13.1 The Roles of the Houses of Parliament

Question 1

What are the roles of the lower house?

Answer 1

• intiate laws
• determine the government
• provide responsible government and make laws that represent the views of the people
• control government expenditure
• publicise and scrutinise government administration

Question 2

What are the roles of the upper house?

Answer 2

• act as a house of review
• examine bills through its committees
• initiate laws

Question 3

What is the main role of parliament?

Answer 3

To make law and change the law

Question 4

What are the two ways the lower house can be composed?

Answer 4

• majority government
• minority government

Question 5

What is a majority government?

Answer 5

Typically the government holds the most seats in the lower house, meaning that any bills introduced by the government will generally be accepted and passed by the lower house. this can also allow for the government to quickly reject bills introduced by a private member

Question 6

What is a bill?

Answer 6

A proposal to implement a new law or change an existing law

Question 7

What is law reform?

Answer 7

The process of constantly updating and changing the law so it remains relevant and effective

Question 8

What is a private member?

Answer 8

A member of parliament who is not a government minister

Question 9

What is a hung parliament?

Answer 9

A situation in which neither major political party wins a majority of seats in the lower house after an election

Question 10

What is a minority government?

Answer 10

A government that does not hold a majority of seats and relies in the support of minor parties and independents to form a government

Question 11

What are independants?

Answer 11

Individuals who stand as candidates in an election but do not belong to a political party

Question 12

What are the two ways the upper house can be composed?

Answer 12

• Government majority in the upper house
• Hostile upper house

Question 13

What does a government majority in the upper house mean?

Answer 13

The upper house can become a “rubber stamp” as it just confirms the decisions made by the government in the lower house

Question 14

What is a hostile upper house?

Answer 14

A situation in which the government does not hold a majority of seats in the upper house and relies on the support of the opposition or crossbench to have their bills passed

Question 15

What is a minor party?

Answer 15

A political party that despite not having enough members or electoral support to win government,are still able to place pressure on the government to address specific issues and introduce law reform

Question 16

What is a micro party?

Answer 16

A very small political party

Question 17

What is the balance of power?

Answer 17

A situation where no single party has a majority of seats in one or both houses of parliament, meaning members of the crossbench may be able to vote in a bloc (together) to reject government bills so they do not pass

Question 18

What are the strengths of the parliamentary law-making process?

Answer 18

• allows for more scrutiny and debate over a bill (to suggest amendments)
• a wide range of views are considered for the bill to pass
• Parliament can change the law quickly if necessary, even if the legislative process can be relatively slow
• At the Victorian level, a compatibility statement is tabled to ensure that a bill being presented is compatible with human rights (stated in the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities)

Question 19

What are the weaknesses of the Parliamentary law-making process?

Answer 19

• the need to pass legislation through two houses before it can become law can slow the progress of law reform
• Parliament only sits for a limited number of days each year
• Parliament can only hear laws that are presented to it, usually by the government of the day
• a hostile upper house can obstruct the ability of the government - possibly not genuine