Parliament
The Parliament of Xuande-Xiphoi is the supreme legislative body of the Republics & Kingdom of Xuande-Xiphoi. It possesses legislative power over all other political bodies in Xuande-Xiphoi. Parliament is tetracameral, possessing four houses. All four houses meet in the capital city, Revnami, at three venues.
The Houses of Parliament
The Legislative Process
The Legislative process in Xuande-Xiphoi is defined by the Constitution of Xuande-Xiphoi Act, and has been informed by centuries of Parliamentary process.
There does not exist a complete separation of powers within the Xuande-Xiphoian Parliamentary system, as all members of the Cabinet - forming the Executive of the Xuande-Xiphoian Government - sit as elected members of the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. The Head of State of Xuande-Xiphoi is the holder of the Office of Chair of the Republics & Kingdom Council. The Chair, within this role, possesses executive powers which control the governance of Parliament. The powers relevant to the Chair's independent exercise - though these powers are generally exercised with the consent of the whole Republics & Kingdom Council - of powers over Parliament's governance include:
There does not exist a complete separation of powers within the Xuande-Xiphoian Parliamentary system, as all members of the Cabinet - forming the Executive of the Xuande-Xiphoian Government - sit as elected members of the Legislative Assembly or the Legislative Council. The Head of State of Xuande-Xiphoi is the holder of the Office of Chair of the Republics & Kingdom Council. The Chair, within this role, possesses executive powers which control the governance of Parliament. The powers relevant to the Chair's independent exercise - though these powers are generally exercised with the consent of the whole Republics & Kingdom Council - of powers over Parliament's governance include:
- Refusal to assent to the ratification of a bill where that bill is clearly incompatible with the Constitution of Xuande-Xiphoi.
- To order a double dissolution of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council when no party can register the supply and confidence of a majority of the Legislative Assembly's membership.
- To chair a sitting of the Joint Sitting of Parliament to overcome legislative deadlocks, and to order a double dissolution of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council if the deadlock cannot be resolved.
- May order the dismissal of a Member of Parliament should they become ineligible to serve in Parliament under the Constitution of Xuande-Xiphoi or another law.
- May order a meeting of some or all of the houses of Parliament in extraordinary session.
Venues of Parliament
New Parliament House |
Forum Hall |
Old Parliament House |
New Parliament House is located in the Parliament Complex on the western banks of Revnami's Neike Harbour.
It is the permanent venue of the Citizen's Assembly and the Legislative Assembly. The New Parliament House itself is the largest building in the Parliamentary Complex. The lower floors of the building provide offices for the Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition and their staff, recognising their roles as Parliamentary Leaders. Spaces for Parliamentary Services and events are also prepared on the lower floors. The upper floors are where the Chambers are located. The Citizen's Assembly chamber is located to the western end of the building and the Legislative Assembly to the east. From the exterior view of the New Parliament House's facade of reflective windows, it is not obvious that inside are enclosed Chambers in archway floor designs, the straight rear walls of each chamber's floor designs oriented to the central President's Hall, from which most Members of Parliament enter the Chambers. Experiences from Old Parliament House revealed that exterior views could distract from Parliamentary procedures, so exterior windows were replaced with walls that direct the viewer's attention to the Presiding Officer's position. Skylights provide a view to the exterior weather and sunlight conditions for Parliamentarians benefit. Construction of New Parliament House concluded on the 1st of February, 2008, with the first Joint Parliamentary Convention held here on July 21, 2009. |
Forum Hall is located to the north of the Parliament Complex on the banks of the Magnusson River, which feeds the Neike Harbour.
It is the hosting venue of the Mayoral Conference, which is held every quarter. The Hall sits within Meredith Park, abutted to the south by the western tower of the Neike Harbour Bridge. The grounds surrounding the Hall provide a stunning vista of the Revnami New City and Neike Harbour Bridge. When the Mayoral Convention meets, the Hall's Parliamentary Room is set out in a hemicycle with three seats per Local Government Area, providing space for the Mayor or their Delegate and two aides. The hall provides all the facilities necessary for hosting regular meetings, including separate briefings and meetings between local government officers attending the Assembly. Construction of Forum Hall concluded on the 6th of April, 2007. Forum Hall is used as an events and conference hall when not hosting the Mayoral Conference. |
Old Parliament House is located further upriver from the Forum Hall on the Magnusson River.
