Constitution
A set of rules that determines the structure of government and its law-making powers.
Constitutional Monarchy
A form of monarchy in which the monarch acts as a country's head of state within the guidelines of a constitution and the advice of an elected government, which constrain the monarch's powers.
Democracy
The term, democracy, originates from the Greek: d?mokrat�a, which stands for the rule of the people. It is a form of government in which the people determine who they will be governed.
Division of Powers
Refers to the vesting of powers within different levels of government. Under the Australian Constitution, the Commonwealth Government was vested with specific powers while the states retained general powers. In practice, the distribution of powers has bec
Governor-General
The representative of the monarch in the Australian jurisdiction according to the Australian Constitution and so is head of state. The governor-general acts, with rare exceptions, only on the advice of the prime minister and government.
Law
Refers to the system of rules which a particular country or community recognises as regulating the actions of its members and which it may enforce by the imposition of penalties and sanctions.
Referendum
A process of allowing the people to vote on an important issue.
Rights
A right is a freedom that is protected, such as the right to free speech and religion.
Separation of powers
The acknowledged division between the executive, legislature (parliament) and judiciary. These separations act as checks and balances on each other to prevent excessive concentration of power in one group.
Direct Democracy
In which citizens have direct and active participation in the decision making of the government.
Representative Democracy
Citizens remain the sovereign power but political power is exercised indirectly through elected representatives.
Responsibilities
A responsibility is a duty or something you should do, such as recycling or doing your homework.
Federation
The formation of a united country from a number of separate states or colonies, with law-making power shared between the national government and the governments of each state. Australia federated on 1 January 1901.
Custom
A tradition that people follow in a particular society. For example: Giving Easter eggs.
Rule
Made by a group and affects only people in that group. For example: School rules, sports rules, family rules.
Senate
The Upper House in Federal Parliament. It acts as the house of review - they have a second look at all legislation that has passed through the House of Representatives.
House of Representatives
The Lower House in Federal Parliament. It has 150 members, elected for three years. Each member represents an electorate or "seat" that covers a particular geographic area. Most legislation is introduced here.
Bicameral
A parliament with two houses
Electorate
A geographical area of Australia (known as an electoral division or electorate) represented by a member of Parliament elected at a House of Representatives election.
Political Party
A political party is an organisation of people which seeks to achieve goals common to its members through the acquisition and exercise of political power. Political Parties in Australia include the Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the Australian Greens
The Legislative Arm
This is the parliament, which has the power to make new laws and to change or repeal existing laws. It consists of two separate "houses" - The House of Representatives and the Senate, together with Governor General.
The Executive Arm
This is the arm of government with the responsibility of putting the laws into action. Executive power officially lies with the Governor General, but is usually exercised by government ministers.
The Judicial Arm (Judiciary)
A collective name given to the judges who preside over law courts
State Government
Each of Australia's six states and two territories has its own parliament. Responsibilities include: health, police services, tourism, state roads, education. Process of government is similar to Federal government.
Local Government
Local governing bodies service the needs of cities, towns and communities. There are around 900 local government bodies in Australia. Responsibilities include town planning, sewerage, public libraries and rubbish collection
Federal Government
There are two houses of federal parliament - upper house, The Senate, and lower house, The House of Representatives. Prime Minister is head of government. Responsibilities include: trade, defence, immigration, tax, health, education (universities)
Legislation
A term used to describe laws passed by parliament
Referendum
A voting process that allows the people to vote on an important issue. This is how we change the Australia Constitution.
Double Majority
A voting system which requires a majority of votes according to two separate criteria. For changing the Australian Constitution, the referendum must achieve 50% majority from all Australians, plus majority in 4 of the 6 states.