A focus on committees

Join Parliamentary Committee Managers for a special online discussion that explores the role of committees in the law-making process, and provides insights into the ways that individuals, organisations, courts and the media can influence and affect this process

The four videos in this series feature extracts from a professional learning session for teachers of VCE Legal Studies in July 2021.

  • The role of a Committee Manager and the operation of committees
  • Forming committees in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council
  • Evaluating committee processes
  • Law reform: Legislation, policy and social issues
Stream or download videos from Vimeo

 

Committee Managers Yuki and Patrick consider the role of committees in the process of law-making and reform, including:

  • the committee process
  • the committee manager’s role, including working with the Committee Chair, evidence gathering and report writing
  • the role of the secretariat, including research and administration

These videos are not intended to serve as a definitive resource for the topics covered, however, they do offer useful insights into the perspectives of the experts who took part in this conversation.

 

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  • Yuki Simmonds

    Committee Manager, Legislative Assembly Legal and Social Issues Committee

    Yuki Simmonds has worked in numerous roles in the Victorian public service over the past 20 years. She has managed various parliamentary committees relating to the areas of law reform, social policy, road safety and economic development, and currently manages the Legislative Assembly’s Legal and Social Issues Committee. Yuki has extensive policy and advocacy experience and is passionate about driving social change.

     

    Patrick O’Brien

    Senior Committee Manager, Legislative Council Standing Committees

    Patrick has been working with Victorian Parliamentary Committees since 2009. He served as a Research Officer for the Rural and Regional Committee for eight years before becoming a Committee Manager in 2017. During his career, he has worked on inquiries such as attracting and retaining young people in the agriculture sector and the inquiry into the medically supervised injecting centre in North Richmond. Patrick is currently investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the tourism and events sectors.

  • The role of a Committee Manager and the operation of committees in the Victorian Parliament

    • What is the role of the committee manager?
    • Why might the well-being of committee staff be an important part of the committee manager?
    • What are the different types of committees? Why might there be different committees for the two different chambers/houses?
    • What are the phases of the committee inquiry? Why do you think a committee inquiry includes all these different stages?

    Forming committees in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council

    • What is the purpose of proportional voting in the Legislative Council? How might this affect the committee process?
    • What might be the benefit of being a participating member of a committee?
    • Why does the Legislative Council need to vote on and approve the composition of the committees?
    • What are the core differences between committees in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council?
    • Why is it important for there to be a range of political parties represented in each committee?

    Evaluating committee processes

    • Why is it important that committees are part of the parliamentary process, rather than a government process? Consider the separation of powers in your response.
    • What are the limitations of the committees? How might you strengthen the committee process?
    • What role does the committee manager have in ensuring best practice and use of committee evidence?

    Law reform: Legislation, policy and social issues

    • What is the relationship between committee process and law reform? Why is it not always straightforward?
    • If committees don’t directly lead to law reform, what then are the other benefits of the committee process and influences of committees?
    • Why do you think there has there been a change from exploring legislation (bills) to exploring social issues?
    • How do the committees use different jurisdictions to inform their recommendations? How is this a feature of Australia’s federation?

  • These videos are useful as either an introduction, consolidation or refresher to the concept of separation of powers, especially for VCE Legal Studies. However, the videos can be used across multiple year levels and can be used in conjunction with a number of different resources.

  • How to host a committee inquiry

    These resources are designed to guide teachers through the process of running a parliamentary committee inquiry with your class, helping students to understand the work of parliamentary committees and the role they play in law reform.

    Webinar summary notes

    This PDF provides summary notes produced from the July 2021 session, including information about the different types of committees, the inquiry process and an overview of some (then) recent inquiries.

    Parliamentary inquiries

    Inquiries are an opportunity for the public to have input into issues being considered by Parliament. This page provides a comprehensive overview of the work currently being undertaken by parliamentary committees.