Leslie Massey
The Australian Government is a representative democracy where voters elect candidates to carry out the business of the government on their behalf. The government is headquartered in the executive wing of Parliament House, located in the nation's capital, Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The Federal Executive Council advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power, and the Prime Minister leads a Cabinet of ministers, who are responsible for decisions made by their department. The Australian Government has shown great resilience in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, with significant government support and a strong mining sector underpinning the economy.
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What You'll Learn
- The Australian Government is a federal system with power distributed between the national government and six states
- The Prime Minister leads a Cabinet of ministers, who are responsible for decisions made by their department
- The Federal Executive Council advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power
- Australia is a representative democracy where voters elect candidates to carry out the business of government
- The Australian Government has 15 Free Trade Agreements with 26 countries
The Australian Government is a federal system with power distributed between the national government and six states
The Australian Constitution established a federal Parliament with 226 members, consisting of 76 in the Senate and 150 in the House of Representatives. The federal Parliament was given responsibility for areas that affect the entire nation, such as defence, immigration, and trade. State parliaments, on the other hand, retained their own parliaments and most of their existing powers, delegating tasks to local councils to address the particular needs of their local communities.
The executive power of the Australian Government is exercised by the Governor-General as the King's representative. The Governor-General is appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia, who is the Head of Government. The Prime Minister leads a Cabinet of ministers, who are responsible for decisions made by their department. The Cabinet is the key decision-making organ of the government, formulating policies and setting the government's agenda.
The Federal Executive Council advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power, giving legal effect to decisions already deliberated at the cabinet level. It consists of all current and former ministers, although only current ministers are summoned to meetings, usually presided over by the governor-general.
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The Prime Minister leads a Cabinet of ministers, who are responsible for decisions made by their department
In Australia, the Prime Minister leads a Cabinet of ministers, who are responsible for decisions made by their department. The Cabinet is the key decision-making organ of the government that makes policy and decides the agenda of the government. The Prime Minister is ultimately responsible for all policy and decisions. They are supported by teams of non-political civil servants who work in government departments.
The Cabinet is made up of senior members of the government, including Secretaries of State from all departments and some other ministers. They meet weekly during Parliament to discuss the most important issues for the government. The Prime Minister chooses the ministers, who are responsible for the actions, successes, and failures of their departments.
The Australian Government is headquartered in the executive wing of Parliament House, located in the nation's capital, Canberra, in the Australian Capital Territory. The head offices of all the federal departments are also located in Canberra. The Federal Executive Council advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power, and all current and former ministers are members of the council.
The Cabinet is responsible for policy-making and formally remains the ultimate decision-making body in the government. However, in recent times, decisions have been made outside of the Cabinet, and the Prime Minister has the power to dismiss or demote ministers. The Cabinet also deals with disputes between government departments and ministers when their proposals conflict or when there are problems allocating funds.
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The Federal Executive Council advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power
The Federal Executive Council is a body established by section 62 of the Australian Constitution. It advises the governor-general of Australia on matters of the federal government. The council comprises all current and former Commonwealth ministers and assistant ministers. The governor-general is usually the one who presides at council meetings, but in their absence, another minister nominated as the vice-president of the Executive Council will preside. The current vice-president is Senator Katy Gallagher.
In a parallel manner to the Royal Assent given to legislative Acts by the Governor-General after they have passed both Houses of Parliament, proposed executive actions will receive the approval of the Governor-General in Council after they have been agreed to by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. For example, at a Federal Executive Council meeting on 11 September 2022, the Executive Council advised the Governor-General, David Hurley, to proclaim Charles III as the new head of state of Australia.
Executive councils are constitutional organs found in several Commonwealth countries, where they exercise executive power and advise the governor, governor-general, or lieutenant governor. They are typically referred to as the cabinet, and executive councillors are informally called "ministers". In some Commonwealth countries, the term "cabinet" is used to refer to a distinct group of high-ranking officials, rather than as a synonym for the executive council.
