The
Australian House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers) of the
Parliament of Australia. It is referred to as the
lower house, with the
Senate being referred to as the
upper house. The term in office of members of the House of Representatives is a maximum of three years from the date of the first sitting of the House, but may be abridged if an early election is called or if Parliament is dissolved. A member of the House may be referred to as a "Member of Parliament" ("MP" or "Member"), while a member of the Senate is usually referred to as a "Senator".