Yes, Minister! 

Year 7 Humanities students visited the Victorian Parliament late this term.  Victoria's Parliament House is one of Australia's most distinguished public buildings. It boasts a rich history and plays an active part in our democracy. 

Given the opportunity to sit in the chambers while enjoying thier tour proved to be a lot of fun - with some even venturing to the Speaker's Chair!

Cleaver Brinsmead & Tom Pearce

Year 7

This term in Humanities, all Year 7 classes visited Parliament House. We travelled by train to Parliament Station, where our tour began. Our guide took us to both the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the Legislative Council (upper house). 

During the visit, we participated in scenarios about the process of passing a bill in both houses. We also learned a lot about the history of Parliament and Melbourne. Some classes had the opportunity to meet Members of Parliament, and one group was particularly fortunate to meet Tim Read, the MP for Brunswick.

After touring the chambers, we visited the Parliament Library, which houses over 50,000 books. The library features a very expensive Belgian chandelier, one of [a set of] three that were famously stolen, with this being the only one remaining.

After we left the library, we went to the main hall where we saw a statue of Queen Victoria. The statue, sold to Parliament by a con artist who had created 11 replicas and sold them worldwide, is particularly valuable. Interestingly, our statue is considered the most valuable of them all because the con artist's apprentice misspelled his own name on it, making it unique!