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Bills and laws
How does the Australian Parliament make laws for Australia? Revise your students' study of law-making with this quiz.
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Introducing ... rules and laws
Begin your exploration of rules and laws with this short introduction. Find out the differences between rules and laws, and who needs to follow them.
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Bills and laws
Everything you need to know about the law-making process in the Australian Parliament. Discover the path of a bill, how laws are changed and the different types of laws.
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Types of laws
Test your students' recollection of the 3 types of law in Australia—statute, common and delegated—with this quick quiz.
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Year 4
After completing this Unit of work and associated assessment tasks, students will have met the achievement standard for the Year 4 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Delegated law
Delegated law gives government ministers and others the power to make decisions about the details of laws passed by the Australian Parliament. This fact sheet explains how regulations, standards and other types of delegated law are made and overruled.
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Introducing ... the three levels of government
Begin your exploration of the three levels of government in Australia with this short introduction. Discover the responsibilities of the federal Parliament, state and territory parliaments and local government, and how they work together.
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Introducing ... the Australian Constitution
Begin your exploration of the Australian Constitution with this short introduction. Learn how the Constitution came into effect and what it takes to change it.
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Three levels of government
Get an introduction to the three levels of government with this short video. It explores the areas each level can make laws about.
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Parliament and the courts
This fact sheet outlines the relationship between the Australian Parliament and federal courts, including the separation of powers, sources of law and key High Court of Australia cases that have impacted on the powers of the Australian Parliament.
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Year 8
After completing this Unit of work and associated assessment tasks, students will have met the achievement standard for the Year 8 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Year 5
After completing this Unit of work and associated assessment task, students will have met the achievement standard for the Year 5 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Introducing ... Australia's system of government
Begin your exploration of the features of Australia’s system of government with this short introduction. Discover how power is shared and managed between different groups in Australia.
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Referencing
Information to help you reference content from the PEO website.
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Three levels of government: governing Australia
In Australia the three levels of government work together to provide us with the services we need. This in-depth paper explores the roles and responsibilities of each level, how they raise money and how they work together. Case studies show how the powers of the Australian Parliament have expanded.
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Australian system of government
This fact sheet examines Australia’s mixed system of government. It includes information about Federation representative democracy and constitutional monarchy, and the role of the separation of powers.
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The Australian Constitution in focus
The Australian Constitution is the legal framework for how Australia is governed. This paper explores in detail the history of the Constitution, its key features and the High Court’s role in interpreting it.
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Rights in Australia
This paper investigates the framework of rights in Australia. It defines the different types of rights, including human rights, and looks at the many sources for our rights and how they are protected.
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Rule of law
The rule of law is a key feature of Australia’s democracy and legal system. This fact sheet explains the principle of the rule of law and its relationship to the separation of powers.
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The roles and responsibilities of the three levels of government
This fact sheet introduces the three levels of government in Australia: the federal – Australian – Parliament, state and territory parliaments, and local councils. It includes the roles and responsibilities of each level.
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What is Parliament?
Discover the structure and key functions of the Australian Parliament with this short video. It introduces the Parliament’s roles of law-making, representing Australians, the formation of government and checking the work of the government.
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Democracy
This fact sheet introduces the idea of democracy and explores the key principles of Australia’s democratic system of government. These include individual freedoms, justice, tolerance of opposing ideas and representative government.
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Australian Parliament
This fact sheet explores the structure and key functions of the Australian Parliament. It covers Parliament’s roles of law-making, representing Australians, the formation of government and checking the work of the government.
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Introducing ... Federation
Begin your exploration of Federation with this short introduction. Find out the arguments for Federation and the process that led to the creation of Australia.
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Year 8
The PEO has a range of resources which assist teachers in their delivery of the Year 8 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Conduct a law reform inquiry
Investigate a law reform issue and present recommendations to a citizens’ jury.
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Year 6
The PEO has a range of resources which assist teachers in their delivery of the Year 6 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Ministers and shadow ministers
This fact sheet investigates the work of ministers (members of the Australian Government with special responsibilities) and shadow ministers (members of the opposition who closely examine the work of the government).
