Lesson Idea
Making Laws
Theme: Laws and Crime
Relates to WACC: ACHCK050, ACHCK063, ACHCK064, ACHCK077, ACHCK090, VCCCG029, VCCCL022, VCCCL023, VCCCL034
We have two ways in which laws are made. Statute laws are made through passing an Act of Parliament whilst common law is made by court procedures and decisions made by judges and juries.
Show the video About Parliament – Making A Law. Students take notes of the various steps in the Australian Parliament. Discuss with students why this process seems so complex. Students draw up a flow diagram of the steps involved explaining why each step is necessary. As an extension activity, students can research their state or territory parliamentary law-making processes; create a flow diagram describing the steps taken; and; as a class, compare and contrast the Australian Parliament and state/territory parliament law-making processes.