The 101 on how parliament works | Politics Explained (Easily) | ABC News

Summary

This video by ABC News (Australia) simplifies the functioning of the Australian Parliament, focusing on how it impacts daily life. It explains the structure and roles within the two houses – the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House of Representatives, known as the lower house, is where the government is formed and is home to key political figures like the Prime Minister and the opposition leader. It holds 151 seats representing various electorates. Laws, or bills, passed here must also pass through the Senate, the upper house, which acts as a reviewing body and checks the government’s power. The Senate requires negotiation and compromise to pass legislation. Finally, for a bill to become law, the Governor-General's assent is required, thereby influencing everyday aspects like education, healthcare, and marriage.

Highlights

• Two houses form the backbone of the Australian Parliament system: the House of Representatives (lower house) and the Senate (upper house). 🏰
• The Prime Minister and opposition leader are key figures in the House of Representatives. 👩‍⚖️
• 151 seats in the lower house represent different electorates, determining who runs the government. 📊
• The Senate acts as a safeguard, ensuring the government’s bills are thoroughly reviewed. 🔒
• Legislation must pass through negotiations in the Senate and receive the Governor-General’s assent to become law. 🔑

Key Takeaways

• The Australian Parliament has two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. 🏛️
• The House of Representatives is crucial for forming the government and is packed with political action. ⚖️
• The Senate reviews bills and ensures the government doesn’t have unchecked power. 🔍
• Passing a bill requires majority support in both houses, which often involves negotiation. 🤝
• The Governor-General must sign off on bills for them to become laws, affecting daily life. ✍️

Overview

The Australian Parliament is at the heart of the nation’s political system, comprising two main houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. These houses play pivotal roles in how laws are made and how they influence everyday life. The House of Representatives, often termed the lower house, is particularly vital as it decides who forms the government. It’s where politicians hustle to pass laws that shape the country’s landscape.

In this lower house, significant political players, including the Prime Minister and the opposition leader, take center stage. They drive the political agenda, representing their respective parties and making crucial decisions about national matters. This house has 151 seats, each representing an electorate that comes alive during elections. The tussle for majority control here can lead to coalitions, most famously between the Liberal and National parties.

The Senate, the upper house, acts as the governmental critique, designed to balance the power of the lower house by meticulously reviewing proposed laws. For a bill to truly become a law, it must survive the scrutiny of both houses and then be approved by the Governor-General, who represents the crown. This process impacts various aspects of life, from education to healthcare, and even personal rights like marriage.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to the Parliament The chapter 'Introduction to the Parliament' delves into the critical role that the houses of parliament play in passing life-changing laws. It acknowledges the drama often associated with parliamentary proceedings and explains the complexity of the system. The narrative begins with an introduction to the two houses of parliament, starting with the House of Representatives, emphasizing their significant impact on daily life.
• 00:30 - 02:30: The Lower House - House of Representatives The chapter discusses the significance and function of the Lower House, also known as the House of Representatives. It highlights its crucial role in determining the government and deciding who's in power, making it a hub for political history, negotiations, and leadership. Within this chamber, two of the most influential figures, the Leader of the Opposition and key politicians, play pivotal roles in the governance and political strategy of the country.
• 01:00 - 02:30: The Role of the Prime Minister and Opposition Leader The chapter discusses the roles and responsibilities of the Prime Minister and the Opposition Leader within parliament. The Prime Minister holds the highest position, allowing them to select ministers and make key high-level decisions concerning major areas such as the environment, tax, welfare, and defense. They also establish their government's agenda and set overall priorities. In contrast, the Opposition Leader heads the party that did not win the last election and aspires to become the Prime Minister.
• 02:00 - 03:30: Elections and Coalitions in the Lower House The chapter 'Elections and Coalitions in the Lower House' discusses the role and selection process of opposition leaders in the political system. It explains that these leaders are chosen by their parties rather than by a public vote, similar to other politicians in the lower house who are primarily local members. These local members represent specific electorates or seats, each consisting of about 110,000 voters residing in the same geographical area.
• 03:30 - 05:00: The Upper House - The Senate The chapter titled "The Upper House - The Senate" discusses the voting system during elections in which voters decide on the party and representatives for their electorate in the lower house, which consists of 151 seats. Winning a majority of these seats requires 76 seats. However, sometimes parties form coalitions to achieve a majority, with the most notable coalition being between two major conservative parties.
• 05:00 - 06:00: Negotiations and Passing of Legislation The chapter discusses the political alliance between the Liberal and National parties, emphasizing their long-standing relationship of over 75 years. It highlights the advantage of having a majority in parliament, as it facilitates the passage of bills. The narrative questions the terminology used for proposed laws, suggesting that 'draft laws' would be more logical than 'bills.' Furthermore, it explains the legislative process where bills must pass through both houses of parliament to become laws, which have daily impacts on citizens. The chapter progresses to discuss the role of the Senate, the upper house, which is designed as a house of review for legislation.
• 06:00 - 07:30: Final Steps to Become Law The chapter 'Final Steps to Become Law' discusses the role of the senate in the legislative process, emphasizing its function as a reviewing body to provide checks and balances on the government's power. It has the authority to amend or change bills from the lower house, though passing bills is more challenging unless there is a majority, which rarely occurs in the senate. This structure is intended to ensure government actions are subject to scrutiny. However, negotiations and compromises are inherent in the process.

