Preparation

Preparing props and rearranging your classroom to look more like a parliamentary chamber will create a more authentic atmosphere and help students embrace their roles.

Before the role-play can start, students will need to come up with questions to ask government ministers. During Question Time, members of parliament ask ministers questions about issues that fall within their federal areas of responsibility. For example, if the government announced a plan to ban homework, the opposition would ask the Minister for Education to explain why.

Create a list of current issues by either:

• brainstorming what is in the news
• listing areas of concern related to a specific unit of study
• collecting news articles about matters of national importance
• raising issues of local or school interest.

Once the class has listed a range of issues, questions are written specifically for the minister who has responsibility for that portfolio. For more information about how to develop questions.

Set-up

Transform the classroom into a chamber by arranging chairs and tables into a horseshoe shape as indicated by the diagram. A larger printable version of this diagram, as well as illustrations of the actual chamber, are in the Role-play Toolkit.

Scripts

The PEO scripts provide the framework for the role-play. The scripts include specific roles that can be assigned to students and indicate what they have to do and say. A full script, and a template, are available in the Role-play Toolkit.

Getting into role

• Divide the class into government, opposition, minor parties and Independents (go to Parliament Now on the PEO website for current numbers in the chambers). Use these numbers to gain the right proportions for your parliament.
• Divide the government into ministers (frontbenchers) and backbenchers.
• Divide the opposition into shadow ministers and backbenchers.
• Select a President from the government this is a non-debating role and needs to be someone who can exercise authority in the room.
• Select a Clerk (pronounced 'Clark') and Usher of the Black Rod these are parliamentary officers, who do not debate or vote. A teacher may take up the role of Deputy Clerk. This role does not require active participation, but puts the teacher in a central position in the room so they can assist with the running of the role-play.
• Elect party leaders the government elects the Leader of the Government in the Senate and the opposition elects the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate.
• Distribute portfolios (areas of responsibility) to government ministers.
• Choose party whips (managers) to organise questioners and team support.

YOU ARE NOW READY TO BEGIN THE ROLE-PLAY

Starting the role-play

You could start the role-play:

• at the beginning of Question Time (using the PEO script)
• with a party meeting where the teams devise a series of questions to ask ministers during Question Time.

Party meetings

The members of each team get together to prepare questions.

• Government backbenchers prepare questions and answers with government ministers.
• Opposition backbenchers and shadow ministers plan tough questions (often on controversial topics) for government ministers.
• Independents and minor party members could also devise their own questions, either as a group or individually.

Starting Question Time

1. The Clerk rings the bell and tells the senators to stand.
2. The Usher of the Black Rod leads the President into the chamber, carrying the Black Rod vertically in their right hand.
3. The Usher of the Black Rod announces the President and moves to their seat.
4. The President tells everyone to sit down and begins the session.
5. The Clerk reads the rules of Question Time.
6. The President calls senators to ask questions, then calls the relevant ministers to answer those questions. If your class runs out of questions and needs time to think of more, you can adjourn the Senate to let them prepare more questions at their party meetings.

Ending the role-play

7. The Question Time session finishes either when there are no more questions or when the Leader of the Government in the Senate requests that all further questions be placed on the notice paper.
8. The Usher of the Black Rod leads the President from the chamber, holding the Black Rod vertically in their right hand.

Debrief

After Question Time, you might like to explore the following questions with your students.

• What questions are likely to cause the government concern? Opposition questions attempt to highlight government weakness. They often target specific ministers and/or refer to controversial reports in the media. Such questions are usually of interest to the public.
• How can the ministers defend the government in Question Time? Ministers need to manage their responsibilities well. Ministers also have to be extremely well-prepared give clear, positive answers. The government can also prepare strong Dorothy Dixer questions which focus on its achievements.
• Why does Question Time draw more attention than other parliamentary activities? Ministers are required to attend Question Time. The likelihood of controversy draws the media and members of the public. The short question and answer format creates an exciting and well-paced atmosphere.
• What is the point of Question Time? Question Time places pressure on the government to take great care in the decisions it makes on behalf of Australians. It also reminds Australians that the opposition is the alternative government.
• What role does the media play in the process of scrutiny? Media organisations are free to select the news. They publish news to mass audiences and in doing so, may criticise the actions and decisions of the government. In this way, the media contributes to the scrutiny of the Parliament.
• What is the role of Independent and minor party members during Question Time? Like the opposition, Independents and minor party members ask the government questions; they scrutinise the government and demand accountability.

Although Question Time in the federal Parliament appears spontaneous, it is a strategically-planned part of the parliamentary timetable. Prior to Question Time members of the government and the opposition plan questions to put to government ministers. The first question is usually asked by the Leader of the Opposition in the Senate, after which questions alternate between the government and non-government senators. Any opposition, Independent or minor party senator may ask a question, but in the government only backbenchers ask questions.

Ministers have no warning about opposition questions, so they have to be well-briefed on topical issues in order to immediately respond to the question. Ministers must be able to think on their feet. Opposition questions are designed to make the government explain its actions, but also to reveal weaknesses in the performance of ministers and to present the opposition as an alternative government.

Ministers arrange for government backbenchers to ask questions on specific topics. These pre-arranged questions are called Dorothy Dixers after a 2Oth century newspaper columnist who, it is said, wrote her readers' questions as well as the replies.

Dorothy Dixers are designed to put the government in a positive light by highlighting government achievements. They also provide ministers with an opportunity to display their political skill.

Standing Orders (rules of the chamber) state that questions should only seek to obtain information or press for action. Questions cannot be debated (used by the questioner to debate an issue), be argumentative or consist of a short speech.

Each question should be addressed to a specific minister. For example:

Senator Smith:

Mr President, I address my question to the Minister for Education. Minister, why is the government planning to take the extraordinary step of banning homework?

President:

I call on the Minister for Education to answer the question.

Minister for Education:

Mr President, the government believes that homework does not help children and that school provides the best environment in which to learn...

House of Representatives or Senate

If your class wants to explore further the role of government ministers, let them create a bill that falls within the area of a minister's portfolio responsibility. You could conduct a role-play that follows the progress of a bill through the House of Representatives or Senate. To do this, check out the Law-making role-play lesson plans.