Revision of Parliamentary Terms

QUESTION

Identify one key reform to the NSW Parliament that would improve its contribution to democracy in the state. Make the case for your chosen reform, drawing on evidence from the recent functioning of the NSW Parliament and from other parliaments that already have the type of reform you support, and explaining the main element(s) of democracy your reform would address. For example, if your reform is restructuring the committee system, you should provide evidence of the NSW committee system’s failings and of the benefits of alternative committee systems in other similar jurisdictions (for example, Victoria or New Zealand).

The only reform that is off limits for your critical analysis is abolition of the Legislative Council, since that was the topic of the short assignment.

ANSWER

NSW Parliament Reforms

Paper Topic: Revision of Parliamentary Terms

Thesis Statement: The parliamentary term for members of the NSW Parliament should be increased.

• Introduction: A brief explanation of the provisions of the Australian Constitution on the terms of the members of the House of Representatives and any provisions for the dissolution of the House (Twomey 2004; Quentin-Baxter 289).
• Body
  • Body Paragraph: Discussion of recent calls for a review of the parliamentary terms in NSW and Australia (Bennett 2003).
  • Body paragraph: Discussion of the reasons for calls for a review of parliamentary terms (Reith 2003). Justification for an extension of the NSW parliamentary terms.
  • Body Paragraph: Comparison of the NSW parliamentary terms with parliamentary terms of other countries.
  • Body paragraph: Challenges faced as a result of short parliamentary terms (Faulkner 100) and the benefits that would accrue from an extension of parliamentary terms (Smith 7).
• Conclusion and Recommendations: A discussion of the main points raised and what is necessary for the implementation of the proposed reforms.

Works Cited

Bennett, Scott Cecil. Four-Year Terms for the House of Representatives? Information and Research Services, Department of the Parliamentary Library, 2003. https://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/2133887

Faulkner, John. “Senate Reform.” The Sydney Papers, vol. 15, no. 3/4, 2003, pp. 100-109.

Quentin-Baxter, R. Q. “The Governor-General’s Constitutional Discretions: An Essay Towards a Re-Definition.” Victoria University of Wellington Law Review, vol. 10, 1979, pp. 289. http://www.nzlii.org/nz/journals/VUWLawRw/1980/18.html

Reith, Peter. “Let’s Give Democracy a Chance: Some Suggestions.” Proceedings of the Fifteenth Conference of The Samuel Griffith Society. 2003.

Smith, T. “It’s Time We Moved to Four-Year Parliamentary Terms.” The Age, vol. 1, 2005, pp. 7.

Twomey, Anne. The Constitution of New South Wales. Federation Press, 2004. https://federationpress.com.au/product/the-constitution-of-new-south-wales-2/

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