Members at Work

THE WORK of Members of Parliament is diverse.

The type of work they do, the way they do it, where and when they do it, and with whom they collaborate are influenced by many factors:

• whether they are in Government or Opposition
• whether they are frontbenchers or backbenchers
• the seniority or authority they enjoy within their own party
• their parliamentary status - Leaders, Ministers, Whips, committee responsibilities, etc.
• whether they represent city, non-metropolitan urban, or rural electorates

Other factors may include personality, work techniques, the particular skills and interests that they have, and the priority they assign to the responsibilities they assume in the Parliament, in their electorates and in their parties.

Electorate Responsibilities

Members of Parliament are responsible for their electorates, (Electoral Districts for the Lower House and Electoral Regions for the Upper House).

Members make themselves available to their constituents at an electorate office. This is usually located in some accessible place in the electorate.

At the electorate offices MPs take telephone inquiries, meet with constituents on matters of local or personal concern and answer correspondence.

Members are also frequently called at home. They are involved in all kinds of local issues, serve as officials on any number of local bodies, open fetes, speak at various functions, forward their party's policies on any conceivable issue, be available to meet the local press, make tours of inspection, address school students, pensioner groups, interest and lobby bodies and anything else which they believe they are responsible for or can help with.

As importantly, they also represent their electorates' concerns to Government departments and private enterprise bodies, to Ministers, and to the Parliament. They introduce delegations from their electorates to party leaders, Ministers and senior public servants.

Within the confines of the policies of their party and their Parliamentary responsibilities, they promote the interests of their electorate to their fullest ability.

Party Responsibilities

Each Parliamentarian is a member of his or her party's local branch (Independents excepted). That means attendance at local meetings and active participation in local party concerns. This is fundamental to elected Members of Parliament as, politically this is where their political bases are located and the support of the local branch is necessary for their pre-selection and re-election.

Members might also be active in their parties state or national activities and might therefore participate in state or national conferences, policy development meetings and the often complex web of internal administrative preoccupations that absorb all parties.

Parliament of Victoria Terminology

As a parliamentary party member, the local MP is also expected to be involved in parliamentary members' meetings in which party tactics, policies, responsibilities and plans are discussed.

Parliamentary Responsibilities

Members are expected to contribute to debates, give speeches, and ask or answer questions in the chambers. They may introduce Bills, shepherd them through the Bill examination process and discuss the details and implications of such impending legislation with fellow Members, the press and the public. They are obliged to be present in Parliament House when the division bells ring.

When not actually in their Legislative Chambers, Members work in their offices in Parliament House, meet with delegations, conduct local constituents over Parliament House, meet with fellow MPs, prepare speeches, questions and write letters. When Parliament is in session such activities might not end until one or two o'clock in the morning.

They also serve on parliamentary committees and some assume certain responsibilities for the administration of Parliament and its electorate offices.

Members of Parliament thus fulfil many roles. Would you like to be a Member of Parliament?

An example of a Member's diary.

Further Reading

Browne, G., A Biographical Register of the Victorian Parliament, 1900-84,Government Printer, Melbourne, 1985.

Hay, P. R., Halligan, J., Warhurst, J., and Costar, B., (eds), Essays on Victorian Politics, Warrnambool Institute Press, Warrnambool, 1985.

Wright, R., A People's Counsel. A History of the Parliament of Victoria, 1856-1990, Oxford University Press, Melbourne, 1992.

Last update July 13, 2007
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