Question

Difficulty: MediumHow Laws are Made (Legislative Process)

In the Australian Parliament, a proposal for a new law is called a bill. For a bill to officially become an Act of Parliament (a law), which of the following requirements must be met?

  1. It must be passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and then receive Royal Assent from the Governor-General.Answer
  2. B
    It must be passed by the House of Representatives and then be signed into law by the Prime Minister.
  3. C
    It must be passed by the Senate and then be approved by the High Court of Australia.

Answer

A bill becomes law only after it has been passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate, and has received Royal Assent from the Governor-General.
The correct process requires the approval of both the House of Representatives (Lower House) and the Senate (Upper House), followed by the formal signing by the Governor-General, known as Royal Assent.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the role of the two houses of Parliament.
A bill must be debated and passed by a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Australia has a bicameral parliament where both houses must agree on the text of a bill.
2
Identify the final formal step in the legislative process.
The bill is sent to the Governor-General for Royal Assent.
As the representative of the Monarch, the Governor-General must sign the bill for it to become an official Act of Parliament.

Key Concept

The Legislative Process (How Laws are Made)

Hints

1
Consider the roles of the two houses of Parliament and the representative of the King.
2
A bill needs to go through both the 'Upper House' and the 'Lower House' before it reaches the final stage.
3
The final stage involves the Governor-General signing the bill, which is called Royal Assent.

Practice More

Review the specific roles of the House of Representatives and the Senate to understand why both must agree on a bill.
Estimated Time:45s
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