For Schools
A major highlight of the Parliament of Victoria's 150th anniversary year is an interactive travelling exhibition, Bills, Bells and Ballots – 150 years of Victoria's Parliament.
Featuring an informative walk through the history and role of the Parliament, the exhibition showcases treasures, significant documents and many other items rarely seen outside of Parliament House. For more information about what you can expect to see when you visit the exhibition see Overview of exhibition content.
Bills, Bells and Ballots is designed for most age groups, from upper primary to adults. Certain elements are relevant to VELS students and will also be of interest to VCE students. For more information see How the exhibition fits with VELS and VCE.
The exhibition is travelling to nine regional and two metropolitan locations. At each location, an experienced Parliamentary Attendant will be available to guide students through the exhibition and provide a short talk on the day-to-day operations of the Parliament of Victoria. Worksheets to guide students around the exhibition will also be provided.
School group tours will be available morning and afternoon on selected weeks and at times which vary slightly according to each venue. To book a tour, for up to 35 primary or 25 secondary students, phone 9651 8569. VCE groups of 12 or less do not need to book.
For information about when Bills, Bells and Ballots will visit a town near you, see Travelling exhibition.
Overview of exhibition content
The travelling exhibition has five display modules. The following overview is designed to provide an idea of what you can expect to read about when you visit the exhibition:
From sheep run to colony covers the period 1836 to 1856 and describes the transition of Victoria from an “illegal” settlement to the creation of the separate colony of Victoria with a Parliament and a Constitution. Personality profiles of Governor Latrobe, Peter Lalor, William Stawell and John Foster are also included in this module.
Parliament at work takes a look at the day-to-day role of those who work at Parliament House. Visitors will gain an understanding of the role of Parliamentary Committees and the role of MPs. Visitors will also have the chance to search online for their local MP.
The people's voice looks at the right to vote, the secret ballot which was introduced as a world first in Victoria in 1856, representation and the struggle to allow women to vote and be Members of Parliament. Visitors will have the opportunity to search the 1891 Women's Suffrage Petition online – a transcribed version of one of the State's archival treasures. Known also as the ‘Monster Petition', it was signed by close to 30 000 women and sought that ‘Women should Vote on Equal terms with Men'.
Parliament of Victoria timeline – 150 years in the making looks at various themes in Parliament's 150-year history, such as: the building of Parliament House; the introduction of an eight-hour day; theft of Parliament's Mace; Aboriginal elders addressing Parliament for the first time; women achieving equal voting rights; and steps to the Legislative Council reforms to take effect after the November 2006 election. Also included in this module are personality profiles of Thomas Bent, Isaac Isaacs, Alfred Deakin and Robert Menzies.
The mock Chamber is designed to give visitors a taste of what it's like to sit in Question Time. A DVD, featuring a virtual tour of Parliament, will play on a continuous loop to entice visitors into the Chamber.
How the exhibition fits with VELS and VCE
Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS)
Elements of the exhibition will be relevant to specific strands of the Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS), for levels 4, 5 and 6.
Strand: Physical, Personal and Social Learning
Domain: Civics and Citizenship
Level 4 The process of making and changing laws
Level 5 Origins and features of representative government; political rights and how they were achieved in Australia; purposes of laws and the processes of creating and changing them
Level 6 Although this level focuses on Federal government, aspects of the Parliament of Victoria are almost identical to the Federal Parliament, which shares a common Westminster heritage
Strand : Discipline-based Learning
Domain: Humanities (History)
Gathering and documenting evidence from a variety of sources including artefacts, documents and graphics, and interpreting evidence
The conventions of a range of forms of representation such as timelines, media reports, multimedia presentations, oral presentations, posters, photographic and written essays
Level 4 Growth of the Port Phillip District; the 1850s Gold Rush; Federation
Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE)
Certain elements of the exhibition hold some relevance to the following VCE Study Designs:
History
Unit 3: Australian History – imagining Australia
Area of study 1 – A new land: Port Phillip District 1830 – 1860
Legal Studies
Unit 3: Making and changing the law
Area of study 1 – Parliament and the citizen
- the principles of the Australian parliamentary system;
- the legislative process outlining the progress of a bill through Parliament; and
- the role played by a formal law reform body in assessing the need for change, for example a parliamentary committee.
International Politics
Unit 3: Democracy in the making
Area of study 1 – Washington to Canberra
- The values, ideas, social and historical contexts of the political systems of Australia and the United States, including reference to the British system (the Victorian Parliament mirrors many of the structural features and traditions of the British Parliament at Westminster).
Further information
Contact the Parliament of Victoria's Education and Community Engagement Officer Rod Espie on 9651 8624.