AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Flashcards
Why is Australia not called a direct democracy?
Because citizens choose representatives to make decisions on their behalf in Parliament
3 Levels of government
Federal
State
Local
What is the role of the Federal Government?
Federal government responsibilities include: foreign affairs, social security, industrial relations, trade, immigration, currency, defence.
What is the role of the State Government?
Major State responsibilities include roads, prisons, housings, public transport, police and ambulance services
What is the role of the Local Government?
Local governments have a responsibility to provide particular services to the community, such as water and swage, local roads, dog registrations and town planning.
Bicameral definition
Bicameral means ‘two chambers’ or ‘two houses’.
What are the 2 chambers
The House of Representatives - Lower House (People’s House)
The Senate – Upper House (State’s House/House of Review)
The House of Representatives - Lower House (People’s House)
The House of Representatives, initiates most legislation. It currently has 150 elected members, each representing around 80,000 voters. The political party or parties with the most seats in the House of Representatives forms the Government.
The Senate – Upper House (State’s House/House of Review)
The Senate is known as the ‘house of review’. Proposed legislation is generally considered clause-by-clause and often referred to committees. One of the Senate’s original roles was to ensure that laws were fair to all states. Voters therefore elect 12 Senators from each State and two Senators from each of Australia’s two Territories for a total of 76.
Who is the Head of State?
The Governor General, the King’s representative.
The head of state may approve or reject any law, but in practice the power to reject is never used.
Who is Head of Government?
The Prime Minister.
This is the person who has been chosen by the political party that won the election to be the leader of the party and hence, the leader of the country.
the three branches of federal government
legislative, executive, and judicial.
Advantage of the Bicameral system
It makes room for equal representation for the people and decreases the misuse of power.
