The president of the South Australian Legislative Council is the presiding officer of the South Australian Legislative Council, the upper house of the Parliament of South Australia. The other presiding officer is the speaker of the South Australian House of Assembly.
The current president of the Legislative Council is Labor Party member, Reggie Martin, who has served since 2026.
Function and election The president of the Legislative Council is elected by all members of the Council to chair over the proceedings of the council, must be seen as impartial and authoritative in maintaining order and enforcement of the standing orders (or rules and procedures of the council) of the council.
The President, along with the Speaker of the House of Assembly are both members of the Joint Parliamentary Service Committee, which regulates the functions and operations of the Parliament, and its staff.
Election of President The election of the Office of President is governed by Chapter III of the standing orders. If an election of the president is required, members of the council are asked to submit nominations, which must be seconded by another member. If at the time of the election, there are no other nominations for the position, the nominee is deemed elected unopposed; however, if more than two members have been nominated, then a secret ballot is held, with the nominee with the majority of the votes of the members present becoming president; but if no candidate has a majority, then a process whereby the name of the member who has the smallest number of votes is removed and another ballot held. This continues until the number of nominees is reduced to two, and then the nominee of those final two with the majority of votes is elected president.
2020 deadlocked ballot In 2020, the election of president saw an unusual deadlock contest between Liberal Party nominee Jing Lee and John Dawkins, a former Liberal member nominated by the Labor Party and the cross-bench. After two consecutive ballots, which resulted in an 11–11 deadlock, the tie-break procedure under Section 20 of the standing orders was triggered. Per the rules, both names were placed in a box; the clerk of the Legislative Council drew John Dawkins' name first, officially electing him president.
Absence of president Unlike the House of Assembly's deputy speaker, the Legislative Council has no formal deputy to the president. If the president needs to leave the chair during a sitting period, the president may select another member of the council to act in their place; and in the absence of the president in any other occasion, the standing orders direct that the council shall select another member to fill the office until the next meeting of the council.
History Between 1836 and 1851, the Legislative Council was established with members wholly nominated by the Crown, the governor of South Australia appointed as the presiding officer, firstly by letters patent and then by the subsequent passage of the South Australia Act 1842. After a series of reforms in 1850 and 1851, the governance of South Australia created a partially representative Legislative Council, with the role of presiding officer of the council fulfilled by a speaker elected by the members of the council.
Since the passage of the Constitution Act 1856, establishing true democratic self-governance, and subsequent reforms to the Constitution of South Australia, the Legislative Council has been presided over by the president.
Presidents of the Legislative Council Governor as presiding officer (1836-1851) From the establishment of the Council in 1836 until the reforms in 1851, the covernor of South Australia presided over the Legislative Council. OrderPresiding OfficerPortraitOfficeTerm commencedTerm endedTerm in office1John HindmarshGovernor28 December 183616 July 18382George GawlerGovernor17 October 183815 May 19413George GreyGovernor15 May 184125 October 18454Frederick Holt RobeGovernor25 October 18452 August 18485Henry Fox YoungGovernor2 August 184821 February 1851
Speaker as presiding officer (1851-1857) Between 1851 and 1857, the speaker was the presiding officer of the Legislative Council.
OrderPresiding OfficerPortraitTerm commencedTerm endedTerm in office1John Morphett20 August 185115 August 18552 James Hurtle Fisher1 November 18552 February 1857
Presidents as presiding officers (Since 1857) In 1857, following constitutional reforms, the presiding officer of the Legislative Council was called the president. OrderPresidentPortraitPartyTerm commencedTerm endedTerm in office1 James Hurtle Fisher22 April 18572 February 18652John Morphett31 March 18652 April 18733William Milne25 July 1873 19 April 18814Henry Ayers2 June 1881 19 December 18935Richard Baker 19 December 18939 May 19016Lancelot Stirling18 July 190124 May 19327David GordonLiberal and Country League7 July 193229 February 19448Walter Gordon DuncanLiberal and Country League20 July 19443 March 19629Les DensleyLiberal and Country League12 April 19627 March 196710Lyell McEwinLiberal and Country League / Liberal Party8 March 196711 July 197511Frank PotterLiberal Party5 August 197526 February 197812Arthur WhyteLiberal Party of Australia28 February 19787 December 198513Anne LevyLabor Party11 February 198613 April 198914Gordon BruceLabor Party13 April 198911 December 199315Peter DunnLiberal Party10 February 199410 October 199715Jamie IrwinLiberal Party2 December 19978 February 200216Ron RobertsLabor Party5 March 200217 March 200617Bob SneathLabor Party27 April 20065 October 201218John GazzolaLabor Party16 October 20125 May 201419Russell WortleyLabor Party6 May 20142 May 201820Andrew McLachlanLiberal Party3 May 20186 February 202021Terry StephensLiberal Party5 February 20208 September 2020(1st Term)22John DawkinsIndependent8 September 202019 March 202223Terry StephensLiberal Party3 May 202220 March 2026(2nd Term)24Reggie MartinLabor Party5 May 2026Present
References
Statistical Record of the Legislature 1836 - 2007