Fact Sheets
Fact Sheet A3: Finding Information about Parliament
Download PDF Summary: This fact sheet will help you find the information you want about Victoria's Legislative Assembly and Parliament. We show you when to visit www.parliament.vic.gov.au or contact the Assembly Procedure Office.
Where to find information
The best starting points to find information about Parliament and the Legislative Assembly are:
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9651 8563 |
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9650 7245 |
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Legislative Assembly, Parliament House, Spring Street, East Melbourne, Vic 3002 |
For Legislative Council queries:
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03 9651 8673 |
Different roles of Victorian and Commonwealth Parliaments
Before you start searching for information, keep in mind the different roles of the Commonwealth Parliament in Canberra (also known as the Parliament of Australia or Federal Parliament) and the Parliament of Victoria.
Commonwealth Parliament's responsibilities
The Commonwealth Parliament makes laws in areas such as taxation, defence, foreign trading, divorce, immigration and industrial relations.
Contact the Commonwealth Parliament by calling 02 6277 7111 or visiting their website.
Victorian Parliament's responsibilities
The Victorian Parliament makes laws in areas such as roads, public transport, police and gaming.
While the Victorian Parliament may make laws on any subject relevant to Victoria, any overlapping Commonwealth law will override state law.
Your local members of Parliament
Every Victorian is represented by one member in the Legislative Assembly and five members in the Legislative Council. To find out who your Victorian Parliamentary members are:
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9651 8563 |
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9650 7245 |
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Legislative Assembly, Parliament House, Spring Street, East Melbourne, Vic 3002 |
Visiting Parliament House
Take a free guided tour
You can take a free guided tour of Parliament House on any weekday when Parliament is not sitting. On Tuesdays during a sitting week, tours take place in the mornings. On other sitting days, no normal tours are run, but you can come in to watch Parliament sitting. See 'Parliament sitting dates' below for more.
Tours at Parliament are usually held at these times:
9.30 am, 10.30 am, 11.30 am, 1.30 pm, 2.30 pm, 3.30 pm and 3.45 pm
If you cannot visit in person, try this excellent virtual tour.
Book a group tour
Groups of eight or more people must book for tours of Parliament House. To book a tour, call the Tour Booking Office on 03 9651 8568.
School and group tours are usually conducted on non-sitting days at 9.00 am, 10.00 am, 11.00 am, 2.00 pm and 3.00 pm. On sitting days, tours can also be arranged for school and other groups. As these tours are very popular, book well in advance to avoid disappointment.
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Educational programs
School groups can participate in the Parliament Role Play program. This allows students to act out roles in the Chamber and pass their own laws.
If students are unable to visit Parliament, we can bring Parliament to them. Experienced tour guides can give information sessions to students at their own school.
These programs are currently available to students in years 5, 6 and 7, in weeks when the Parliament is not sitting.
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Visit Parliament or Education Zone for details of public events and student programs |
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Tour Booking Office: 03 9651 8568 Or Education and Community Engagement Unit: 03 8682 2653 |
Parliament sitting dates
Parliament sits throughout the year, with a break over the Christmas period. However, it does not sit every week and sometimes the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council sit on different days or weeks. Sitting dates are usually issued in advance for the following six or 12 months. To find sitting dates:
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View Parliament Calendar on our homepage |
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9651 8563 |
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9650 7245 |
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Procedure Office and ask for details |
Anyone can watch question time
In the Assembly, question time is normally at 2.00 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.
For student groups, we prioritise secondary students over primary school students.
If you cannot make it to Parliament House, watch question time on our website.
Find out more: Fact Sheet B2: Question Time
Legislation
How a law is made
A bill must be passed by both the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council to become law. To find out more:
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Information Sheet: How a law is made |
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Procedure Office and ask for: Information Sheet: How a Law is Made in Victoria, or |
Copies of current bills
A bill becomes public when the minister in charge of it makes a second reading speech. The bill includes clause by clause explanatory notes. For copies of bills:
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Bills (list of bills introduced this year) |
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Procedure Office and ask for a copy |
Track progress of a bill
Information is updated on the internet each sitting day:
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Bills Status List (overview of all bills) or Bills (list of bills introduced this year) Assembly Abridged. This daily summary lists bills considered each day. |
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Procedure Office and ask for a copy of the bills status list and Fact Sheet C2: Tracking Legislation on the Internet |
Copies of the second reading speech
The second reading speech is made by the minister responsible for the bill and is a useful overview of its contents. To get a copy:
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Bills (choose your bill and click on the second reading speech link) Search Hansard. In Debate text field, type in the name of your bill. In Activity field, select the activity 'second reading' |
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Procedure Office and ask for a copy of the speech |
Copies of the human rights statement
A statement of compatibility under the Charter of Human Rights and Responsibilities Act 2006 must accompany every new bill. It addresses how the bill is compatible with the human rights outlined in the Act. To get a copy:
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Bills Choose your bill and click on the Statement of Compatibility link. Search Hansard. In Debate text field, type in the name of your bill. In Activity field, select the activity 'Statement of Compatibility' |
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Procedure Office and ask for a copy of the statement of compatibility for your bill |
Get copies of Acts from Information Victoria
Printed copies of Acts are not publicly available from Parliament House. You can download Acts for free from the internet or buy Acts from Information Victoria, 505 Little Collins Street, Melbourne, phone 1300 366 356. The same applies for statutory rules and regulations.
For the latest version of an Act or regulation which includes all amendments:
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Victorian Law Today Choose 'Acts' or 'Statutory Rules' and click the relevant letter. Then choose your Act or Statutory Rule |
For the original version of an Act:
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Victorian Statute Book Choose your year in the list of Acts by Title (select year). Then choose the name of your Act |
Tabled documents
What tabling means
Some documents must be formally presented to the Legislative Assembly. This process is known as tabling. The most common documents tabled are annual reports from government departments and agencies such as hospitals and universities.
Other documents tabled include parliamentary committee reports, Ombudsman and Auditor-General's reports, petitions, statutory rules and notices of amended planning schemes.
A record of all documents tabled appears in the Votes and Proceedings (minutes) and in Hansard.
Find out what documents have been tabled
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Votes and Proceedings Choose the date you are interested in. |
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9651 8563 |
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9650 7245 |
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Procedure Office and ask for details |
For more about tabled documents generally, see Fact Sheet F1: Documents tabled in the Assembly and Fact Sheet G1: Petitions.
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Procedure Office and ask for copies |
Copies of reports
When a document has been tabled it is publicly available, either for inspection or, if stocks permit, you can get copies from the Assembly Procedure Office. Many organisations also make their reports available on their own website after tabling:
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Procedure Office and ask for a copy |
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Check the website of the organisation publishing the report |
Record of debates
Hansard is the official printed report of the debates in the Chamber. To find out what has been said in debate:
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Download Hansard by date in Adobe Reader (pdf) format. |
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Procedure Office for a proof of daily Hansard (available the day after the debate) |
Understanding the Assembly's procedures
Parliamentary procedure can be complex and difficult to follow. The Legislative Assembly Procedure Office has produced a number of fact sheets to help you understand what happens in Parliament. They are grouped to help you find the topics you are most interested in. To find out more:
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Assembly Procedure Office: 03 9651 8563 |
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Assembly Procedure Office to pick up the relevant fact sheets |
Parliamentary Committees
What they do
Many members of Parliament work on parliamentary committees that examine issues of interest or significance to Parliament. Committees inquire into a wide range of topics, from economic development to road safety. When a committee finishes a report, it is tabled in Parliament and made publicly available.
List of the committees and their functions
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Parliamentary Committees Inquiries: 03 8682 2897 |