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Primary (Prep - Grade 6): How we organise ourselves - Government

Introduction

Photograph of a person holding a senate paper.

What is democracy?

Democracy is often said to mean 'rule by the people'. An example of this is any system of government in which people vote their elected representatives into parliament.

Museum of Australian Democracy - Defining Democracy

Navigating this LibGuide - QUIZ

Oliver - the Library catalogue

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Topics

How does the Australian Government work?

This page includes:

 

The Parliament of Victoria represents you when making decisions for our state. Its main roles are to debate issues, pass laws and hold the government to account. 

H A V E   Y O U R   S A Y

Sample Australian Parliament Senate ballot paper – voting above the line.

AEC (Australian Electoral Commission) for schools provides free educational resources and programs for teachers and students to learn about Australia’s unique democratic and electoral systems.

National Archives of Australia - Australia's Prime Ministers (click on the image)

The usual path of a bill.

https://peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/bills-and-laws/law-making

History of Democracy in Australia

FEDERATION

Black and white photo-engraved print titled 'Opening of First Commonwealth Parliament' by Tom Roberts. The print depicts the ceremony inside the Exhibition Building, Melbourne, during the inauguration of the Commonwealth Parliament in 1901. It includes distinctive portraits of Duke and Duchess of Cornwall and York, and other dignitaries. 

Australia became a nation on 1 January 1901, when the British Parliament passed legislation enabling the six Australian colonies to collectively govern in their own right as the Commonwealth of Australia. 

Explore the history of Australia’s Parliament with this easy-to-use timeline. Investigate the milestones to find out how the work of the Parliament has influenced the development of Australia since Federation.