Standing Committee on Treaties conducting inquiry into the Agreement between Cambodia and Australia relating to Air Services.
• United States of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Joint Standing Committee on Treaties conducting inquiry into Framework Agreement on Cooperation in Aeronautics and the Exploration and Use of Airspace and Outer Space for Peaceful Purposes.
• CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2026Joint Standing Committee on Treaties conducting inquiry into the Agreement between Australia and Canada on Cooperation and Mutual Administrative Assistance in Customs Matters.
• Iranian CommunityminorOthers · 19 March 2026The Parliament passed migration laws affecting temporary visa holders from Iran and Lebanon, impacting members of the Iranian diaspora in Australia. The laws were subject to criticism from human rights advocates representing affected communities.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Parliament of New Zealand: The New Zealand Parliament (House of Representatives) is a unicameral Westminster-style legislature in a similar Commonwealth jurisdiction, sharing procedural norms, question-time practices, and select-committee inquiry models with the Australian Parliament.
• United States Congress: The US Congress (House of Representatives and Senate) is a federal bicameral legislature with extensive committee systems, a parallel Library of Congress, a non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, and live-streamed proceedings comparable to those of the Australian Parliament.
• Parliament of India: India's Parliament (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha) is a bicameral federal legislature in a comparable Commonwealth democracy, with comparable committee systems, question-hour practices, and parliamentary secretariats providing analogous support.
• National Assembly of France: France's Assemblée Nationale, paired with the Senate, forms a bicameral parliament whose committee work, question periods, and open legislative databases offer a directly comparable continental-European parallel to the Australian Parliament.
• National Diet of Japan: Japan's bicameral National Diet (House of Representatives and House of Councillors) provides a peer example of a Westminster-influenced Asian federal legislature with similar committee structures, question-time practices, and bilingual record-keeping.
• Parliament of the United Kingdom: The UK Parliament (House of Commons and House of Lords) is the closest analog: a bicameral Westminster-system legislature with similar procedural traditions, question time, committee inquiries, and Hansard record-keeping practices to those of the Australian Parliament.
• Parliament of Canada: Canada's Parliament, comprising the Senate and House of Commons, is a Westminster-style Commonwealth bicameral legislature with an independent Library of Parliament and Budget Officer, directly paralleling Australia's structure and support departments.
• German Bundestag: The Bundestag is the federal lower house of Germany's bicameral parliament, featuring committee inquiries, a parliamentary research service, public plenary broadcasts, and an analogous Petitions Committee, mirroring core functions of the Australian House of Representatives.
• European Parliament: The European Parliament is a directly elected supranational legislature with committee inquiries, e-petitions platform, parliamentary research services, and an open-data approach that closely parallels the digital and engagement infrastructure of the Australian Parliament.

Regional players

• Parliament of South Africa: The Parliament of South Africa (National Assembly and National Council of Provinces) is a Commonwealth bicameral legislature in a different region but with procedural, committee, and oversight structures closely analogous to those of the Australian Parliament.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/AboutTheHouse
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/athnews
• Facebookfacebook.com/aboutthehouseau
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/department-of-parliamentary-services
• Instagraminstagram.com/aboutthehouse.au

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Parliament of Australia