Old Parliament House, built in 1860, stands at the apex of Meridian Hill in the Revnami Botanic Gardens, with commanding views of the Magnusson River and Magnusson Falls. The Legislative Council meets in the Forum Council Chambers of Old Parliament House, where Councillors have a view from the Northwestern Observatory window over the falls. The old Forum Assembly Chamber, which previously sat up to 1,000 Assembly Members in it's legislative role, has been remodelled into a heritage-listed reception chamber which is used for the reception of diplomats, oath-taking of Members of Parliament and other officials, and for other appointment ceremonies. It seats up to 4,000 persons across two levels, and has a south-eastern orientated vista window where Revnami's Old and New cities form a landscape. The heritage-listed building is one of three 'Buildings of State and Union' on the Botanical Gardens site. The Forum Hall is the southern-most one and the only one on located 'after' the Magnusson River waterfalls. To the north are the Nonus National Archive Building, built 1803; and the Revnami Cathedral, built 1848. |
The Parliamentary Complex
The Parliament is contained within the Parliamentary Complex Special Regional Government Area, which is considered to be directly controlled by the Government of Xuande-Xiphoi. The current Administrator of the Authority is Mr. Dylan Murdoch CS.
The Parliamentary Complex occupies an area of XXXX on the eastern bank of the Neike Harbour, as well as additional waterfront land on the Sanders Arm and the Magnusson River.
Major facilities within the Parliamentary Complex include:
The Parliamentary Complex features a public transportation system utilising light rail, linking the four Parliamentary venues to other major sites. While separate to the greater Revnami public transport network, Nonus Public Transport cards work for this service. An underground public transport system linking key locations is also installed for mixed traffic, however this area is security enhanced for the use of Members of Parliament and senior government staff only.
The Parliamentary Complex occupies an area of XXXX on the eastern bank of the Neike Harbour, as well as additional waterfront land on the Sanders Arm and the Magnusson River.
Major facilities within the Parliamentary Complex include:
- The four houses of Parliament;
- King's Gifted House, the meeting venue for the Republics & Kingdom Council;
- State House, the official residence of the Chair of the Republics & Kingdom Council, located directly north (across the street) from King's Gifted House;
- Point Luhas House, at the southern end of the complex, the official residence of the Prime Minister;
- The eastern part of the Neike Harbour Bridge and Meredith Park;
- The Parliamentary Dormitories, a series of six buildings that accommodate members of Parliament;
- The inner Parliamentary Complex, which includes the New Parliament House and 34 office and facilities blocks accommodating ministerial buildings, ambassadorial offices for some foreign nations, and a Xuande-Xiphoian National Police station;
- The Parade Ground, which separates New Parliament House and Pavillion Drive, a large grass oval park used for state ceremonies and as a parkland outside of events;
- Pavillion Drive, named for Joseph Pavillion, a row of low-rise office buildings hosting foreign embassies of major Xuande-Xiphoian partner nations looking over Neike Harbour;
- In the southernmost part of the Area, the Xuande-Xiphoian Armed Services Headquarters;
- In the westernmost part of the Area, the Xuande-Xiphoian National Police Headquarters;
- In the northern part of the Area, bordering Nonus Highway 1, the twin headquarters of the Ministries of Internal Affairs and Foreign Affairs.
- North of Nonus Highway 1 along the east bank of the Sanders Arm, parliamentary offices for the members of the Legislative Assembly and Council and their staffs.
- Along the West bank of Sanders arm, in the lower "triangle" of land between Sanders Arm and the Mangusson River, the large Parliamentary Library & Press.
- Monuments, sculptures, parks and public art dotted all throughout the Complex.
The Parliamentary Complex features a public transportation system utilising light rail, linking the four Parliamentary venues to other major sites. While separate to the greater Revnami public transport network, Nonus Public Transport cards work for this service. An underground public transport system linking key locations is also installed for mixed traffic, however this area is security enhanced for the use of Members of Parliament and senior government staff only.