Australia’s Government

Types of Governments Unitary- the central government holds the most power Confederation-the local governments hold the most power and give some authority to the central government Federal-the central and local governments share power

Confederate Governments Example: Commonwealth of Nations- Australia is a member The Commonwealth has no power to force any member to take action that it does not want to take. Instead the Commonwealth works to promote trade and solutions to common problems among the members.

Federal Government Example – Australia 6 states and 2 territories that make up the Commonwealth of Australia Each level of government has certain powers and duties

Federal Government The Constitution of Australia is law of the land. It spells out rights, privileges, and duties given to each state and level of government. The federal government is responsible for things such as education and state police.

Government Australia has a Parliamentary Democracy Members of Parliament (MPs) are elected by the citizens of the country

Queen Elizabeth II - head of state for Australia Monarch Queen Elizabeth II - head of state for Australia

Prime Minister Prime minister - head of the government (Chief Executive) and is chosen by the majority party in Parliament

Governor-general The Queen chooses the Governor-general to perform duties as head of state and to represent Australia. The PM recommends a governor-general to the Queen.

Citizen Rights and Responsibilities Citizens have the following freedoms Speech press Religion to choose a job travel VOTE People who are over 18 years of age must vote in an election every 4 years. Failure to vote can result in a fine and a court hearing.