ellen.About Ellen
For the question behind the headline.

Make sense of
Parliament.

Who does what. How a bill becomes law. What the official record actually tells you.

Find your starting point Already reading a document?
Parliament House, Canberra · Photo: Josh Withers / Pexels

Ellen explains the process in plain English, with primary sources close at hand. Your conclusions are your own.

No party endorsements.
No government affiliation.

Start with a question.

A small reading library for the institutions, procedures and records that can feel harder than they need to.

A headline is a beginning.
The record goes further.

Different documents answer different questions. Start by identifying what you are reading, then follow the explanation and its source.

Find the right record
Understand the proposal

Bills & explanatory material

Separate what is proposed from what is already law.

Follow the discussion

Hansard

Read parliamentary proceedings in their context.

Read the law

Federal Register of Legislation

Check the instrument, version and commencement details.

Clarity without taking sides.

We focus on how Parliament works and how to read its records. We distinguish an explanation from an opinion, a proposal from an Act, and a quotation from a finding.

How Ellen approaches an explanation