How to create your own game about how a bill becomes a law
In the House of Representatives a bill goes through the following stages:
This diagram illustrates the usual path of a bill through the Australian Parliament to become Australian law. Today bills still go through 3 ‘readings’ but the Clerk only reads the title of the bill. The Clerk had to read the bill aloud so that members of parliament knew what the bill was about. The practice of the Clerk reading the bill aloud 3 times dates back to the early British Parliament, before printing was invented and many people could read. During the 16th century in England, the word ‘bill’ came to mean a draft for an Act of Parliament. In medieval times, seals were put on documents written by a king or person in authority. The word ‘bill’ probably comes from the Latin word bulla, meaning ‘seal’. The law-making process used in the Australian Parliament comes from the practices of the British Parliament, developed over many centuries. If the issue requires action, the committee may suggest that a bill be introduced. The Parliament can set up a parliamentary committee to examine a current issue.In Parliament, parties introduce bills which aim to put their ideas into action. Political parties have their own ideas about how Australia should be governed.They can approach members of parliament with suggestions for bills. Community groups, businesses or lobby groups may be interested in changing or improving a specific area of Australian law.
The minister may then arrange for a bill to be drafted to fix the problem. A government department may advise its minister about a specific problem that exists.Well over 100 bills are introduced into Parliament each year and about 90 per cent of government bills are passed into law. However, an urgent bill can be passed in a matter of hours or days. It may take months or even years for a bill to pass through Parliament. Most bills are introduced by government ministers however, other members of parliament can introduce their own bills, known as private members' or private senators' bills. Bills may start in the Senate, except for money and taxation bills. Most bills are introduced into the House of Representatives and then sent to the Senate. Often this is the day after it receives Royal Assent. An Act specifies the date on which the new law will commence. It is then known as an Act of Parliament. The bill must be agreed to in identical form by both the Senate and House, and given Royal Assent by the Governor-General.
Path of a billĪ bill can only become a law if it is passed by a majority vote in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Bills often seek to address an important issue facing the Australian community. In Parliament, a bill is a proposal for a new law or a change to an existing one. Section 51 of the Australian Constitution gives the Australian Parliament the power to make laws in relation to certain matters. Laws are formal rules which society uses to define how people and organisations are expected to behave.