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DIY role-play in the Classroom: Committee

Parliamentary committees are a subset of the Parliament. Committees inquire deeply into issues and bills before the Parliament. The committee process helps parliamentarians become informed by gathering information from government departments, experts in the field, lobby groups and interested citizens.

The Parliamentary Education Office (PEO) has developed a committee role-play that helps students understand how the parliament collects information for the purpose of making good decisions. In role and using the classroom as a committee room (not a chamber), students research and synthesize information, consider alternative views and practice problem solving and explaining a position. The Committee Role-play provides a parliamentary model of information gathering, detailed consideration and evaluation.

The Committee Role-play has many applications and adapts easily to a variety of classroom circumstances. It may:

  • follow a unit focusing on a topical or controversial issue
  • provide an opportunity for cross curriculum investigation
  • facilitate evaluation of a school event
  • assist classroom inquiry into real and current issues.

This page provides step-by-step instructions on how to run the Committee Role-play in the classroom. You can enjoy it completely off-the-cuff or involve the class in research, planning and writing activities that culminate in the role-play. Committees are held in the federal Parliament and in location across Australia , bringing together people of all ages, experience and socio-economic status for the purpose of sharing and gathering information and opinion. This is your goal too—to ensure that your parliamentary committee hears the voices of Australia’s experts, interest groups and citizens as a condition for informed decision making.

On this page:

In addition, please see the Role-play Toolkit for a complete set of role-play resources and do-it-yourself accessories including scripts, seating plans, diagrams, quick guides to each role-play, role descriptions, topic suggestions and templates and instructions to make your own parliamentary props and gowns (not required for the committee role-play). See also the PEO Fact Sheet Series for information on a broad range of parliamentary subject matter.

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Role-play outcomes

Students will explore the following concepts and processes:

  • information gathering
  • parliamentary committees
  • law-making
  • participatory democracy.

Three Assessment Rubrics have been developed to help you assess your students. The rubrics focus on:

  • parliamentary knowledge
  • literacy skills
  • capacity to work with others.

Getting organised

Role-play is about pretending, imagining, acting. It is about experiencing what it is like to be someone else—stepping into another reality. Seating plans, scripts and props create the atmosphere of parliament and help students embrace their roles.

  • Seating Plans establish a parliamentary setting (in and out of the chamber) and help to define roles. Where you sit tells a lot about who you are and what you do.
  • Scripts use the language of the Parliament, establish procedure and define the scope of various parliamentary roles. The script provides a framework for the role-play. It is your primary resource.
  • Quick Guides provide a brief overview of each role-play, and highlight the simple processes which underpin the operations of the Parliament.
  • Props for a parliamentary committee are few and can generally be sourced locally. For brief instruction see Make it Yourself in Role-play Toolkit.

Choosing your topic

Parliamentary committees can be formed to inquire into an issue of community concern or to inquire into a bill (proposed law) moving through the chamber. Generally speaking those that focus on community issues are House of Representatives committees and those that focus on legislation are Senate committees. Alternatively your committee can focus on investigating a local issue or proposal. It is a good idea to choose a topic that the students feel strongly about and that can be argued from different perspectives. For more information see Fact Sheet 49 Parliamentary Committees.

Choose the inquiry topic and scope of a House of Representative committee by:

  • brainstorming A worrying issue for Australia is …
  • listening to the news for issues of broad concern
  • teacher selection, perhaps to meet the requirements of a curriculum area
  • tackling a local or school based issue
  • selecting from our list of topic suggestions in the Templates & Suggestions section of the Role-play Toolkit.

Choose the bill topic and scope of a Senate committee by:

  • following a law-making role-play with a committee inquiring into the same bill. See DIY Role-play in the Classroom: Law-making.
  • playing Pass the Bill on our Kidsview website. Pass the Bill is an animated interactive which follows the path of three bills through the Parliament. See the controversial bills being investigated in parliamentary committees.
  • selecting a bill currently in the federal Parliament.
  • selecting from our list of topic suggestions in the Templates & Suggestions section of the Role-play Toolkit.

