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Australia’s Government
Australia’s Government• Federal parliamentary democracy.
• There are three key factors that determine Australia’s government:– form of leadership– type of legislature– role of the citizen
Form of Leadership
• Head of state– Queen Elizabeth II (England)
• Just a figurehead– She does not run the country– she signs laws– approves elections– commander-in-chief of the military.
Form of Leadership
• Governor General– The prime minister selects someone to
represent the Queen in Australia
Form of Leadership
• Prime minister – head of the government– has the most political power– leader of the biggest political party in the
Commonwealth Parliament
Type of Legislature• Commonwealth Parliament-elected
government that makes laws.– Every 4 years, citizens vote for members
• 2 houses of the Commonwealth Parliament: – House of Representatives– Senate
Type of Legislature• House of Representatives:
– Australia is divided into areas called electorates
– people living in each electorate vote for a person to represent them in parliament.
– elected person becomes the MP of the House of Representatives for that area
Type of Legislature• Senate: 76 memebers
– 12 people from each of the 6 states – 2 people from each of the 2 territories
Role of the Citizen• Democracy: voters choose the lawmakers
– 18 or over is required by law to vote.• Citizens vote for members in Senate and House of
Representatives.
• Voters do not vote for – head of state (Queen)– governor-general– directly for the prime minister.
Role of the Citizen• Australians enjoy many freedoms.
– freedom of religion, speech, job choice, travel, etc.
• Their level of freedom is similar to what people have in the United Kingdom & the United States.