Exploring Democracy – Year 11 Legal Studies Class Visits Parliament

The Year 11 Legal Studies class visited Parliament as part of their studies of democracy and representative government. The students were fortunate to tour both houses of Parliament with Lucy Hood, member for Adelaide.

The following are some student reflections about the different aspects of the visit.

Ms Lucyna Zwolski
Legal Studies Teacher

The two Houses of Parliament

Ever wanted to time travel? Well, visiting the two houses of Parliament with Lucy Hood is as close as you can get!

These halls are packed with history. From the design to the meaningful images, everything is symbolic. First up, the green carpeting in the lower house isn’t just green—it’s decorated with wheat, grapes, and wattle, all nods to Aussie culture. Why green? It was the colour of everyone’s clothes (because it was cheap), and this was chosen as they wanted it to be common and resonate with the country. Everywhere you look, you’re reminded of home.

Here’s a fun bit: The red carpets in Parliament the run in front of the seating rows aren’t just for pleasure they ensured safety. Back in the day, the space between benches was two sword lengths apart because, well, politicians used to literally point swords at each other!

Now, onto the old-school architecture: The lower house is decked out with gold rims, chandeliers, oil paintings, and fancy oak wood. But the upper house? A bit more humble, since they ran out of money after using it all on the lower house. After 50 years, thanks to the Bonython family’s donation, they managed to finish the upper house just before WWII in 1939. Here’s the coolest part: They purposely misplaced one roof tile in the lower house to remind everyone that “only God is perfect.” If you visit, see if you can spot it! (Hint: Look to the left from the public gallery.)

Emily Thomas 11AT

The Parliamentary Library

The Parliamentary Library houses important historical artefacts for the South Australian Parliament. In the library, collections of 60,000 documents, rare books including a bible from the year 1600 are, as well as original wooden planks from Westminster in London built in 1050 are also housed in this beautiful library. Dr John Weste warmly welcomed the students from SAC with engaging stories such as recounting Queen Elizabeth II’s visit to South Australia and the story behind the decision to serve Her Majesty Mock Turtle soup. Students were asked to guess what ingredients were required to make this soup. Apparently, it contained a cow’s head, including the teeth, tongue and cartilage, horse hooves, oysters and vegetables such as carrots, swedes and celery. The Queen ate the soup graciously and followed up with a nice glass of sherry!

Alexa Bageas 11FT

Question time

Attending Question Time at Parliament was an eye-opening experience for our Year 11 Legal Studies class. We arrived expecting a formal and structured debate, but what we witnessed was quite different. The constant arguing and interruptions were surprising, even shocking. It was a reminder of the passionate and often confrontational nature of politics. While it was a bit unsettling to see elected representatives engage in such heated exchanges, it also highlighted the importance of robust debate in a democratic society. Question time educated us further on current issues regarding politics, inflation and the cost of living. This experience made us reflect on the power of words, the significance of respectful dialogue, and the role of government in representing diverse views. Ultimately, it left us more curious and engaged, prompting us to think critically about how we communicate and make decisions as a community.

Retha Muradi 11DT & Zahra Irfani 11DT

Exploring Democracy – Year 11 Legal Studies Class Visits Parliament