Once you have chosen your inquiry topic you can write it formally—on the blackboard or butcher’s paper. This will help you determine the scope of the inquiry—that is, just what the committee has been set up to do. You can decide how much scope you wish to give the committee—this is called the terms of reference. The terms of reference are usually expressed like this:

An inquiry into Australian mental health care.

The committee will inquire into:

  • the extent of mental health care facilities in Australia
  • the adequacy of current mental health care practices
  • the role of mental health care staff.

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Choosing your witness groups

Parliamentary committees attract the attention of people, groups and organisations that care about the topic of the inquiry. An inquiry into education may attract the attention of school administrators, teachers, lecturers, students, paediatricians, psychologists, counsellors, parent bodies etc.

Determine a minimum of three groups who will present evidence by asking:

  • Who are the experts in this field?
  • Which government department has responsibility for this area of governance? e.g. the Department of Education.
  • Are there any businesses that care about this inquiry? Are there any not-for-profit interest groups who care about this inquiry?
  • Who will be affected by the recommendations of this committee? E.g. parents, students, teachers.
  • Who else cares?
Diagram of parliamentary committee seating plan. Click to read detailed description of diagram.

Parliamentary committee seating plan

Changing your classroom into a committee room

It’s easy to change your room into a committee room using no more than tables and chairs. The diagram on the left shows you how to arrange your classroom for a House of Representatives or Senate committee role-play. For a larger printable version of this and other role-play seating plans go to Seating Plans in Role-play Toolkit.

Setting the scene

Before the role-play begins, it is a good idea to set a parliamentary scene that encourages students to get into role as members of parliament, journalists or witnesses about to present evidence to the committee. We have found that the more positively students adopt their roles, the less intervention is required to sustain the role-play and the more memorable the experience. It is important that students understand that in their new role, they may have views and opinions which are different from their own.

It is altogether possible to throw students straight into a parliamentary role-play without preparation. This spontaneous approach works amazingly well; however, if you prefer to have questions and statements prepared a template can be useful to stimulate thought, to assist in the development of ideas and to guide the delivery of a clear and effective statement of position.

See the Committee Templates & Suggestions section of the Role-play Toolkit.

Alternatively, you may prefer to prepare for a House of Representatives or Senate committee role-play, by generating discussion around the following aspects of parliamentary life.

Primer questions House of Representatives Committee Role-play Senate Committee Role-play
Who are you? You are a member, a journalist or a witness. You are a senator, a journalist or a witness.
How old are you? If you are a member you are likely to be in your 40s or 50s. If you are a journalist or a witness you may be younger. If you are a senator you are likely to be in your 40s or 50s. If you are a journalist or a witness you may be younger.
Who do you represent? If you are a member you are representing the House of Representatives. If you are a journalist you represent the media organisation you work for. If you are a witness you represent either your own views or the views of your organisation. If you are a senator you are representing the Senate. If you are a journalist you represent the media organisation you work for. If you are a witness you represent either your own views or the views of your organisation.
What is your job? If you are a member your job is to use intelligent questioning to gather information on the issue. If you are a journalist your job is to report the activities of the committee. If you are a witness your job is to answer the committee’s questions. If you are a senator your job is to use questions to gather information on the bill. If you are a journalist your job is to report the activities of the committee. If you are a witness your job is to answer the committee’s questions.
Do you belong to a parliamentary party?

If you are a member you belong to the parties in government or opposition or a minor party. Journalists and witnesses do not belong to parliamentary parties.

