HUMANITIES
YEAR 12 LEGAL STUDIES
On Thursday 2 March, our Year 12 Legal Studies students had the opportunity to participate in a Q & A Webinar that took place in the Legislative Council of the Victorian Parliament on the Separation of Powers.
The discussion panel included the Clerk of the Legislative Council Robert McDonald, Deputy Speaker Matt Fregon (Member for Ashwood, Legislative Assembly) and Her Honour Judge Elizabeth Brimer KC.
The topic of the day was the relationship between Parliament and the Courts and in particular focused on the separation of powers between the legislative, executive and judicial branches of Victoria’s democratic system.
The discussion panel considered the responsibilities of each branch, how they interact with each other, and their accountability functions. The Panel members explored the strengths and challenges of this system and their implications when making and applying the law.
Students had the opportunity to ask any questions through the chat feature of the webinar.
Below are student reflections on the Webinar discussion on the separation of powers.
Sophie D’Ambrosio
VCE Legal Studies Teacher
Commerce Assistant KLA Manager
Last Thursday, the VCE 3/4 Legal Studies classes had the privilege of being able to attend the online webinar, “Parliaments and Courts: Separation of Powers,” hosted by the Parliament of Victoria and the Law foundation of Victoria.
This great opportunity allowed students to get a better insight into the Separation of Powers which features in our Unit 4 Legal Studies course. This webinar posed an opportunity to assist us in gaining a better understanding of this key knowledge point in preparation for our upcoming outcome and end-of-year exam.
Within the webinar some students asked interesting questions regarding what Australia would look like as a republic and what in turn would replace our system of Governor-General, Governor, and Royal Assent. With the answers given from the panel members, it was interesting to see that the elected people of our parliamentary systems have considered what our country would look like without our Constitutional Monarchy.
Rusha Shah & Jessica Karpisek
The Parliament of Victoria and Law foundation of Victoria recently held an online webinar featuring members of the Victorian Courts and Parliament, with the overarching aim of the session being to open discussion about the Separation of Powers between the different branches of Victoria’s democratic system.
Fortunately, the Year 12 Legal Studies classes had the opportunity to witness this panel discussion, providing students with greater insight into the responsibilities and accountability functions of the Victorian system’s different branches; legislative, executive, and judicial. As well as this, students were able to submit any further questions regarding the topics discussed and gain access to a range of online resources following the discussion. Overall, the Parliament and the courts: Separation of powers webinar was an enriching experience and helped take legal concepts outside the confines of textbook content and demonstrated its application in real-world events.
Katelyn Tea