4. Parliaments

Snapshot: Deliberating the difficult issues: The RU486 debate
The design of Australian parliaments—Parliaments and representative  democracy—The role of a parliamentarian

1. How have the origins of the Australian parliaments shaped their structure?

2. How do the structures of Australian parliaments put the concept of representative democracy into practice?

3. Do you think that politics in Australia is becoming more ‘presidential’? Does the increasing number and influence of ministerial advisers present a threat to parliamentary democracy?

 4. Discuss the ‘decline of parliament’ thesis. What is the evidence for and against this thesis?

5.  Discuss the case study of the RU486 debate as an example of parliamentary democracy in action. How does this case reflect on the effectiveness of the parliamentary process in developing legislation?

6. How does the parliamentary process enable governments to be held accountable? Is it always effective in doing so?

7. Discuss the role of a parliamentarian. How do you think parliamentarians can negotiate their responsibilities to their constituency with their position as members of a political party?

Resources

The Australian Parliament (includes Hansard)

Parliamentary Library Resources on RU486

Parliament of New South Wales: A History of Democracy