Political Involvement - Structure of Government Year 9 Commerce

Syllabus  Structure of government  federal, State and local  levels of government responsibility  Political action  issues that concern the community  how to take action on political issues  individual action  political parties  lobby groups  Media  Decision-making  organisations which make decisions that impact on the community  government organisations  businesses  welfare organisations  media  processes involved in decision-making  Participation in the democratic process  right to vote  methods of voting  first past the post  preferential  optional preferential  proportional  role and function of political parties  role and strategies of pressure groups  rights and responsibilities of individuals and groups in the democratic process  Current issues  current issues involving the political process

Structure of Government

LINGO LIST  Cabinet  The group of senior ministers in a government who determine government policy.  Chief minister  The senior minister in an Australian territory.  Constitutional democracy  A democracy based on a constitution, or set of rules.  Council  The government body that administers the affairs of a local area, such as a city or a shire  Democracy  Government by the people, either directly or through elected representatives. Also a form of society that favours equal rights, freedom of speech and a fair trial and tolerates the views of minorities.  Mayor  Head of a local council that has the status of a city or shire.

LINGO LIST (CONT.)  Ministry (Ministers)  the executive government; members from both Houses of Parliament chosen from the party, or coalition of parties, with a majority in the Lower House to administer the country or state, and who are formally appointed by the governor-general or state governor as ministers of state.  Parliament  An assembly of elected representatives that forms the legislature of a state or nation. It may have both an Upper and a Lower House, or only one house.  Policies  Aims or plans for action on a particular issue.  Premier  The leading minister of the state government. The premier’s duties include being a member of the Cabinet or ministry, a member of the executive council and chief minister.  Prime Minister  The leader of the political party that can command majority support in the House of Representatives.

Lingo List (again…)  representative democracy  A system of government that allows electors to choose representatives to make political decisions for them.

What is Democracy? In Australia, we live in a democracy. This means that our  Society is based around the idea that a government’s power is derived from the will of the people and:  Is exercised by them either directly or indirectly.  Takes place through a system of representation−we elect individuals to represent us in parliament.  Usually involves electing a member of a political party whose policies we agree with

STRUCTURE OF GOVERNMENT IN AUSTRALIA  Every Australian is a member of a local community.  There is no single central authority or government that makes all the decisions for all Australians.  In Australia, areas of responsibility or jurisdiction are divided between the bureaucracies of:  Federal (National),  State And,  Local governments

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT  The federal government, or Commonwealth Government, decides on matters that affect the whole country.  These responsibilities were given to the government in 1901 under the Australian Constitution

STRUCTURE OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT  The political leader of the federal government is called the prime minister.  To become prime minister a party leader must be able to rely on a majority of votes, from within their party, in the Lower House of Parliament: the House of Representatives.  The prime minister appoints a ministry, the members of which have responsibility for the various functions of government.  The most senior ministers are members of the Cabinet, which is responsible for all the major decisions made by government.  The two houses of the federal government−the House of Representatives and the Senate−meet in Canberra, the nation’s capital.

STATE GOVERNMENTS  The political leader of each state government is called the premier.  In the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory the political leader is called the chief minister.

STRUCTURE OF STATE GOVERNMENTS  All state governments, with the exception of Queensland (they don’t have an upper house), have two Houses of Parliament.  The NSW State Government, which consists of the Legislative Assembly and the Legislative Council, meets in Parliament House in Sydney’s historic Macquarie Street

LOCAL GOVERMENT  An individual local government is called a council or shire.  Each council is responsible for a much smaller area than the federal or state governments.  Each local government area is governed by its own elected council.  The elected head of the council is called the mayor. In shires, the elected head is called either the president or the mayor.