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Opposition
Discover the opposition, the largest party or coalition of parties who did not form government, with this fact sheet. The opposition is sometimes called the ‘alternative government’ and has a range of responsibilities in the Parliament, including closely examining the work of the government.
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Making a law
Get an introduction to the law-making process of the Australian Parliament with this short video. It includes all the law-making steps in the Senate and House of Representatives.
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Make a law: Senate
Discover how bills – proposed laws – are introduced, debated and voted on in the Senate by turning your class into a Parliament and doing it yourselves!
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Negotiate in National Cabinet
Role-play as the federal and state levels of government as they work together to manage issues and provide services for the whole of Australia.
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Make a law: House of Representatives
Discover how bills – proposed laws – are introduced, debated and voted on in the House of Representatives by turning your class into a Parliament and doing it yourselves!
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Government
This fact sheet explores the role and functions of the Australian Government, including who is in the government, how it is formed, minority government and the principle of responsible government.
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Committees
Parliamentary committees investigate issues and proposed laws in detail so members of parliament are well-informed before making decisions. This fact sheet explores the membership, responsibilities and types of committees in the Australian Parliament.
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Senate
This fact sheet explores the Senate, which is part of the Australian Parliament. It includes information about the role, appearance and history of the Senate.
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The Senate
Discover the role and work of the Australian Senate with this introductory video.
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The Constitution
This short video introduces the Australian Constitution—the rules by which Australia is run.
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Making a law in the Australian Parliament
This fact sheet explains the law-making process in the Australian Parliament. It also describes where ideas for laws come from and the history of law-making in the Parliament.
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House of Representatives
This fact sheet explores the House of Representatives, which is part of the Australian Parliament. It includes information about the role, appearance and history of the House.
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Clerks
The Clerks are parliamentary officers in the Senate and House of Representatives. Learn about their role and the history of their positions with this fact sheet.
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Types of law
This fact sheet introduces the different types of law that govern Australia – statute law made by parliament, delegated law made by government and common law made by courts.
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A short history of Parliament
Compared to some other parliaments around the world, Australia's Parliament is quite young but it is based on practices and ideals from much older parliaments. This in-depth paper explores the development of the Westminster system in Britain and parliamentary democracy in Australia.
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The House of Representatives
Discover the role and work of the Australian House of Representatives with this introductory video.
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Parliament House
This fact sheet explores the building that houses the Australian Parliament. Discover key facts about the building and its symbolism.
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Year 9
The PEO has a range of resources which assist teachers in their delivery of the Year 9 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Year 5
The PEO has a range of resources which assist teachers in their delivery of the Year 5 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Budget
The Budget is the Australian Government’s annual statement of how it plans to collect and spend money. This fact sheet explores the function and operation of the Budget.
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Cabinet
Cabinet is the top-level decision-making group within the Australian Government. Find out more about who is in Cabinet and how it works with this fact sheet.
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Get involved
Explore ways you can get involved in the work of Parliament with this in-depth video. Find out how you can get informed about the work of the Parliament, contact and vote for members of parliament, petition the Parliament and participate in parliamentary inquiries.
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1967 referendum
In 1967 the majority of Australians voted to change the Australian Constitution to count Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the national census. This video from the ABC’s Behind the News explores how the 1967 referendum was part of a movement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ rights.
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Glossary
Use this helpful glossary to browse or search the meanings of key parliamentary terms.
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Federation
Discover the story behind Federation in Australia with this introductory video.
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Members of the House of Representatives
Discover the work of members of the House of Representatives in this fact sheet. It explores their role in the Australian Parliament and in their local community, their working hours and period of service.
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Senators
A person elected to the Senate is called a senator. This fact sheet explores their role in the Parliament and in their states and territories, as well as their working hours, period of service and history.
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Parliamentary committees
Explore how committees in the Australian Parliament are formed, their function and how they support the work of the Senate and House of Representatives with this explanatory video.
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Getting involved in Parliament
This fact sheet explores ways Australians can get involved in the Australian Parliament. It includes information on contacting members of parliament, the work of committees, protesting and observing the Parliament.
