Australia’s Government

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Your Task:• Create a brochure that informs others about

Australia’s government. Please include a section for each of the following:

• 1. Leadership– Describe the 3 leaders

• 2. Legislature– Describe the 2 houses of Australia’s Parliament

• 3. Role of the Citizen– Who gets to vote? What freedoms do citizens

have?