the victorian parliament Flashcards
define governor
the King’s representative at the state level
define Legislative Council
the upper house of the
Victorian Parliament
define Legislative Assembly
the lower house of the
Victorian Parliament
Like the Parliament of Australia, the Parliament of Victoria (also known as the Victorian Parliament) is a
bicameral parliament. The Parliament of Victoria consists of:
- the King (represented by the governor of Victoria)
- the Legislative Council (the upper house)
- the Legislative Assembly (the lower house)
the legislative assembly
- There are 88 members of the Legislative Assembly in Victoria.
- Victoria is divided into 88 electoral districts for state elections.
- Voters in each district elect a representative for the lower house.
- Members represent the interests of their district and serve a four-year term.
- State elections are held every four years on the last Saturday in November.
- The political party (or coalition) with the majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly forms the government.
- The leader of the government is known as the Premier of Victoria.
- The party with the next highest number of elected members becomes the opposition.
- The leader of the opposition appoints shadow ministers to keep a check on the activities and responsibilities of the corresponding government ministers.
the role of the legislative assembly in law-making
- The main role of the Victorian Parliament is to make laws.
- The process of passing a bill in the Victorian Parliament is similar to that of the Commonwealth Parliament.
- A bill must go through specific stages in both houses of parliament.
- It must be passed by a majority in both houses in identical form.
- The bill must receive royal assent from the Governor of Victoria before becoming a statute.
The role of the Legislative Assembly in law-making is to
- initiate and pass bills
- form government
- scrutinise government administration
- represent the people
- act as a house of review
- control government expenditure
the role of the legislative assembly in law-making - initiate and pass bills
- The main function of the Legislative Assembly is to initiate new laws.
- New laws are usually introduced by a government minister, but any member may introduce a bill.
- Much of the Legislative Assembly’s work involves the consideration and debate of bills, which can be a lengthy process.
the role of the legislative assembly in law-making - form government
- The political party with the most members in the Legislative Assembly forms the government.
- Most bills are initiated in the Legislative Assembly as government bills.
- These bills reflect the policies laid down by the Premier of Victoria and senior ministers.
the role of the legislative assembly in law-making - 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.
- Government decisions and legislative proposals are subject to parliamentary scrutiny, including through the committee system.
the role of the legislative assembly in law-making - 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 members do not represent their electorate’s views and values, they risk being voted out in the next election.
the role of the legislative assembly in law-making - act as a house of review
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
the role of the legislative assembly in law-making - control government expenditure
- For taxes to be collected or money to be spent, the bill must be introduced in the Legislative Assembly.
- The Legislative Assembly controls government expenditure as it is the only house that can initiate money bills.
the legislative council
- The Legislative Council consists of 40 members.
- Victoria is divided into eight regions for the purpose of electing these members, with each region consisting of 11 electoral districts.
- Five members are elected from each region, serving a fixed four-year term.
- The primary role of the Legislative Council is to act as a house of review.
- It reviews bills that have already been passed by the Legislative Assembly.
- The Legislative Council can scrutinise, debate, and reject proposed legislation.
- This review process is an important part of the checking process in law-making.
the roles of the legislative council in law-making
- act as a house of review
- initiate and pass bills
- scrutinise government administration