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Petitions
Petitions ask the Australian Parliament to take action on a particular issue. This fact sheet explains the rules petitions must follow, how petitions are presented to the Parliament and the history of petitions to the Australian Parliament.
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Preparing for a new Parliament
The process of opening a new parliament has many stages. Investigate the process of closing a parliament, the transition between parliaments and the opening of a new parliament in Australia with this fact sheet.
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Crossing the floor
When a member of a parliamentary party votes against their party this is called ‘crossing the floor’. This fact sheet explores the frequency and potential outcomes of crossing the floor.
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Australia's Federation
In 1901 the 6 British colonies united to become a new nation—the Commonwealth of Australia. This fact sheet examines the arguments for Federation, the path to Federation, the creation of the territories and the opening of the Australian Parliament.
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Separation of powers: Parliament, Executive and Judiciary
The principle of the separation of powers distributes the power to govern between the Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary. This fact sheet examines the role of each group and the related principle of responsible government.
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Australian Constitution
The Australian Constitution is the set of rules by which Australia is run. It came into effect on 1 January 1901. This fact sheet summarises the key features of the Constitution and how it can be changed.
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Political parties
Many political parties have members elected to the Australian Parliament. In this fact sheet, learn more about how they are organised, coalitions of parties, party meetings and the history of political parties in Australia.
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Year 10
After completing this Unit of work and associated assessment tasks, students will have met the achievement standard for the Year 10 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Federal elections
This fact sheet explores how federal elections are run to select people to represent Australians in the Australian Parliament. It includes information about the process of electing senators and members of the House of Representatives.
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Australia's Parliament House
This in-depth look at Australia's Parliament House investigates why Canberra was chosen to be the nation's capital and why we needed a 'new' Parliament House. It includes the design, site and symbolism of the building.
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A new Parliament
There are many steps in the process of opening a new parliament. Find out the timings, traditions and requirements of establishing a new Australian Parliament with this in-depth video.
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Magna Carta
This fact sheet examines the Magna Carta - the 'Great Charter'. The Magna Carta was important in the development of democracy and has influenced many other documents including the Australian Constitution. Learn about the 1215 edition, the 1297 Inspeximus edition and the legacy of the Magna Carta.
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Run Question Time
Discover how members of Parliament use Question Time to closely examine the work of the government in this classroom activity. Use this activity to further your study of civics and citizenship.
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Run a Cabinet meeting
Work together to negotiate the best policy outcome.
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The Federation of Australia
Australia's Federation came about through a process of deliberation, consultation and debate. This in-depth paper explores the reasons for Federation, the Federation conventions and the referendums in which the Australian people decided to join together as a nation.
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Year 7
The PEO has a range of resources which assist teachers in their delivery of the Year 7 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Year 7
After completing this Unit of work and associated assessment task, students will have met the achievement standard for the Year 7 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Make speeches
Discover the different types of speeches senators and members make in Parliament by turning your class into a Parliament and doing it yourselves! Use these activities to further explore the work of the Parliament or to give context to oral presentations in any classroom.
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Role-play the Parliament: Senate
This video demonstrates a Senate parliamentary role-play, where students can learn how new laws are made in the Australian Parliament. It outlines lesson content and what preparation is required to use this immersive learning strategy in a classroom.
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Role-play the Parliament: House of Representatives
This video demonstrates a House of Representatives parliamentary role-play, where students can learn how new laws are made in the Australian Parliament. It outlines lesson content and what preparation is required to use this immersive learning strategy in a classroom.
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Year 6
After completing this Unit of work and associated assessment task, students will have met the achievement standard for the Year 6 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
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Role-play the Parliament: Committee
This video demonstrates a committee role-play, where students can learn how the Australian Parliament investigates bills and issues. It outlines lesson content and what preparation is required to use this immersive learning strategy in a classroom.
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Year 9
After completing this Unit of work and associated assessment tasks, students will have met the achievement standard for the Year 9 Australian Civics and Citizenship Curriculum.
