Legislative Assembly Parliament of Victoria Fact Sheet 30 Roles within the Legislative Assembly Speaker The Speaker (also known as a presiding officer) is elected by members of the Assembly and has a number of different roles to fill. Although the Speaker is a member of a political party (usually the one which holds government) he or she must treat all members equally when chairing debates. The Speaker is the Assembly’s representative at official functions, as well as the administrative head of the Legislative Assembly and, with the President, the Department of Parliamentary Services. Further information: • Fact Sheet 23: The Speaker Deputy Speaker The Deputy Speaker chairs debates whenever requested by the Speaker. The Deputy Speaker normally chairs the debate during the consideration in detail stage of a bill’s progress (when the bill is examined clause by clause and amendments may be made). Further information: • Fact Sheet 17: Amendments to Bills — A Practical Guide • Fact Sheet 23: The Speaker • Information Sheet How a Law is Made in Victoria Premier The leader of the party or coalition which has the support of the majority of members in the Assembly is sworn in as the Premier of Victoria. The Premier is the chief minister of the government and heads the Department of Premier and Cabinet. There is no limit on how many years a Premier can serve. Victoria’s longest serving Premier was Sir Henry Bolte who was in office for over 17 years 2 Legislative Assembly of Victoria between 1955 and 1972. The shortest period spent in office was by Thomas Tuke Holloway who was Premier for four days in October 1952. Further information: • ‘Premiers of Victoria’ under the Our Democratic History section of the Parliament Website Minister The party which forms government may elect, or the Premier can appoint, a number of its members to be ministers. Ministers form a group known as the Cabinet, which is responsible for the development and operation of government policies. They can be members of the Assembly or Council and usually have a lot of parliamentary experience. Each minister has responsibility for specific areas of government administration, known as portfolios. Further information: • ‘Ministers’ under the Members of Parliament section of the Parliament Website Member of Parliament A member of Parliament is elected by residents of a particular area in Victoria, known as an electorate (or region, for members of the Legislative Council), to represent them in Parliament. Members of Parliament can belong to a political party or can be independent members. In Parliament, a member of Parliament can ask government ministers questions, speak about issues in debates, as well as consider and propose new laws. The use of the acronym MP is reserved for members of Parliament who are elected to the Legislative Assembly. Further information: • Members of Parliament section of the Parliament Website Opposition The opposition is the party with the greatest number of non-government members in the Assembly. It has the official role of questioning and scrutinising the work of the government. The opposition is seen as the alternative government in the event that the government loses the confidence of the Assembly or the people of Victoria. Leader of the Opposition The Leader of the Opposition is seen as the alternative Premier if the current government loses power. He or she has many different duties including coordinating the strategy of the party and taking the lead in asking opposition questions during question time. Roles within the Legislative Assembly 3 Shadow Minister A shadow minister is a member of the opposition who has responsibility for a particular policy area and who closely follows or ‘shadows’ the activities of the relevant government minister. Shadow ministers make up the ‘Shadow Cabinet’ and ensure that every part of government is closely monitored and can be questioned thoroughly. This prepares the opposition to take on the role of government if it wins the next general election. Further information: • ‘Shadow Ministry’ under the Members of Parliament section of the Parliament Website Leader of the House The Leader of the House (also known as the manager of government business) is the minister who is responsible for organising government business and coordinating tactics in the Assembly when Parliament is sitting. Other duties include supervising the actions of government members, advising on ceremonial events, allocating time for debates and advising the Assembly about upcoming business during a sitting week. Further information: • Fact Sheet 31: Government Business Program Leader of Opposition Business This role is also referred to as the manager of opposition business. The Leader is usually a shadow minister who negotiates with the Leader of the House about the order and importance of government business and the allocation of time for debates. Generally, there is cooperation between the leaders when the government business program (listing bills for debate in a particular week) is set. Further information: • Fact Sheet 31: Government Business Program Parliamentary Secretaries A parliamentary secretary is a member who assists a minister in the administration of his or her portfolio. Parliamentary secretaries are not, however, able to introduce legislation in the Assembly for the government. Frontbench Members who are ministers, shadow ministers and the Leader of the Third Party all traditionally sit on the first benches of the House and form the two ‘frontbenches’. This practice originated at the beginning of the eighteenth century in the United Kingdom. The government side of the frontbench is to the right of the Speaker and is occupied by ministers. The frontbench on the opposite side of the House seats the shadow cabinet. The distance between the two front benches in the House of Commons (United Kingdom) is traditionally said to be the length of two swords. 4 Legislative Assembly of Victoria Backbencher Any member who is not a minister traditionally sits on the benches behind the ministers or shadow ministers. Backbenchers can question ministers during question time or through asking written questions, and can take part in debates. Backbenchers also serve on parliamentary committees. Further information: • Fact Sheet 5: Opportunities for Debate • Fact Sheet 27: Parliamentary Committees • ‘Members at Work’ under the Education section of the Parliament Website Third Party The ‘third party’ is the title given to the political party which is neither the government or opposition. It must consist of at least 11 members of Parliament, none of whom can be a minister. The Nationals are currently the ‘third party’ within Parliament. Party Whip The term ‘whip’ originates from a word used during hunts in the eighteenth century, where a whipper-in (or ‘whip’) kept the hounds straying from the pack. In a parliamentary sense, whips are members of Parliament appointed by each party to maintain party discipline. Their role is to organise members’ attendance in the House, to make sure that members of their party take part in debates and to cast their party’s votes during divisions. Independent An independent is a member of Parliament who is not a member of a political party. There was one independent MP elected to the Legislative Assembly in the 2006 election, Craig Ingram, Member for Gippsland East. Clerk of the Legislative Assembly The Clerk is the most senior officer of the Assembly. This role originally started in the United Kingdom hundreds of years ago and today in the Assembly includes many of the original responsibilities as well as new duties. These include advising the Speaker and members of Parliament on procedural matters and ensuring that administration and records are properly maintained. The Clerk is also the head of the Department of the Legislative Assembly. Further information: • Fact Sheet 21: The Clerk Serjeant-at-Arms The Serjeant-at-Arms is the Speaker’s executive officer and a senior parliamentary officer whose role is to carry out the instructions of the Roles within the Legislative Assembly 5 Speaker and the House and to look after security in the Chamber. The Serjeant-at-Arms also carries the Mace which is a historic weapon and a symbol of the Speaker’s authority. Further information: • Fact Sheet 19: The Serjeant-at-Arms Chair of a Parliamentary Committee A Chair is selected from the committee members and is responsible for the overall conduct of the committee’s inquiries, administration, budgets, media liaison and committee procedure. Committee meetings are presided over by the Chair who also ensures the standing orders and other procedural requirements are followed. Further information: • Fact Sheet 27: Parliamentary Committees • Committees section of the Parliament Website Issued by the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, May 2007 Fact Sheets The Legislative Assembly Procedure Office has produced a series of Fact Sheets that explain parliamentary procedure and terminology. All Fact Sheets are available on Parliament’s website www.parliament.vic.gov.au or through the Procedure Office. Contact Details Procedure Office, Legislative Assembly, Parliament House, Spring Street, East Melbourne, Vic 3002 Phone No: 03 9651 8563 Fax No: 03 9650 7245 Email: [email protected] .