Politics and Law

Types of Government
1. Democracy
  1. Representative
    1. vote for who they want in election
    2. can oppose without fear of punishment
    3. all above 18 can vote
  2. Supreme power lies in the people, who vote to voice their opinions
2. Socialism
  1. The government controls the economy to ensure the equal distribution of goods
3. Communism
  1. Classless society achieved through a one-party government that controls the economy
4. Constitutional
  1. Operating under an authoritative document that determines the governments structure
5. Monarchy
  1. A king/queen holds supreme power and passes power to family members
6. Republic
  1. Citizens elect representatives to vote on their behalf
7. Theocracy
  1. Religious authority with a god-like figure as the absolute ruler
8. Dictatorship
  1. A small group or ruler holds absolute power
9. Anarchy
  1. Lawlessness due to no government
10. Totalitarian
  1. The government controls not only the politics and the economy but the values and beliefs of its people
11. Oligarchy
  1. A small group has power based on their wealth and status
Federation
1. Happened on January 1st 1901
2. Before this Australia was only six colonies
3. After federation the Commonwealth came to be
  1. Each had its own laws
4. At the start Australia was a situational monarchy
5. Each state gave away some power to form a central government, known as the Federal Government
Levels of Government
1. Federal
  1. Foreign Affairs
  2. Immigration
  3. Defence
  4. Overseas Trade
  5. Income Tax
2. State
  1. Health and Hospitals
  2. Transport and Roads
  3. Education and schools
  4. Police and justice
  5. Emergency services
3. Local
  1. Signs
  2. Waste Disposals
  3. Sports Grounds
  4. Libaries
  5. Dog Control
Arms of Government
1. Legislature
  1. Is the parliament
  2. Two chambers: House of Representatives and the Senate
    1. House of Representatives
      1. 150 members
    2. Senate
      1. 76 members
      2. Each state has 12 senators and territories have 2
2. Executive
  1. Administration of Government
  2. Made up of government employees, 'public servants'
  3. Each minister works on his area, his portfolio
3. Judiciary
  1. Legal of Government
  2. Enforce Law
  3. High Court is the Highest
Westminster System
1. 2 houses in parliament (bicameral)
2. 3 sections of government
3. One member of parliament represents 90000 people
4. Various systems are in place to check that no person or institution becomes to powerful
Job Roles
1. Governor General
  1. Appointed by the Queen as Representative
  2. Recommended by PM for usually 5 years
  3. Is a part of the Executive and Parliament
  4. Highly ceremonial role
  5. Currant: Sir Peter Cosgrove
2. Prime Minister
  1. Leader of Australian government
  2. Currant: Malcolm Turnbull
  3. No limit on how long you can serve
  4. Most powerful man in government
  5. Sits in the House of Representatives
3. Opposition
  1. Mostly members of Senate however in House of Representatives
  2. Many job roles including: scrutinising, debating bills and making committees
  3. Form shadow ministers
4. Cabinat
  1. All Top-Level Ministers
  2. They direct policies towards solving national issues
  3. Prime Minister is chairman
  4. All discussions are secret
Passing a BIll
1. Giving notice to HOR
  1. First Reading
    1. Second reading debate
      1. Consideration in detail
        Third Reading
        Goes to the Senate
        Same process as in the HOR
        If approved goes to Governor General
        He approves it and it becomes law
Constitution
1. A document that contains information on how to govern Australia
2. It can be changed through a referendum
3. A referendum requires a double majority
4. The referendum was in May 27, 1967

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	Created by Simran Sandhu over 9 years ago