Parliamentary committees and law reform

Along with the resourcs below, all current parliamentary committee inquiries and completed inquiries, can be found on the Committees webpage.

Resources to get you started

If you're interested in an overview of the committee process, you can download our free set of posters Engaging with parliament, which includes an overview of the committee process and how to get involved.

The short animation How parliament works: Committees is a great introductory explainer to the committee process.

Videos

Parliament and the courts: Reforming the law

The panel discussed the role of parliament in making laws and the role of the courts in interpreting the law, as well as the relationship between parliament and the courts in reforming the law.

The videos, from the panel Parliament and the courts: Reforming the law, provide discussion between the panel members, reflecting on the experience from the different perspectives of a member of parliament, parliament and the judiciary.

The supporting blog provides a summary of some of the processes discussed by the panel:

• responding to changing community sentiment and expectations
• addressing the need for urgent reforms
• interpreting legislation

Parliament and the courts: Principles of justice

The panel shared their understanding of the principles of justice and how the principles apply in their work. They also consider the relationship between the courts and parliament in making, reforming, and applying the law.

The videos, from the panel Parliament and the courts: Principles of justice, provide further insight into how members of parliament and members of the judiciary experience the principals of justice in their work, including reviewing and reforming legislation.

The supporting blog focuses on summarising the panel members’ understanding of the principles of justice, how they are balanced in making and applying laws, and the relationship between parliament and the courts.

A focus on committees

This series of videos are an extract from a panel conversation, A focus on committees, with two Parliamentary Committee Managers who discuss the role of committees in the law-making process. The videos cover:

• the role of a Committee Manager and the secretariat
• how committees are formed
• evaluating the committee processes
• law reform: legislation, policy and social issues

Case studies

Law reform case study: Medically supervised injecting centres

This detailed case study about the medically supervised injecting centre provides an insight into how a committee inquiry can inform the law-making process, as well as a detailed exploration of the committee process, including extracts from Hansard, committee submissions and hearings, and timelines.

Creating your own case studies

Considering creating your own case study? Here are some blog posts that step you through this process using resources from Hansard and the Parliamentary Library, amongst others:

• Searching parliament’s resources While Hansard and the Victorian Legislation site might be the most useful for case studies around law reform, this blog post also includes link to papers published by the Parliamentary Library and the Victorian Auditor-General’s Office.
• Classroom strategies for using case studies The different classroom strategies this blog post covers includes:
  • students developing their own case study
  • exploring different perspectives and who is and isn’t represented in a case study
  • supporting students’ understanding of case studies through questioning and literacy support

Parliamentary committee inquiry process

How to host a committee inquiry

If you’re exploring committees in more detail, perhaps in the middle years, the How to host a committee inquiry teacher guide steps through the different parts of the committee inquiry process. The activities are flexible and can focus on one aspect of the committee process, can be used as a deep dive research process, or any amount of time or depth in between.