Australian Government

Understanding Australian Government

Australia contains a unique combination of both American and British government systems, which they uniquely make their own.

Australia is considered to be a Liberal Democracy which holds elections, contains representation, values civil liberties, and contains rule of law. Australia is considered to be one of the oldest democracies in the world which was built on the Commonwealth of Australia, created in 1901 when the six states (former British colonies) decided to federate.

Areas of Australian Government:

Constitution:

• ·      Australia’s constitution is very much the United States in the sense that they too have a written constitution which outlines the responsibilities of each area of government including the legislature, executive, and the judiciary. The constitution can be amended but it is a difficult process with only 8 amendments being approved since 1901.
• ·      Although Australia is an independent nation the monarchy of Great Britain, Queen Elizabeth II, is also Queen of Australia and serves as the symbolic head of state. Because of the distance the queen has appointed Governor- Generals who represent her in Australian government. Governor- Generals have wide powers but only act with the advice of the prime minister.

Federal government and state government:

• ·      Federal government is responsible for foreign relations, trade, defense, taxation, and immigration
• ·      Each state government must establish a state constitution while also abiding by the national constitution. Like the United States, federal law always overrides any state law or constitution.  States are responsible for education, transportation, health care, and law enforcement
• ·      Local government is created by state legislation
• ·      To ensure that all three levels of government cooperate the Council of Australian Governments was created. This council deals with structural reforms, integration, national economy, and the national market. This group consists of the prime minister, state premiers, chief ministers of territories, and the presidents of the Australian Local Government Association.

Judiciary: High Court of Australia:

• ·      The High Court of Australia settles disputes between the Commonwealth and the states. Many of these court rulings have increased the power and abilities of the federal government. This growth in federal power demonstrates that Australians favor federal government power over state power.

Legislature: Parliament:

• ·      The Australian parliamentary system is closely based on British models. Like Britain, Australia has two chambers with in parliament, the House of Representatives and the Senate. The House the Representatives determines which party will form government. Once a party gains majority in the House a prime minister from that party comes to power. If the majority is moved to an opposition party then they will form government.
• ·      The Senate has less power than the House but contains many minority parties which helps give better representation.
• ·      Also like Britain, Australian Legislature holds question times where prime ministers meets with parliament and are subjected to questions. This question time helps keep the prime minister accountable for their decisions while in office.

Executive: Prime Minister:

• ·      Prime ministers are members of parliament and come to power when their party has the majority in Parliament. The prime minister has more power over elections than U.S. presidents. Like British prime ministers, Australian prime ministers have the ability to call elections and also have the power to select the date when the election takes place. But before elections can be confirmed, the Governor-General (queen’s representation) must agree to the request.

Voting:

• ·      Voting in Australia is a highly valued and its importance can be seen in Australian history and current voting protocol. By 1892 Australia gave the right to vote to all adult men and women, decades before the U.S. even considered giving all citizens voting rights.
• ·      Today the responsibility to vote is bound by law. All citizens over the age of eighteen must vote in all federal, state, and local elections. A failure to vote can result in fines or prosecution.
• ·      Because voting is a legal obligation the government protects citizens from being penalized by employers.

Parties:

• ·      Australia has four prominent political parties, the Australian Labor Party (founded by the Australian labor movement), the Liberal Party, the National Party of Australia (conservative party that represents rural interests), and the Australian Green (environmentalist party). Having this many political parties playing a major role in politics is very unique to Australia. Many nations have only a few main political parties, allowing a large amount of power to be centralized. This concentration of power makes it hard for small parties to be heard. Because of multiple parties there is more representation of politics and views in parliament.
• ·      Like the U.S. there are a lot of questionable practices when it comes to funding elections. To avoid corruption or bribery the Australian Electoral Commission was established to monitor money coming into campaigns. Currently all parties and candidates must disclose all sources of donations if the donation is above a certain threshold. This practice hopes that representatives will focus on expressing their constituent’s policies verse those who donated them the most money.