University & TAFE

The legislative process is an integral part of many tertiary courses.

Making the Law


Duration: 19 minutes	Duration: 17 minutes

Making the Law satisfies the requirements of VCE Legal Studies Unit 4: The People and the Law. It explores the legislative process: how laws are made by our elected representatives in the Parliament of Victoria.

This video explores the legislative process. If follows a junior reporter as he tracks a bill from its inception through Cabinet and both houses of Parliament to signing by the Governor to become a law, or an Act of Parliament.

Each person we meet on the journey explains how their input contributes directly to the legislative process: the Premier, Leader of the Opposition, a Minister (the Attorney General in this instance), and the Presiding Officers and Clerks of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council. A former Supreme Court judge describes the role of the Victorian Law Reform Commission and comments on the drafting process, and a senior lecturer in politics at Monash University offers extra insight to contextualise the process along the way.

This video is supplemented by the pamphlet How a Law is Made (pdf,403.29 Kb)

Transcript: Making the Law transcript.pdf121.56 KB

From Westminster to Spring Street: Governing Victoria

From Westminster to Spring St thumbnail website

Duration: 17 minutes

This title outlines the evolution of Victoria’s system of government from a colony to now. It covers the historical factors in the development of Victoria’s Westminster-influenced system of government. It looks at the idea of responsible or accountable government as it applies to the interaction of the legislative and executive branches.

From Westminster to Spring Street has been produced for an adult audience and is suitable for upper secondary and tertiary students. It provides useful background for students of VCE Australian and Global Politics: Unit 3 and VCE History: Unit 3.

Transcript: From Westminster to Spring Street transcript.pdf89.92 KB

An interactive historic timeline is also available - From Westminster to Spring Street.