INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK (Secondary) PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY ONE A Quiz Here is a quiz about the Parliament of Victoria. See how many of these questions you can answer now. Then answer them again after the visit, to see if you have increased your knowledge about the Parliament. WHO IS THE PREMIER? WHat party IS HE/SHE IN? WHO IS THE LEADER OF THE OppoSitioN? WHicH party IS HE/SHE IN? WHat IS A MINISTER? NaME THREE MINISTERS. WHat IS A SHADow MiNISTER? NaME THREE SHADow MINISTERS. WHat IS A backbENCHER? WHat DOES ParLiaMENT DO? WHat arE THE two HOUSES OF ParLiaMENT caLLED? WHO arE yoUR StatE MEMBERS OF ParLiaMENT? (yoU HavE 6) WHat IS yoUR STATE ELEctoraL DiStrict? WHat IS yoUR STATE ELEctoraL REGioN? WHat arE two IMportaNT JOBS yoUR MPS DO? 22 INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK ACTIVITY TWO PRE-VISIT The Vestibule The Vestibule is the area just inside the front door of Parliament House. 1 Look at the motto in the Vestibule. Complete the missing words here: “WHERE NO__ __ __ __ __ __ __ IS, THE PEOPLE __ __ __ __, BUT IN THE __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ OF COUNSELLORS THERE IS __ __ __ __ __ __.” (You will be able to talk about what this means back in class.) 2 What do you think this motto means? Tick one of these: ADviSORS NEED to BE carEFUL aboUT WHat THEY TELL PEOPLE to DO IF THERE arE too MANY ADviSORS PEOPLE wiLL BE coNFUSED AND wiLL Not BE abLE to DEciDE WHEN THERE arE A NUMBER OF PEOPLE GiviNG ADvicE THEN GooD DEciSioNS wiLL BE MADE 3 How is this motto a symbol for democracy? 4 How is it a symbol for representative government? INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK 23 PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY THREE Meet Your MPs There are three levels of government in Australia: COMMONWEALTH or FEDERAL – for laws that apply to all of Australia STATE – for laws that apply only to a State or Territory LOCAL – for laws that apply only to a local area There is a chance that you will see Members of Parliament in Parliament House during sitting periods. Record this information for your six parliamentary representatives in the Victorian Parliament. FIND YOUR MPs! Visit www.parliament.vic.gov.au/electorates/ Under ‘Search by Suburb/Postcode’, type in your suburb or postcode.......Click ‘Search’......Complete the details in the boxes on this and the next page.... You live in the ELECTORAL DISTRICT of (mark this on the map on pages 26 and 27) And your MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY is He/she is a member of the He/she is in the Australian Labor Party Government Liberal Party Opposition The Nationals and is a The Greens Minister or is Shadow Minister an Independent Backbencher Presiding Officer Look at THE bookLET INSIDE the ParLiament OF VictOria • Development of representative government in Victoria (page 5) • The three levels of government in Australia (page 11) • The Constitution of Victoria (page 13) • Representation in Parliament (page 21) • Voting (page 23) 24 INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY THREE Meet Your MPs You live in the ELECTORAL REGION of (mark this on the map on pages 6 and 7) And your MEMBERS OF THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL (you have 5) are: NAME Write down which party your member belongs to: He/she is in the: and is a: Government Minister S hadow Minister Opposition Backbencher Presiding Officer NAME Write down which party your member belongs to: He/she is in the: and is a: Government Minister S hadow Minister Opposition Backbencher Presiding Officer NAME Write down which party your member belongs to: He/she is in the: and is a: Government Minister S hadow Minister Opposition Backbencher Presiding Officer NAME Write down which party your member belongs to: He/she is in the: and is a: Government Minister S hadow Minister Opposition Backbencher Presiding Officer NAME Write down which party your member belongs to: He/she is in the: and is a: Government Minister S hadow Minister Opposition Backbencher Presiding Officer INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK 25 PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY FOUR Electorates Mark (in green) the Electoral District where you live. You can find your electorate at www.vec.vic.gov.au. Metropolitan Districts The rest of Victoria can be found on the next page. 26 INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY FOUR Electorates Regional/Rural Districts The rest of Victoria can be found on the next page. INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK 27 PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY FOUR Electorates Mark (in red) the Electoral Region where you live. You can find your electorate at www.vec.vic.gov.au. Metropolitan Regions The rest of Victoria can be found on the next page. 28 INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY FOUR Electorates Regional/Rural Regions INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK 29 POST-VISIT ACTIVITY FIVE The LA Chamber The Legislative Assembly is the ‘Lower House’ of the Victorian Parliament. It is in this Chamber that the Government is formed. 