Chapter 10.3 Flashcards
The Victorina Parliament
What does the parliament of Victoria consist of
- the King (represented by the governor of Victoria)
- the Legislative Council (the upper house)
- the Legislative Assembly (the lower house).
governor
the King’s
representative at the
state level
legislative council
the upper house of the victorian parliament
Legislative Assembly
the lower house of the
Victorian Parliament
main role The legislative assembly
the legislative assembly is the lower house in the parliament of victoria. the legislative assembly is expected to represent the intrests of the people/
The political party (or coalition of parties) that wins the majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly forms government. The leader of the government is known as the Premier of Victoria.
main role is to initiate and make laws
The role of the legislative assembly in law-making
like the commonwealth parliment, the main role of the vic parliament is to make laws. the process of passing a bill in the victoria parliament is similar to that of the commonwealth parliament in that it must
go through specific stages in both houses of parliament, and it must be passed by a
majority in both houses in identical form. The bill must then receive royal assent from the Governor of
Victoria before it becomes a statute.
the role of the legislative assembly in law making is
- initiate and pass bills
- form government
- scrutinise government administration
- represent the people
- act as a house of review
- control government expenditure
inisitiate and pass bill
the main function of the Legislative Assembly is to initiate new laws.
These are usually introduced to the Legislative Assembly by a government minister, although
any member may introduce a bill. This takes up much of the Legislative Assembly’s work, as the
consideration and debate of a bill can take a long time.
form government
– the political party that has the most members in the Legislative Assembly
forms government. Most bills are initiated in the Legislative Assembly in the form of government
bills, reflecting the policies laid down by the Premier of Victoria and senior ministers.
scrutinise government administration
– ministers must be members of parliament, and
are expected to be answerable and accountable for their actions. Ministers can be questioned
by opposition members about their policies and proposed legislation during question time, and
government decisions and legislative proposals are subject to parliamentary scrutiny (including
through the committee system).
represent the people
– members of the Legislative Assembly are elected to represent the
interests of the people. Their actions in law-making should reflect the views and values of the
people. If not, they are at risk of being voted out at the next election.
act as a house of review (legislative assembly)
– the Legislative Assembly acts as a house of review in the law-making
process when a bill has been initiated in and passed by the Legislative Council.
control government expenditure
for taxes to be collected or money to be spent, the bill
must be introduced in the Legislative Assembly. Therefore, the Legislative Assembly controls
government expenditure as only it can initiate money bills.
statute
a law made by
parliament; a bill that
has passed through
parliament and has
received royal assent
(also known as
legislation or an Act of
Parliament)
primary role of the legislative council and what is it
The legislative council is the upper house in the victorian parliament.
The primary role of the Legislative Council is to act as a house of review. That is, it will review bills that have already been passed by the Legislative Assembly, and can scrutinise, debate and reject
proposed legislation. This is an important part of the checking process in law-making
The role of the legislative council in law making it to
- act as a house of review
- initiate and pass bills
- scrutinise government administration
