Module 2 - Law & Gov In Australia Flashcards
Bicameral parliament/system
Two-house system: House of Representatives and the Senate
Qld = unicameral system (legislative assembly)
Westminster system
a parliamentary system of government developed in England. The system is a series of procedures for operating a legislature.
Representative government/democracy
Elect representatives to make decisions on our behalf
Responsible government
Parliament holds the executive to account - responsible to the people
Includes parliamentary processes, accountability processes, executive and government
Cabinet and ministers
Inner circles of PM and senior ministers where most important decisions are made and policy and legislative strategy are developed
Collective and individual ministerial responsibility
Ministers must take full responsibility for what happens in their department
Collectively ministers must take responsibility and support cabinet decisions - cannot speak out against decisions (must resign)
Prime minister
Leader of the party with the majority of seats in House or Reps - not a formal constitutional position
Preferential vs proportional voting
Preferential - primary votes and preferences counted until someone = 50% of vote
Proportional - seats decided by proportion of votes won (with preferences if needed)
Constitution
Highest source of law in the country, establishes rule of law, sets out law-making powers.
Can only be amended by referendum not parliament
Federal system of government
Power is distributed among various levels of government - federal, state and local
Federation supports a single nation and continued existence of sovereign states
Liberalism…
The need for checks and balances and protection against the abuse of power by governments
Liberal democracy
The twin goals of democracy and liberalism (The protection of individual freedoms and minority rights)
Democratic government
Notion that citizens should be able to play a role in choosing the government (if not actually participate in the process of governing) by voting in elections and that governments should be responsive to citizens desires
Democratic
Should be designed to provide some protection for individual liberty and rights of individuals and minorities and that it should be stable and effective
Parliament…
The house of reps and senate - most important function is to make law
