Government Flashcards
What is the Australian Constitution?
sets out how Australia is governed, outlining the authority, power and responsibility of the Federal and State governments.
When was the Australian Constitution established?
It was established at Federation
How can the Australian Constitution be changed?
Through a referendum.
What is a referendum?
a vote undertaken by Australians regarding the proposal to change the Constitution (Yes or No).
For a referendum to be successful, it must gain a ‘Yes’ vote by the majority of the voters in Australia and by a majority of voters in a majority of the States (this is called a double majority).
How many changes to referendum since 1900?
8 Changes, 44 have been held.
What is federation?
the process by which six separate colonies formed one nation.
What colony was slow to join?
Western Australia
Date of Federation. Where?
01 Jan 1901. Sydney Centennial Park
3 Reasons why Australia became federated?
- For a better defence force (one force compared to 6 small colonies)
- To improve trade within Australia - enable a common transport system and a common policy regarding trade (ie Free Trade)
- Nationalism (pride in one’s country)
What are the 3 levels of Government?
- Federal
- State
- Local
Role of Federal Government
- marriage/divorce
- immigration
- army defense
- currency
- postal service
Role of State Government
- electricity, water, and gas
- state schools
- hospitals
- PTV
- railways
Role of Local Government
- parks
- rubbish collection
- library services
- street signs
The main Source of Income in Federal Government?
- Receipts from income tax (from business and individuals)
- Receipts from company tax (from businesses)
The main source of income in State Government?
- Receipts from GST (distributed from the federal government)
- Receipts from Stamp Duty (property transfers, vehicle registrations)
The main source of income in Local Government?
- Receipts from rates (property taxes charged to homeowners based on the value of their property)
Role of the Governor General? Who is it?
David Hurley - is the King’s representative in Australia. Ensures Australia is governed according to the rules in the Australian Constitution
What is the House of Representatives?
one of the two houses of the Australian Federal Parliament, who represent the people.
How many people in House of Reps
151
What are representatives elected to the House of Representatives called?
Members of the House of Representatives.
What is the opposition
The party that comes second to the Government
Who forms the government?
The political party that wins the most seats (electorates) in the House of Reps becomes the government.
Term of Office for House of Reps
3 years
Bi-cameral meaning (Federal Parliament)
They have 2 houses, an upper house and a lower house
Responsibilities of the House of Reps
they make laws - they take up most of their time considering and passing new laws and amendments or changes to existing laws.
What is a coalition
when two political parties, with similar views, join together to obtain majority of members in the House of Reps.
explain why the states of Australia have unequal numbers of representatives in the house of Representatives
The number of representatives each state has in the House of Representatives is based on population. States with larger populations have more electorates, and therefore more representatives. For example, NSW, being the most populous state, has more representatives than Tasmania, which has a smaller population
How many electorates are there currently?
151 electorates and each electorate has approximately 110,000
How many members in Senate
76 Senators, each state having 12 senators, each territory having 2 senators
Term of Office for Senators
Every 6 years. Half of the Senators are up for election every 3 years
Role of ministers
Members of government have been given the responsibility for a particular department Eg; Immigration, Defense, Foreign Affairs
Define portfolios
specific areas of responsibility assigned to ministers, covering various government departments and sectors such as Immigration, Defence, Foreign Affairs and Health
Who are the backbenchers
members of parliament who do not have a portfolio. Their only responsibility is to look after their electorates. They sit at the back and are paid less than ministers.
define cabinet
a group of senior ministers responsible for forming the governments policy (includes the Prime Minister)
define shadow ministers
members of the opposition who monitor the actions of the ministers and who will usually be appointed as ministers if their party is elected to government
Name of Upper House Victorian State
Legislative Council
Name of lower house Victorian State
Legislative Assembly
What is an electorate?
the people or citizens of a state who elect representatives to represent them in a democracy
Who is eligible to vote?
- all Australian citizens who are over the age of 18 years and enrolled on the electoral roll
How is voting conducted?
By a secret ballot - in private booths and the name of the voter is not indicated on the ballot paper
Who is the leader of opposition?
Peter Dutton - Liberal Party of AUS
Who is Anthony Albanese?
The Prime Minister of AUS - Australian Labour Party
Who is Jacinta Allen?
Member of the Victorian Legislative Assembly
Who is John Pesutto?
Leader of Opposition in Victorian Legislative Assembly
What is First Past the Post?
a voting system used in the UK and USA
- to fill in the ballot paper the voter only needs to put a mark next to the candidate they want to elect.
- must receive simple majority of votes (get more votes than any other candidate)
What is preferential voting?
- the members of the House of Representatives
- voters must indicate their preference for the candidates
- absolute majority: in order to win a seat, a candidate must receive 50% + 1 vote
What does Preferential Voting ensure?
- that the winning candidate has the support of the majority of voters.
Pros to Preferential Voting (3)
- You might still get a say even if your preferred candidate does not win, your second preference might be needed
- Parties or candidates with similar philosophies can team up to direct voters to allocate preferences to each other
- Voter can choose people who have similar policies as your next preferred candidate - so if you cannot decide between two candidates, at least you can nominate one of them to be #2
Cons of Preferential Voting
- It is more complex than first past the post - voters need to be more educated, more likely to cast informal vote
- Higher risk of donkey vote (as there are more boxes to complete)
- Takes longer and more expensive to count the votes
Voting method of senators?
Proportional Voting
What is proportional voting?
- where representatives must attract a certain quota of the vote and once they have received this quota, they hand on votes to another member of the party.
How do you vote in proportional voting?
- placing all the candidates in order of preference 1-whatever number
- OR just vote for a party by placing 1 on the top line next to their party of choice
What is a formal vote?
- the ballot paper has been filled out correctly
- includes the number 1
- vote is counted
What is an informal vote?
- ballot paper is not marked or is marked with drawings
- vote is NOT counted
What is a donkey vote?
- where the voter has their preferences in the same order as the candidates listed on the ballot paper.
- vote is counted
What is a monarchy
is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for live
Dictatorship
a form of government characterised by a single leader or group of leaders
Republic
a form of government in which the country is considered a public matter and has an elected president
Democracy
a form of government in which the people exercise the authority of government - decisions are made use the majority rule approach
Constitutional Monarchy
a system where the head of state is a monarch (King Charles 3rd) but the real power of Government rest with the Parliament (Australia)
