House of Representatives
 Senate
 Legislative Assembly
 Legislative Council


Commonwealth Parliament is a
BICAMERAL parliament. It consists of the
Senate (upper house) and the House of
Representatives (lower house) and the
Crown.
GOVERNORGENERAL
Represents the
Crown
SENATE- 76 members
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES150 members
Red is the
‘upper’ traffic
light and the
‘upper’ house is
red!!
 Red stands for
STOP starting
with ‘S’ and the
upper house is
the Senate also
starting with ‘S’

Green is the
‘lower’ traffic
light and the
‘lower’ house is
green!
 The Lower House
is the House of
Representatives


The lower house of the Commonwealth Parliament is known
as the House of Representatives.

150 members.

Members of the House of Representatives are elected to
represent areas called electorates- They are elected every
3 years.

The House of Representatives is designed to represent the
interests of the majority of people in Australia. This is why it is
referred to as the ‘people’s house’.

The political party that wins a majority of seats in the House
of Representatives forms government. For this reason it is
sometimes referred to as the ‘house of government’.

1)
The House of Representatives is seen as having six key roles.
Making laws - The main function of the House of Representatives is to make
laws- To become a law, the proposal must receive the approval of both
houses of parliament.
2)
Determining government- The party, with a majority in the lower house forms
government.
3)
Providing for representative government- The electoral system ensures that
the House of Representatives represents the interests of the majority of voters.
4)
Providing for responsible government- Individual members of the House of
Representatives have the opportunity to present their views, by presenting
petitions or raising issues with ministers during question time.
5)
Scrutinising government- The House of Representatives provides for
responsible government. In the House of Representatives, legislation is
debated, matters of public importance are discussed, and ministers are
questioned during question time.
6)
Controlling government spending The government can only collect taxes or
allocate the spending of public money if a law is passed by parliament.

Consists of 76 members. Each state elects 12
representatives and each territory elects
two.

Senators are elected for a term of six years.

Half the Senate retires every three years.

Whenever possible, these elections are held
at the same time as the election for the
House of Representatives.

The Senate provides stability.

1)
The key functions of the Senate include the following.
Making laws - A Bill (proposed law) must be passed by houses before it
can become a law.
2)
Reviewing laws- The Senate provides for the review and check all
legislation passed by the House of Representatives., the Senate can
originate, amend or reject any proposed law.
3)
Providing for representative government- A function of the Senate is to
safeguard the interests of the states. Through an equal number of
senators, from the states. For this reason the Senate is sometimes called
the ‘states’ house’
4)
Providing for responsible government- The government is account able
for its actions. individual senators have the opportunity to raise issues
during question time.
5)
Scrutinising government Like the House of Representatives. The Senate
has the responsibility for protecting the rights of the citizen and
presenting conflicting views in open debate.
Read the article ‘Do we really need a Senate?’
and answer the following questions.
1) Outline the differences between the role of the
House of Representatives and the role of the
Senate.
2) What do you consider to be the two most
important strengths of the Senate and House of
Representatives? Justify your view.
3) What do you consider to be the two most
significant weaknesses of the Senate and the
House of Representatives? Explain.
4) How do you think the bicameral structure of
parliament provides for effective law-making?
5) State three facts about the House of Reps and
three facts about the Senate.



The governor-general represents the Crown.
The Queen, appoints the governor-general.
The Crown acts on the advice of the
ministers of state, who are members of
parliament.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)
9)
10)
Appointed by the Queen on the advice of the PM
Calls Elections
Establishing departments of government and appoints
ministers
Appoints parliamentary Sessions
Expecting to Step in if the Government has been voted
out
Brings a session of parliament to an end
Dissolving the House of Reps to bring about an election.
Giving Royal Assent
Withholding Royal Assent
Delegating Legislation as part of the Executive CouncilDelegated Legislation is the rules and regulations made
by government bodies such as VicRoads.
WHAT IS A MINISTER?
A minister is responsible and answerable to
parliament for the actions of a government
department/area (For example, the Minister for
Industry, Tourism and Resources, Minister of
Education, Minister of Transport).
Each minister has a portfolio. A portfolio is a special
area of responsibility.



What is the Cabinet?
Cabinet is a meeting of ministers. Members of
Cabinet form the Executive Council.
Most members of Cabinet are ministers ‘with
portfolio’. This means that they are in charge of
important government departments.
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State the four roles that you think are
most significant of the Crown.