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Australia is a representative democracy where voters elect candidates to carry out the business of government
Australia is a representative democracy with a federal system of government. Voters elect candidates to represent their local community in the House of Representatives and their state in the Senate. This system was established by the Australian Constitution in 1901, based on the British (Westminster) tradition of government.
The Constitution sets out the system of government, including the parliament, executive government, and judiciary system, and separates power between them and the states. It also establishes the head of state, which in Australia is the British Crown, represented by the Governor-General. The Federal Executive Council advises the governor-general in the exercise of executive power, and all current and former ministers are members of this council.
The Prime Minister and their sworn ministers form the cabinet, which is the key decision-making organ of the government. The cabinet makes policy and decides the government's agenda. Ministers drawn from the Australian parliament form the core of the Australian Government. The Prime Minister leads a Cabinet of ministers, who are responsible for decisions made by their department.
Australia has frequent elections, and voting is compulsory for all citizens over the age of 18. The country pioneered the secret ballot, with citizens casting their votes anonymously since the first federal election in 1901. The Australian Electoral Commission oversees elections and draws electoral boundaries based on population distribution.
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The Australian Government has 15 Free Trade Agreements with 26 countries
Free trade agreements (FTAs) are a vital part of Australia's continued economic growth. FTAs are treaties between two or more countries designed to reduce or eliminate certain barriers to trade and investment, and to facilitate stronger trade and commercial ties between participating countries. FTAs help boost economic and job growth in Australia, and deliver new growth opportunities to big and small Australian businesses through greater trade and investment.
Australia has 18 FTAs with 30 economies. Australia is negotiating new bilateral and regional FTAs. Australia's first FTA was with Singapore in 2003. This was followed by the Australia-United States Free Trade Agreement, which came into force on 1 January 2005. The FTA was ratified by the United States Congress with the passage of the United States-Australia Free Trade Agreement Implementation Act. It was passed by the House of Representatives on 14 July 2004 and by the Senate on 15 July 2004. The Agreement's implementing legislation was passed, with amendments, by the Australian Senate on 13 August 2004.
The Australia-United States FTA was criticised by some in the Australian film and television community, who expressed concern over the effect of the agreement on government regulations enforcing a mandatory minimum of locally produced content on television. The agreement was also criticised by trade unions and other groups, who argued that it would cause problems similar to those experienced by NAFTA. There were also concerns about the potential impact on the Australian Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.
Other FTAs include the Australia-New Zealand (ANZCERTA or CER) agreement, which came into force on 1 January 1983, and the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand (AANZFTA) agreement, which came into force on 1 January 2010 for eight countries: Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Burma, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam. The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (RCEP) came into force on 1 January 2022 for ten countries: Australia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, China, Japan, Laos, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The Australia-India Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) came into force on 29 December 2022.
In 2020, the United Kingdom and Australia began negotiations for a free trade deal. The broad terms of the agreement were agreed upon in June 2021. The deal was criticised by some in the agricultural sector, who argued that it would lead to an increase in imports of Australian agricultural products and potentially weaken British restrictions on pesticide use. However, the Australian National Farmers' Federation welcomed the deal as an opportunity to increase agricultural exports to the UK. The UK-Australia Free Trade Agreement was ratified in May 2022.
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Frequently asked questions
The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, came into being on 1 January 1901, with the federation of the six Australian colonies.
The two houses of Parliament meet in separate chambers of Parliament House on Capital Hill in Canberra. There are, on average, 18 to 20 sitting weeks per year, usually held Monday to Thursday in one or two-week blocks.
The exact dates of recess vary and are often slightly different for the two houses. Provisional dates are added to a parliamentary website once they have been announced.
Section 96 of the Australian Constitution gives the Commonwealth Parliament the power to grant money to any state, with certain conditions.
The Australian Government has certain "nationhood powers", implied from Section 61 of the Constitution, which include powers to prevent "unlawful non-citizens" from entering the country and to provide financial stimulus during a crisis.
