Legal Unit 4 AOS1- Roles of the Crown & Houses of Parliament Flashcards
(27 cards)
1
Q
Houses of Parliament
A
- House of representatives (lower house)
- Senate (upper house)
- The crown (king represented by governor general
2
Q
House of representatives background
A
- 150 members/seats
- Each seat represents 1 electorate with approx 100 000 voters
- Elected for approx 3 year terms
- 76 voters needed for majority in gov
3
Q
House of representatives roles
A
- Initiate and pass laws
- Determine the government
- Control government expenditure
- Represent the people
4
Q
HoR- Initiate and pass laws
A
- Main function of this house as most bills introduced in this house
- Process of passing & debating bills is long & considered process
- Often many new laws & amendments to laws occurring to ensure functioning society
- Process involves debating, scrutinising & considering bills by parliamentary members
5
Q
HoR- Determine the government
A
- After election political party w most members in HoR forms government
- Most legislation is initiated in this house so gov party’s beliefs reflected in proposed bills
6
Q
HoR- Control government expenditure
A
- Only this house can introduced money bills
- Ensures gov’s financial proposals are able to be scrutinised by elected representatives in lower house
7
Q
HoR- Represent the people
A
- Plays key role in upholding representative government
- Members elected to reflect the people and must act in a way that represents the majority of the electorate that they represent
8
Q
Senate background
A
- 76 members/seats
- Each state elects 12 senators & each territory elects 2 senators
- 6 year terms
- 39 votes needed for a majority
9
Q
Senate roles
A
- Act as house of review
- Allow for equal representation of the states
- Scrutinise government administration
10
Q
Senate- Act as house of review
A
- Most bills initiated in lower house so house reviews those bills
- Senate may pass bills w/w/o/request amendments or reject it
- Acts as an important check on gov in law-making especially if gov doesn’t have majority in this house
11
Q
Senate- Allow for equal representation of the states
A
- Senate has equal rep from each state regardless of its size & population
- Allows interests of smaller states to be protected
12
Q
Senate- Scrutinise government administration
A
- Scrutinise legislation or particular gov activites
- Has committees such as Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills who assesses legislative proposals to determine what effect the proposals would have on individual rights, freedoms and obligations, & the rule of law
13
Q
Victorian parliament houses
A
- Legislative assembly (lower house)
- Legislative council (upper house)
- Crown (king represented by the governor)
14
Q
Legislative Assembly background
A
- 88 members/seats
- Each seat represents 1 electorate w approx 50 000 voters
- Elected for fixed 4 year terms
- 45 votes needed for majority
15
Q
Legislative Assembly roles
A
- Initiate and pass laws
- Determine the government
- Control government expenditure
- Represent the people
16
Q
LA- Initiate & pass laws
A
- Main function of this house as most bills introduced in this house
- Bills usually introduced by gov minister but any member can
- Process of passing & debating bills is long & considered process
- Often many new laws & amendments to laws occurring to ensure functioning vic society
- Process involves debating, scrutinising & considering bills by members
17
Q
LA- Determine the government
A
- After election political party w most members in LA forms government
- Most legislation is initiated in this house so reflects the policies laid down by the Premier of Victoria and senior ministers
18
Q
LA- Control government expenditure
A
- Ministers must be members of parliament & expected to be answerable & accountable for their actions
- Ministers can be questioned by opposition members about their policies and proposed legislation during question time
- Gov decisions & legislative proposals are subject to parliamentary scrutiny
19
Q
LA- Represent the people
A
- Elected to represent the interests of the people
- Their actions in law-making should reflect the views & values of the people & if not they are at risk of being voted out at the next election
20
Q
Legislative Council
A
- 40 members/seats
- 8 regions of Vic elect 5 members each
- Fixed 4 year terms
- 21 votes needed for a majority
21
Q
Legislative Council roles
A
- Act as house of review
- Scrutinise government administration
22
Q
LC- Act as house of review
A
- Most bills initiated in lower house so house reviews those bills
- LC may pass bills w/w/o/request amendments or reject it
- Acts as an important check on gov in law-making especially if gov doesn’t have majority in this house
23
Q
LC- Scrutinise government administration
A
- Ministers who are members of the upper house can be questioned by opposition members about their policies and proposed legislation during question time
- Gov decisions can be scrutinised in the committee process
24
Q
The Crown background
A
- Aus still constitutional monarchy
- King represented by 1 gov-general & 6 gov’s
- In practise crown acts on advice of pm/premier
25
Crown roles
- Grant royal assent
- Appoint the executive council
26
Crown- Grant royal assent
- The formal signing and approval of a bill before they can become a law
- Can choose to withhold this but rare as is usually given on advice of pm/premier
27
Crown- Appoint the executive council
- This body comprises of the PM/Premier, senior ministers & assistant ministers
- Council gives the GG/G advice on matters such as whether to approve regulations