There are no minor party members in the current House of Representatives. 		If you are a senator you belong to the parties in government or opposition or a minor party. Journalists and witnesses do not belong to parliamentary parties.
What do you want the committee to achieve? If you are a member you want to understand a range of perspectives on the issue. If you are a journalist you want to engage the Australian public in the activities of the committee. If you are a witness you want the committee to hear your opinion on the issue. If you are a senator you want to understand a range of perspectives on the bill. If you are a journalist you want to engage the Australian public in the activities of the committee. If you are a witness you want the committee to hear your opinion on the bill.
Who runs the committee? The committee chair runs the committee and is supported by the committee secretariat. The committee chair runs the committee and is supported by the committee secretariat.
Who records the recommendations of the committee? Committee recommendations are recorded in a committee report that is tabled in the House of Representatives and that is available to the public. Committee recommendations are recorded in a committee report that is tabled in the Senate and that is available to the public.

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Committee tips

Let the Parliament of Australia be your guide. Model your facilitation of the role-play on the rules and processes of the federal Parliament, rather than normal classroom practice. This will maintain the integrity of the role-play and help students to feel ownership of it. Our system of parliamentary democracy uses the parliamentary committee system to hear the opinions of the public while investigating solutions to problems and the implications of proposals. It provides an opportunity for the federal Parliament to become well informed before important decisions are made.

Here are some suggestions for modelling the Parliament of Australia in your classroom role-play.

Committee atmosphere

Parliamentary committees are mostly serious events characterised by moments of extreme tension and occasional laughter.

You can model this behaviour in the Committee Role-play:

  • Support the committee chair as director of the meeting.
  • Help the committee chair to maintain a quiet atmosphere in which only one committee member or one witness is speaking at a time.
  • Encourage the committee panel to ask penetrating questions and to pursue an intelligent line of inquiry until a satisfactory answer is received.
  • Discourage witnesses from questioning the committee.

Committee control

The committee chair is responsible for maintaining order during the committee hearings.

You can model this behaviour in the Committee Role-play:

  • Whisper suggestions to the committee chair so as to minimise interruption of the role-play
  • Encourage the committee chair to use the rules of committees to maintain his or her authority. See the committee script sets (House of Representatives or Senate) for a brief list of rules.
  • Encourage the committee chair to ensure that witnesses are treated with respect and that all participants on the committee panel have equal opportunity to speak.

Witness statements

A witness statement is a written response to the terms of reference of an inquiry. It presents an opportunity for interested groups to state their position on a committee topic.

You can model this behaviour in the Committee Role-play. Encourage students who deliver statements to read slowly, clearly and with conviction.

Questions and answers

The questions asked by committee panels are usually a mixture of planned and spontaneous questions. Although witnesses prepare for questions, the answers given by witnesses are impromptu.

You can model this behaviour in the Committee Role-play. Allow time for the formulation and consideration of questions and answers in a quiet environment. Moments of silence build tension and expectation.

Committee recommendations

Committee recommendations are not delivered during committee hearings. They are delivered in a report which is written by the committee after all the evidence has been collected. The committee report is tabled in the chamber of origin.

You can model this behaviour in the Committee Role-play:

  • Ask the committee panel to withdraw after all the evidence has been heard to write a short report. A House of Representatives committee inquiring into an issue of community concern may recommend a course of action. A Senate committee inquiring into a bill may recommend that the bill be accepted, rejected or amended.
  • Table the report during a law-making role-play. The committee chair may also request the permission of the chamber to speak about the work of the committee and the recommendations it has made.

Role-play overview

Preparation

Role-play Toolkit contains all the resources you need to run your role-play. You will need:

You might also like to try:

House of Representatives Senate

Roles

  • Select four to six members who will form the committee.
  • Select a member to be the committee chair.
  • Select two to four journalists.
  • Divide remaining students into three or four witness groups.

Committee preparation

Starting the committee

When all the groups have completed their preparation

  • The committee chair and members enter the room and take their places at the committee table.
  • The committee chair starts the inquiry by welcoming the witnesses and then calls the first group to stand and to state their names for the Hansard record.
  • The committee chair asks the first group to read their statement to the committee.
  • Following the statement, the committee chair invites members to question the witnesses.
  • The committee chair calls the second witness group and the process is repeated until all groups have been heard and questioned.
  • After each witness group has given evidence, the inquiry is adjourned.

