Chapter 6

Question 1

Assess the effectiveness of Question Time as a means of holding the executive accountable

Answer 1

Theoretically-MP’s cannot mislead parliament (individual ministerial responsibility)
Practice- questions can be avoided, as answer must only be ‘relevant’ to question, Dorothy Dixers reduce it further
Essentially just a contest for political advantage

Question 2

What is a censure motion

Answer 2

Motion which scutinizes a specific minister or government action

Question 3

How effective are censure motions?

Answer 3

Not very effective because of gov . majority, however can still pass in the senate

Question 4

What are the 4 forms ‘no-confidence motion’ could take

Answer 4

• direct vote
• defeat of core government bill in HoR
• defeat of money bill
• loss of gov. control of business

Question 5

What is a appropriation bill

Answer 5

gives government authority to spend money (aka money bill)

Question 6

What is the purpose of censure and no confidence motions

Answer 6

to embarrass and bring negative attention to the government

Question 7

What are 4 tactics that can theoretically keep the government accountable

Answer 7

• Calling for a quorum (count of the people in parliament, if under 1/5th then suspended)
• Refusing pairs
• Divisions (physically moving to vote, is time consuming)
• Good opposition

Question 8

how effective are the 4 tactics at keeping government accountable

Answer 8

Not very effective, because government has the majority in the lower house, so the tactics can only hope to annoy and frustrate the government, instead of stopping legislation

Question 9

Is the opposition effective in Australian politics?

Answer 9

yes, the opp. is constantly poised to bring up any government mistep. Through the Senate, the opposition can hold the government accountable through Senate Estimates. Eg. Shorten refused to pass parts of Abbott’s first budget

Question 10

What are some reasons why the Senate is a powerful tool for the opposition?

Answer 10

• gov. rarely has control of Senate, so opp. can be successful in passing censure motions
• review function gives Senate the power to hold Senate Estimate hearings
• If crossbenchers hold BoP, then Senate can block bills
• Senate can render government legislation unpassable by appealling to crossbenchers

Question 11

How can the opposition use media to promote executive accountability

Answer 11

Media is a major source of information and accountability in Australia. Eg. 2016 4 corners program investigated mistreatment in juvenile detention centres in NT causing royal commission, and the sacking of NT minister for corrections

Question 12

How likely is the government to be unmade by the HoR

Answer 12

Not very likely, due to strong party discipline, although the chance increases if hung parliament and minority governments. Eg. Guillard gov. 10-13 was constantly threatened by the Abbott Opposition

Question 13

Identify the 3 requirements for an opposition to be a viable alternative to government

Answer 13

• have its own policies
• present a unified coherent vision to the nation
• be competent to govern

Question 14

What some examples of how the oppositions have fared recently

Answer 14

-Abbott opposition developed core policies based on unpopular government ideas

Question 15

What is the role of the speaker

Answer 15

The speaker presides over parliament and ensures the procedures are adhered to

Question 16

How can the Speaker affect the ability of an Opposition to carry out its’ parliamentary role

Answer 16

The impartiality of the speaker is a large factor in whether the opposition can perform it’s role. The speaker is often a member of the government, which means they can be biased against the opposition, limiting their ability to carry out their role

Question 17

How can lack of resources affect an Opposition

Answer 17

Oppositions ability to hold the executive to account is limited by its resources. It lacks the ability to command public funds, and as such is easy for the opposition to get tripped up

Question 18

What are 5 factors which made the Abbott Opposition a successful Opposition

Answer 18

• Abbott ruthlessy attacked any gov. stuff up, such as ETS
• Guillard government was weak, and Abbott government constantly used parliamentary mechanisms to frustrate the government as much as poss.