Ruqayyah Snyder
Australia is a representative democracy, also known as a representative government, where citizens elect members of Parliament to represent them and make laws on their behalf. The Australian Constitution of 1901 established a federal system of government, distributing powers between a national government (the Commonwealth) and the six states. The country is further divided into several hundred local government areas, known as municipalities, cities, and shires, which are elected regularly and have powers over local matters. Federal elections are held approximately every three years to select members of the House of Representatives and the Senate, who represent Australians at the national level.
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What You'll Learn
Federal elections
Australia's representative government is a system in which the people elect members of Parliament to represent them. Federal elections are held approximately every three years to select these members of parliament, who will represent Australians and make laws on their behalf.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) is responsible for providing the Australian people with an independent electoral service that encourages them to understand and participate in the electoral process. Voting and enrolling to vote is compulsory for all Australian citizens aged 18 and over. If an eligible citizen does not vote, they may be fined. Enrolling to vote can be done online or via paper form.
In federal elections, a preferential voting system is used. This means that voters will note on their ballot paper their order of preference for the candidates. Each voter will number the candidates in order of preference, starting from 1. To be elected, a candidate must have an absolute majority of votes (more than 50%). If no candidate gets an absolute majority, the candidate with the least number of votes is excluded, and their votes are transferred to the candidate voters marked as their second preference.
The House of Representatives is made up of members who each represent approximately the same number of people (around 80,000 voters each). The Senate is made up of an equal number of members per state (12), plus representation of the two territories (two senators each). Each state has a Legislative Assembly or House of Assembly representative of the people in the same manner as the House of Representatives.
The federal government is responsible for national issues and making laws for all of Australia. This includes foreign affairs, social security, industrial relations, trade, immigration, currency, and defence.
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Three levels of government
Australia's system of government is a representative democracy, where citizens elect people to represent them in parliament. This occurs at a federal level, with federal elections held approximately every three years to select members of parliament who will represent Australians and make laws on their behalf.
The Australian Parliament has the power to make laws about national matters, such as defence, immigration, trade, and foreign affairs. However, representative government also exists at a local level, with several hundred local government areas, known as municipalities, cities, and shires. These local governments are elected regularly and represent people in matters such as garbage collection.
The three levels of government in Australia work together to make laws and deliver services to Australians. The first level is the federal Parliament, which represents the nation in key areas such as defence and foreign affairs. The second level is the state and territory parliaments, which have their own areas of responsibility, such as state-based legislation and policies. The third level is the local councils or local governments, which are responsible for matters that directly affect people's daily lives, such as garbage collection.
Each state has a Legislative Assembly or House of Assembly, which represents the people in the same way as the House of Representatives. All states except Queensland have a second chamber of Parliament, elected differently from the lower house, to provide different representation, especially for minority interests. The Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory have single-chamber parliaments, representing people like the Federal and State lower houses.
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Separation of powers
Australia's representative government is a federal parliamentary system, with power shared between the Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary—this is known as the separation of powers.
The Australian Constitution, which sets out the rules by which the country is governed, divides the institutions of the Australian government into three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch makes the laws, the executive branch puts the laws into operation, and the judiciary interprets the laws, all independently of each other. This concept is derived from democratic concepts embedded in the Westminster system, the doctrine of "responsible government", and the US version of the separation of powers.
However, due to the conventions of the Westminster system, a strict separation of powers is not always evident in the Australian political system, with little separation between the executive and the legislature. In the Westminster system, ministers (executive) are required to sit in Parliament (legislative). This is to adhere to the concept of Responsible Government, which is a requirement of Section 64 of the Constitution. The specific requirement for ministers to sit in Parliament establishes a connection between the executive and legislative branches.
The Australian High Court has also held that, consistent with British tradition, a strict separation between legislative and executive powers is impossible. It found that legislative power may be delegated to the executive and upheld the validity of delegated legislation. In contrast, the High Court has been less willing to compromise on the strict separation of "judicial power". The Federal Parliament has the rarely used privilege of being able to act as a court in some circumstances, primarily where it may regard a non-member as acting "in contempt" of parliament.
The Senate has served to restrain the power of the executive through its ability to query, amend and block government legislation. The result of the adoption of a proportional system of voting in 1949 has been that the Senate in recent decades has rarely been controlled by governments. Minor parties have gained greater representation, and Senate majorities on votes come from a coalition of groups on a particular issue, usually after debate by the Opposition and Independents.
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State and territory government
Australia has a representative government, where the people elect members of Parliament to represent them. This system of government exists at several levels in the country.
The two territories, the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory, have unicameral parliaments, each with one house called the Legislative Assembly. The Australian Capital Territory combines the responsibilities of local and state government. The territories are governed by Australian federal law and the laws of a state, the ACT, or NT. They are legally subordinate to the federal government, and the federal Parliament can override territorial laws.
Each state and internal territory (except Jervis Bay Territory) has its own legislature and judicial system, although most external territories are subject to the judiciary and legislature of either a state or internal territory. The federal Parliament has the power to make laws for all territories, and these Commonwealth laws apply automatically unless stated otherwise.
The leader of a state government is called the Premier, while the leader of a territory government is called the Chief Minister. Representatives elected to state parliaments are generally known as 'Members', such as Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) or Members of the House of Assembly (MHA).
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Local government
Australia has a system of representative government, where the people elect members of Parliament to represent them. This occurs at a few different levels, including the federal level, the state level, and the local level.
At the local level, there are several hundred local government areas, known as municipalities, cities, and shires. These local governments are elected regularly, and the representatives are called aldermen or councillors. The local government deals with matters that are specific to a city or local community, such as garbage collection. The decision-making body of local government is usually called the city council or shire council. Councils are established by state governments to look after the particular needs of a city or local community.
The powers of these representative bodies differ from those of the federal and state governments. While the federal government deals with national matters such as defence, immigration, trade, and foreign affairs, the local government has a more limited scope and deals with issues that are specific to the local area.
The advantage of this system of representative government is that it allows citizens to have a say in how their country, state, or locality is run. This is especially beneficial in large countries, where it would be impractical for all citizens to be involved in decision-making processes all the time.
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Frequently asked questions
A representative government is a system of government where citizens elect representatives to make decisions and carry out the business of governing on their behalf.
There are three levels of government in Australia: federal, state, and local. The federal level includes the House of Representatives, the Senate, and the Parliament. The state level includes the Legislative Assembly or House of Assembly, and the second chamber of Parliament. The local level includes municipalities, cities, and shires.
In Australia, citizens over the age of 18 must vote in elections to choose their representatives. These representatives then meet in Parliament to perform various functions, such as reviewing, debating, and voting on proposed laws.
One advantage of a representative government is that it allows citizens to have a say in how they are governed, even in very large countries. It also enables active and engaged citizens to make changes in society and work towards an inclusive and equitable society.
