Parliament direct to regional classrooms

Primary school students are getting a taste of what it’s like to be a member of parliament and what’s involved with passing laws. 

This year’s program commenced in Rosebud, running 18 separate sessions with six different schools. 

Next will be Bendigo followed by Mildura, Echuca, Colac and Stawell. 

Tours and Outreach Coordinator at Parliament House Bronwyn Gray said the program aimed to make civics education accessible to all Victorian students.  

'We want to make sure we give every student an opportunity to understand the parliamentary process, even if they can’t visit Parliament House in person,' she said.   

Students rearrange their classrooms to resemble a chamber, with tables in the middle of the room and chairs down the side and are each given a role to play. 

They choose between three different bills and roleplay the typical process of passing a bill in parliament. After the scripted debate, the floor is opened to free debate where students can stand and voice their opinion before the final vote is conducted.  

Ms Gray said the bills were designed to be of interest to students aged between 10 to 12.  

'We change and adjust the bills to make sure that the topics are things that are of interest to young people in Victoria,' she said.  

'One of the popular ones at the moment is our e-scooters bill, where students are voting for whether students as young as themselves should be able to use e-scooters to get to and from school. Every now and again they will vote no because they can see that there is a risk to community safety, which is always interesting to see.'

A range of props help to make the program an engaging way for Victorian students to learn about how parliament works.  

'Students don’t necessarily realise that there are parts of the democratic process that they can be involved in, even if they’re under the age of 18,' Ms Gray said.  

'That's something we hope to make clear to every Victorian student.' 

The program endeavours to visit as many regional electorates as possible during the four-year cycle of parliament.  

Expressions of interest to participate in this year’s program are still open for schools from the remaining districts to be visited.