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. This is necessary because
the Queen lives in London!!!!
 Form of Leadership

• Prime minister
– head of the government
– has the most political power
– leader of the biggest political party in 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: Selects Prime
Minister
– 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 members
– 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.