Observe Parliament in Action
While every sitting day in the House of Assembly is unique, there are certain procedures that give an inherent structure to the chamber order of business. On sitting days, the House of Assembly sits from 10 am and the Legislative Council usually from 11 am. Both Houses rise for a lunch break from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. The length of stay is at the discretion of the supervising teacher. As a guide, a suitable stay is about 30 minutes for primary students, 30 to 60 minutes for secondary students, and 60 minutes for Legal Studies classes.
About the Program
While every sitting day in the House of Assembly is unique, there are certain procedures that give an inherent structure to the chamber order of business. On sitting days, the House of Assembly sits from 10 am and the Legislative Council usually from 11 am. Both Houses rise for a lunch break from 1 pm to 2:30 pm. The length of stay is at the discretion of the supervising teacher. As a guide, a suitable stay is about 30 minutes for primary students, 30 to 60 minutes for secondary students, and 60 minutes for Legal Studies classes.
Further Infomation
For security reasons, students are not permitted to carry bags around Parliament House. As there is limited room in Parliament House to store school bags, schools are encouraged to leave school bags at school, on the school bus or reduce the number of bags entering the building by students sharing a bag during their excursion. All visitors, including school groups, must go through security screening and inspection of personal possessions to enter Parliament House. All bags will be scanned, so reducing the number of school bags entering the building is advisable. Please ask that students remove any sharp objects from their bags (like scissors, pocketknives or bottle openers) before entering the building.
Objectives
An excursion to Parliament House allows students to see firsthand the work of the Parliament of Tasmania, giving authenticity and inherent value to Civics and Citizenship Education.