Parliaments are among the fundamental institutions of Australian democracy (see Chapter 2). In this chapter, following on from arguments raised in Chapter 1, Uhr and Abjorensen suggest that the democratic law-making function of parliaments ought to be underpinned by principles of deliberation. This chapter also draws on wider theories of democracy (Chapter 1) and demonstrates the relevance of the approaches found in the ‘new institutionalism’ (see Chapter 2). The chapter, like most of those in this section of the book, challenges the view of many critical theorists that political institutions do not really count for much against the larger power structures embedded in Australian society (Chapter 4).

Parliaments are often derided as talking shops, but what they talk about tells us much about the political communities they represent. Members of parliament talk about many issues, particularly in relation to the three core parliamentary functions we emphasise in this chapter: political representation, law-making and government accountability. At their best, parliaments are deliberative assemblies, with members talking not just among themselves but with the citizens they represent, about laws to benefi t the community and ways of holding governments accountable.