1 Tick which of these activities Opening of session Member interjecting and objects you saw in the Question Time Mace Legislative Assembly during Member making a speech your visit: Tick which of 2 these people associated with the Legislative Assembly you saw during your visit: Speaker Deputy Speaker Premier Leader of the Opposition Ministers Shadow Ministers Backbenchers Your Member Clerk Serjeant-at-Arms Hansard reporter THEN Mark on the diagram where you would see each of these people in the Legislative Assembly. 3 Mark on the map where you would find these people/groups: • Australian Labor Party • Government • Liberal Party • Opposition And this object: • The Nationals • Press • Mace • The Greens • Public • An Independent 30 INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK POST-VISIT ACTIVITY FIVE The LA Chamber 4 If you saw a Question Time, record your observations of these aspects: Who decides whose turn it is to ask a question? Who asks the questions? What sort of questions? Who replies? What sort of replies? How do others respond to the question? How do others respond to the answers? What is the atmosphere of the session? How was it reported in the media that night? Look at the booklet Inside the Parliament of Victoria • People of Parliament (page 20) • Parliament at work (page 28) • Hansard–recording Parliament (page 30) See Fact Sheet B2 • Question Time (access fact sheets at www.parliament.vic.gov.au/publications/fact-sheets) INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK 31 POST-VISIT ACTIVITY SIX The LC Chamber The Legislative Council is the ‘Upper House’ of the Victorian Parliament. It is a ‘House of Review’. Tick which of these activities you saw in the Legislative Council 1 during your visit: Opening of session Question Time Member making a speech Member interjecting Tick which of these people associated with the Legislative Council 2 you saw during your visit: Governor President Deputy President Ministers Shadow Ministers Backbenchers Your Members of Parliament Usher of The Black Rod Hansard Reporter Clerk 3 Mark on the diagram on the next page where you would see each of those people in the Legislative Council. 4Mark on the diagram where you would find these groups: Australian Labor Party Government Liberal Party Opposition The Nationals Press The Greens Public Shooters & Fishers Party Australian Sex Party Democratic Labor Party Vote 1 Local Jobs And these objects: Black Rod Governor’s chair 32 INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK POST-VISIT ACTIVITY SIX The LC Chamber Look at Inside the Parliament of Victoria • People of Parliament (page 20) INSIDE THE PARLIAMENT OF VICTORIA ACTIVITY WORKBOOK 33 PRE-VISIT ACTIVITY SEVEN Making the Law One of the main functions of the Parliament is to make laws, or Acts of Parliament. Acts of Parliament are also called legislation, or statutes. When the proposed law is being debated, it is called a bill. A bill becomes an Act when it has received the Royal Assent–that is, it has been signed by the Governor. Look at the diagram on the next page. It shows how a bill becomes an Act of Parliament. 1 Decide where on the chart you would draw lines across to separate these stages of the process: • Policy development stage–where the basic ideas about legislation are formed. • Draft legislation stage–where the ideas are put into parliamentary form. • Parliamentary debate and scrutiny stage–where the ideas and details in the bill are explained and debated. • Royal Assent stage–where the Governor signs the bill. • Enactment stage–where the bill actually comes into force as law, or an Act of Parliament. 2 If this process was being followed for a bill initiated in the Legislative Assembly, colour in red the parts of the process involving the Upper House, the Legislative Council, acting as a House of Review. 3 The Commonwealth Parliament and all State Parliaments in Australia except Queensland, Northern Territory and ACT have a bicameral system–that is, two Houses of Parliament, one of which operates as a House of Review. What might be the advantages and the disadvantages of having a separate House for this review process? 4 All Parliaments have a committee system. This involves selected Members of Parliament meeting to consider particular issues. Committees may be of one House or both (a Joint Committee), and involve Members from all parties and Independents. They often deliberate in a non-adversarial way–that is, the emphasis is on investigation rather than debate.