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Australia’s Government
Unit 12 Notes
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Australia’s Government
• Australia has a federal parliamentary democracy.
• There are three key factors that determine Australia’s government:– form of leadership– type of legislature– role of the citizen
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Form of Leadership• Queen Elizabeth II (England) is the head of state.
– She does not run the country, but she signs laws, approves elections, and is commander-in-chief of the military.
• The prime minister recommends someone to represent the Queen in Australia—the governor-general.
• The prime minister is the head of the government & has the most political power.– leader of the political party with the most members in the
Commonwealth Parliament
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Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
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Her Excellency The Right Honorable
Quentin Bryce
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The Right Honorable Kevin Rudd
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Type of Legislature
• An elected government operates the country.
• Every 4 years, citizens who are over 18 vote for members of parliament.
• Parliament meets several times a year and makes laws that affect how Australians live.
• There are 2 houses of the Commonwealth Parliament: – House of Representatives– Senate
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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
• Senate: people from each state and the 2 territories elect 12 people to be their senators
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Role of the Citizen
• democracy: voters choose the lawmakers
• Everyone who is 18 or over is required by law to vote.– Citizens can be fined or go to court if they don’t vote.
• Citizens vote for MPs -- the leader of the party that gets the most votes becomes the prime minister.
• Voters do not vote for the head of state (Queen), the governor-general, or directly for the prime minister.
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Role of the Citizen
• Australians enjoy many freedoms.– freedom of religion, speech, job choice, travel,
etc.
• They can vote for the leaders that make laws and lead the country.
• Their level of freedom is similar to what people have in the United Kingdom & the United States.