Government Flashcards
The concepts of a representative democracy
citizens voting for representatives, who represent the views of the citizens in debates and proposed laws. If the voters are not satisfied, the representatives may not be re-elected at the next election
The main political parties in Australia
Labour
Liberal
The nationals
The greens
House of Representatives
Lower house (green) Has 150 members each representing an electorate with approx. 80,000-90,000 voters. Electorates vary in size greatly. NSW- 48 VIC- 37 QLD- 30 WA- 15 SA- 11 TAS- 5 ACT- 2 NT- 2
Senate
The upper house (red)
Made up of 12 senators from each state and 2 from each territory. There are 76 senators in total.
Voting process
Who can vote, how often are elections held
Anyone over 18years and is an Australian citizen must vote. To be listed on the roll, they must be an Australian citizen, at least 17 years old and have been living at their current address for at least 1 month.
Federal elections are usually held every 3 years
Preferential voting
Is used to elect member of the House of Representatives. This means a voter must indicate a preference for each candidate by placing a number in the box next to each name. A number must be placed in each box and no number must be repeated. (1-first choice)
Simple majority voting
Voting for the senate. The ballot paper is divided into two sections by a thick black line. Only one of these sections needs to be completed. If chosen to vote in the section above the line, a number 1 needs to be placed in the box above the party or group they want to vote for. People who want to chose their own preferences, must complete the section below the line, similarly to the house of representative voting.
Leader of the government at state and federal level
State- premiers
Federal- prime minister
Federation
The joining together of individual states for a common purpose. There are two layers of government:
- the national (federal or central) government that governs the entire country
- the state or territory governments that govern particular states or territories.
Head of state at federal and state level
Formal head of state of Australia - Queen Elizabeth II
At the federal level of state, she is represented by the Governor-general and at state level she is represented by the state governors
3 levels of government and their areas of responsibility
Federal- immigration, defence, trade, currency, post, telecommunications, social services
State- hospitals, transport, local government, education, public works, roads
Local- health centres, rubbish collection, rubbish disposal, health regulation, parks & gardens
Labour
Formed by trade unions before federation. Oldest political party in Australia. The main goal was to represent the interests of the working class people
Liberal
First officially formed in 1944. Formed to represent the interest of business and private enterprise. Also focus on privatisation, deregulation & small government
The nationals
Officially formed in 1918, it was called the country party & changed to the national party in 1982. Represents the interests of all regional Australians. Works with the liberal party to form a coalition.
The greens
Formed in 1992. Founded on 4 major principles:
- ecological sustainability
- social & economic justice
- peace & non-violence
- grassroots & democracy