Tabling the committee report

  • Members adjourn to decide on a recommendation to the House of Representatives and to write a short report.
  • Journalists prepare a newspaper article, TV report or radio interview to inform the public about committee proceedings between senators and witnesses using Media Templates.
  • The committee chair presents the decision to the group.
  • The committee chair tables the report in the House of Representatives.

Follow-up

The debate in the House of Representatives continues with the benefit of the new information brought to light by the committee.

Roles

  • Select four to six senators who will form the committee.
  • Select a senator to be the committee chair.
  • Select two to four journalists.
  • Divide remaining students into three or four witness groups.

Committee preparation

  • Select a leader for each witness group to guide group discussion and to present their statement to the committee.
  • Task each witness group to meet separately and to prepare a statement of their position using the Senate How to be a Witness at a Senate Committee template.
  • Task the committee members to discuss ideas relating to the issue and to formulate questions for each of the witness groups using the How to be a Committee Senator template.

Starting the committee

When all the groups have completed their preparation

  • The committee chair and senators enter the room and take their places at the committee table.
  • The committee chair starts the inquiry by welcoming the witnesses and then calls the first group to stand and to state their names for the Hansard record.
  • The committee chair asks the first group to read their statement to the committee.
  • Following the statement, the committee chair invites senators to question the witnesses.
  • The committee chair calls the second witness group and the process is repeated until all groups have been heard and questioned.
  • After each witness group has given evidence, the inquiry is adjourned.

Tabling the committee report

  • Senators adjourn to decide on a recommendation to the Senate and to write a short report. They may decide that the bill be supported, opposed or amended.
  • Journalists prepare a newspaper article, TV report or radio interview to inform the public about committee proceedings between senators and witnesses using Media Templates.
  • The committee chair presents the decision to the group.
  • The committee chair tables the report in the Senate.

Follow-up

The debate in the Senate continues with the benefit of the new information brought to light by the committee.

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Putting the inquiry together

After the inquiry you might like to explore the following questions with your students.

House committee role-play Senate committee role-play
  • Why are some issues referred to parliamentary committees? Parliamentary committees do some of the work of the chamber. A parliamentary committee is a specialised subset of the chamber set up to investigate issues in detail.
  • How does the committee system contribute to our democracy? Committees give members of the community a voice in the decision of the parliament.
  • How useful is a committee if the Parliament is not bound by the committee recommendations? Committees bring issues out into the open, and are important in informing parliament and the public.
  • How do the public and community groups find out about committee inquiries? They are advertised in the press and interested groups are asked to make submissions.
  • What other forms of participation can individuals and groups pursue to try to influence parliament? Lobbying, organising petitions, writing letters, contacting members, being informed.
  • Why are some bills referred to parliamentary committees? Parliamentary committees do some of the work of the chamber. A parliamentary committee is a specialised subset of the chamber set up to investigate a bill in detail.
  • How does the committee system contribute to our democracy? Committees give members of the community a voice in the decision of the parliament.
  • How useful is a committee if the Parliament is not bound by the committee recommendations? Committees bring issues out into the open, and are important in informing parliament and the public.
  • How do public and community groups find out about committee inquiries? They are advertised in the press and interested groups are asked to make submissions.
  • What other forms of participation can individuals and groups pursue to try to influence parliament? Lobbying, organising petitions, writing letters, contacting senators, being informed.

Unravelling the Parliamentary Role-play

Unravelling the Parliamentary Role-play is a PEO publication which explores the pedagogy of the parliamentary role-play. Written for teachers and educators, it provides a detailed and challenging program of work that progressively builds students' understanding and involvement with the federal Parliament through intriguing questions and thought-provoking activities. Unravelling the Parliamentary Role-play is available to teachers and educators free of charge, on request from the PEO.

If this information does not answer all of your questions about how to run a committee role-play in the classroom, please contact the PEO by phone, fax or email.

Ph: 02 6277 3147 or 02 6277 3508

Fax: 02 6277 5775

Email: info@peo.gov.au

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