Topic 1 Flashcards
Democracy
A democracy is a system of government by the people in which representatives are elected. The citizens, or members of a state or nation, have a say in what laws are passed by the government and what decisions are made.
Constitutional Monarchy
Australia is a Constitutional Monarchy, meaning that the Queen, which is represented by the Crown, is the head of state and the government holds power. In Australia, the government is elected by the people.
A representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government where the people elect representatives to a governing body to act in their interest. Representatives are elected by a majority vote (50% + 1) of the people and represent their electorate or state. The representatives have the power to elect other representatives into positions of leadership, such as the leader of the party.
The Constitution
The Constitution is a set of rules, principles or guidelines that establishes the law-making powers of a country. The Australian constitutions came into effect on January 1st 1901, when the colonies federated and Australia became one nation. The Australian Constitution sets out how each of the states and territories can make laws.
The crown
The Crown at Federal level is known as the Governor-General and at State level, the Crown is represented by the Governor. The Crown has such powers as; approving laws made through Parliament, appointing session times in Parliament, acts as the commander in chief of the defence force, approving election dates and dissolving the Lower House of Parliament.
Role of the crown
the Governor-General is appointed by the Queen to be Her Majesty’s representative in Australia. They are appointed on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, usually for a term of five years. The Governor-General has some of the responsibility for ensuring that Australia is governed according to the rules set out in the Constitution.
Separation of Powers
The first 3 chapters of the Constitution define 3 mostly separate groups—the Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary—and the roles they play in the governing of Australia. The power to make and manage Australian law is divided between these 3 groups. This division is based on the principle of the ‘separation of powers.
Government
Government is part of our everyday life. Simply being able to travel to school or work every morning is made possible by the government. The government provides us with a community in which we can move around freely and safely, and is responsible for the defence of the nation, the law and the police.
The role of government
Government must perform a number of tasks or roles to ensure that the community is working towards common aims. It has traditionally done this by providing:
• national security – defending the country from threats of invasion or violence
• public order – protecting individuals in the community from harmful actions
• justice – providing the means to resolve disputes, such as courts and tribunals
• public works and essential services – establishing and maintaining services such as roads and hospitals.
Law-making powers
The Australian Constitution is a set of principles about how all the people in Australia will be governed. It sets out how the laws for Australia will be made, how they will be administered and how they will be applied.
Three levels of government
federal—Australian—Parliament, in Canberra
state and territory parliaments, in each state and territory capital city
local councils—also called shires or municipalities—across Australia.
Identify and describe one level of government and give an example of an area of responsibility.
One level of government is the State Government. The State Government raises money from taxes but receive more than half their money from the federal government and spend it on state matters. An area of responsibility for the State Government is Education. The State Government needs to ensure that all students in Victoria have access to an Education.
House of Representatives
The House is made up of 151 members. Each member represents one of Australia’s 151 electorates. There is approximately the same number of voters in each electorate.
The senate
The Senate is made up of 76 senators. Twelve senators represent each state and 2 senators represent each territory.
A similarity between the House of Representatives and the senate
A similarity between the House of Representatives and the Senate is the design of the houses. Both the House of Representatives and the Senate is designed in a horseshoe shape to encourage debate between the members of parliament.
