The 1856 Tasmanian colonial elections took place from 8 to 22 September 1856 (for the House of Assembly) and 6 to 17 October 1856 (for the Legislative Council). The elections were the first to be held under the Electoral Act 1856, which established responsible government in Tasmania (until 1 January 1856 called Van Diemen's Land) and created a bicameral parliament consisting of the 30-member Tasmanian House of Assembly and the 15-member Tasmanian Legislative Council.