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Australia has three levels of government: federal, state or territory, and local. The federal government is the decision-making body, with the power to make laws for the territories and grant financial assistance to states. State governments are led by a premier and state ministers, while territory governments have a chief minister and territory ministers. Local governments, also called councils, municipalities, or shires, are responsible for local matters such as road maintenance, waste management, and building regulations. The country is also a parliamentary democracy, with the people electing representatives to sit in parliament and make laws. The three branches of the Australian government are the legislative, executive, and judiciary, each with its own powers and responsibilities.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of levels of government | 3 |
| Federal government responsibilities | Foreign affairs, social security, industrial relations, trade, immigration, currency, defence |
| Federal government decision-making body | Federal Parliament |
| Federal Parliament composition | House of Representatives, Senate |
| Number of members in the House of Representatives | 151 |
| Term length of members in the House of Representatives | 3 years |
| Members of the Senate | 12 senators for every state, 2 senators for each territory |
| State government leader | Premier |
| State government decision-making body | State Parliament |
| State Parliament composition | Legislative Assembly or House of Assembly, Legislative Council |
| Number of state governments | 6 |
| Local government responsibilities | Local road maintenance, garbage collection, building regulations and land subdivisions, public health and recreation facilities |
| Number of local government bodies | Over 500 |
| Local government representatives | Councillors or aldermen |
| Local government leader | Mayor or Shire President |
| Number of departments of the Australian Government | 16 |
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What You'll Learn
Federal, state, and local government
Australia has a federal system of government, which means power is shared between the federal government and the state governments. The Australian Government, also known as the Government of the Commonwealth or the Government of Australia, is headquartered in the executive wing of Parliament House in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The Federal Executive Council, which includes all current and former ministers, advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power. The governor-general usually presides at council meetings, but in their absence, another minister nominated as the vice-president of the Executive Council presides. The cabinet, consisting of the prime minister and senior ministers, makes most of the important policy decisions of the government.
The Australian Parliament, which includes the Senate and the House of Representatives, is responsible for making federal laws. The federal Parliament makes laws for the whole of Australia, while the six state parliaments and two territory parliaments make laws for their respective states or territories. The state of Queensland and the territories of the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory have a unicameral system with a single house called the Legislative Assembly. The Australian Capital Territory is unique in that its parliament combines the responsibilities of both a local and state government.
Each state has its own constitution and system of government, and is responsible for areas not listed as Federal responsibilities. These include schools, hospitals, conservation and the environment, roads, railways and public transport, public works, agriculture and fishing, industrial relations, community services, sport and recreation, consumer affairs, police, prisons, and emergency services.
Local councils, which number over 500 across Australia, make local laws (by-laws) for their region or district. The local government areas vary in size and character, with larger country centres having city or municipal councils, while large but less populated country areas are usually shires with a Shire Council.
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The role of the monarch
Australia is a constitutional monarchy, meaning that it has a monarch as its head of state, but the monarch's power is defined and limited by the Australian Constitution. The current monarch is King Charles III, who has reigned since 8 September 2022.
The monarch also has the power to declare war and enter into treaties, as well as certain "nationhood powers" granted by Section 61 of the Constitution. These include the power to provide financial stimulus payments to households during a financial crisis and to prevent "unlawful non-citizens" from entering the country.
In each of the Australian states, the monarch is represented by a governor, who is assisted by a lieutenant-governor, generally the Chief Justice of the state's supreme court. The sovereign is also mentioned in and the subject of songs and loyal toasts, and the royal anthem, "God Save the King" ("God Save the Queen" during the reign of a female monarch), is retained for official occasions when the monarch or a member of the royal family is present.
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State and territory government responsibilities
Australia has three levels of government: federal, state or territory, and local. The country is a representative democracy, and it is compulsory for all Australians aged 18 and over to enrol and vote for representatives at each of these levels.
State and territory governments receive more than half of their money from the federal government and also collect taxes. This money is spent on state matters such as roads, prisons, housing, public transport, police, and ambulance services.
State and territory parliaments make laws that are enforced within their state or territory. By defining federal powers, the Australian Constitution leaves most other law-making powers to the states. These are called residual powers. As a rule, if it is not listed in sections 51 and 52 of the Constitution, it is an area of state responsibility. State laws relate to matters that are primarily of state interest.
The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory have a unicameral parliament with one house called the Legislative Assembly. The leader of each territory government is the Chief Minister.
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The three branches of government
Australia has three levels of government, each with its own executive, that work together to provide services to the country. The three branches are federal, state and territory parliaments, and local councils. The federal Parliament, located in Canberra, the nation's capital, makes laws for the whole of Australia. The state/territory parliaments are located in the capital cities of each of the six states and two territories. Local councils are located around Australia in each local council division.
The Australian Government is headquartered in the executive wing of Parliament House, in Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The Federal Executive Council is the body that formally advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power. All current and former ministers are members of the council, and the governor-general usually presides at council meetings. The cabinet, which includes the prime minister and senior ministers, makes most of the important policy decisions of the government. The cabinet is selected by the prime minister and its decisions do not have legal force. However, it serves as the practical expression of the Federal Executive Council, Australia's highest formal governmental body.
The establishment of the three levels of Australian government was an outcome of Federation in 1901, when the six British colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia. Until the 1850s, each colony was run by a non-elected governor appointed by the British Parliament. By 1860, all the colonies, apart from Western Australia, had been granted partial self-government by Britain. Each had its own written constitution, parliament and laws, although the British Parliament retained the power to make laws for the colonies and overrule laws passed by the colonial parliaments. Western Australia became self-governing in 1890.
Ministers from the various levels of government work together on matters of common concern. For example, the Australian Health Ministers' Advisory Council meets regularly to negotiate a coordinated national approach to health policy. As a result of intergovernmental discussions, uniform national laws have been made to tackle issues such as road transport, food standards and consumer rights.
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The Governor of Victoria
The current standard for the governor's personal standard has been in place since 1984. It is the same design as the state flag of Victoria, but with the blue background replaced by gold and red stars depicting the Southern Cross. The governor's standard is flown at Government House and on vehicles conveying the governor. The standard is lowered over Government House when the governor is absent from Victoria.
The Official Secretary to the Governor of Victoria is the head of the Office of the Governor, which supports the Governor in carrying out their official constitutional and ceremonial duties, as well as community and international engagements. The official secretary manages the office and its staff, and is in charge of maintaining Government House and its collections as a heritage and community asset of national importance.
Until the appointment of Victorian-born Sir Henry Winneke in 1974, the governors of Victoria were British. Since then, governors have been Australian, although several were born overseas, including David McCaughey (Ireland), David de Kretser (Sri Lanka), and Alex Chernov (Lithuania).
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Frequently asked questions
There are three levels of government in Australia: federal, state or territory, and local.
The federal government's decision-making body is the Federal Parliament, which consists of two houses: the House of Representatives and the Senate. The leader of the federal government is the Prime Minister.
The decision-making body of the state government is the state parliament, which meets in the Parliament House of the particular state. The leader of a state government is called the Premier.
There are over 500 local government bodies in Australia, often called councils, municipalities, or shires. The people's representatives who form the Council are called aldermen or councillors, and the head of the Council is the Mayor or Shire President.
The federal government's responsibilities include foreign affairs, social security, industrial relations, trade, immigration, currency, and defence. The state government's responsibilities include education, health, housing, and transport. The local government is responsible for local road maintenance, garbage collection, building regulations, and land subdivisions.
