How a Bill Becomes a Law

The executive government (prime minister and the cabinet) decides policy, then drafts and introduces bills into Parliament. In a cabinet meeting the Prime Minister and senior ministers come together to decide which bills they want to put into parliament.

Parliament (House of representatives and the Senate) People debate and make amendments to the bill. Amendments are made if people want to make changes after debate. Bills are considered by Parliament. When the bill is sent to the Parliament, members talk about why they agree or disagree with the bill. The house of representatives may choose to send the bill to a committee to learn more about the topic of the bill. The committee writes a report and it is presented to the House of Representatives. During the consideration in detail, amendments are made if people want to make changes to the bill after the debate. The bill if approved by the House of Representatives, it is taken to the Senate where it is debated and approved or disapproved.

Governor General (Kings representive) If the bill is passed by both the house of representatives then the bills are approved and signed by the governor general. The governor general gives the bill the royal assent.

The Departments (eg. Department of home affairs) Bills become Acts of Parliament, or therefore laws, which are put in to action by the Government Departments. The government departments make the laws happen. For example, the department must get the word out about changing the voting age from 16 to 18. The minister for youth must spread the news by social media campaigns, inform schools and news interviews.