The 101 on how parliament works | Politics Explained (Easily) | ABC News Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 it's called being a goddamn bloody adult this is cold don't be afraid don't be scared the houses of parliament are where life-changing laws are passed and they're home to a bit of drama the system can be a little bit complicated but it affects your life in a really massive way so how does it do that [Music] there are two houses so let's start from the bottom and work our way up the house of representatives
• 00:30 - 01:00 is imaginatively called the lower house [Music] the lower house is important because it decides who's in government so basically who's in power it's where history is made and where politicians wheel and deal so their party can run the country how good is this everyone's learning this is great and in the lower house you'll find two of the most powerful people in the country the opposition leader and the
• 01:00 - 01:30 prime minister the prime minister is basically parliament's top dog they get to choose who becomes a minister so who's making really high-level decisions about things like the environment tax welfare and defence but most importantly they set their government's agenda and what their priorities are the opposition leader is essentially the wannabe prime minister they lead the party that lost the last election while the prime minister and the
• 01:30 - 02:00 opposition leader are leaders of their parties we don't actually select them they're selected by their party like all other politicians in the lower house they're actually a local member first but what kind of a job is that exactly so that means they represent an electorate i.e a seat and those seats are made up of around 110 000 voters all living in the same area [Music]
• 02:00 - 02:30 when you voted the election you'll vote for which party and who you want to represent your electorate in the lower house the lower house is made up of 151 seats one for each electorate in the country sometimes a party can get over the line and win a majority of those 151 seats quick maths that's 76 but sometimes they need to band with another party to get there and that's called being in a coalition the most famous one is between the two biggest conservative parties the
• 02:30 - 03:00 liberals and the nationals they've been together for more than 75 years having a majority makes it a lot easier to get bills through i don't know why we call them bills and not just draft laws that would make more sense bills become laws which literally affect us every single day if they make it through both houses of parliament so let's level up to the senate the senate is the upper house of parliament designed to be a house of
• 03:00 - 03:30 review basically designed to keep the government in check it can amend or change the bills from the lower house just like in the lower house it's a lot easier to get your bills through and on their way to becoming law if you have a majority the thing is though that hardly ever happens in the senate but that's kind of the point the whole idea of the senate is that the government can't just pass whatever it wants without scrutiny what a noble idea the thing is a hell of a lot of wheeling and dealing goes on in the senate that's because the government
• 03:30 - 04:00 is relying on the cross bench so politicians that are just doing their own thing or are part of the minor parties or the opposition to vote with them to get any legislation through so they're always negotiating there have been plenty of times when the opposition the minor parties or independents have basically compromised voting something through to get something they want in return i put up to the government a proposal to work with me to secure my support once a bill has made it through both houses of parliament there's just
• 04:00 - 04:30 one more step i forgot it [Laughter] the governor-general who represents the crown in australia has to sign off on it and then it becomes law and that could be the difference between how much you pay to go to uni or how long the line at the hospital is or even who you get to marry [Music]