u301 part a australian parliament system
TRANSCRIPT
U301 Part A
SAC Date
0Tuesday 17th Feb 2.30PM I1.18 and I1.19
Key Knowledge
0 The principles of the Australian parliamentary system: representative government, responsible government and the separation of powers
0The structure and function of the Victorian Parliament and Commonwealth Parliament and the roles played by the Crown and the houses of parliament in law-making
The Australian Parliamentary System
0 Constitutional Monarchy0 Monarch (Queen of UK)
0 Commonwealth Constitution (Commonwealth Constitutional Act 1900 (UK))
0 Representative democracy0 Political government carried out by
elected representatives of the people
0 Federation of states0 The Commonwealth Parliament
0 Six state parliaments
0 Two territory parliaments Commonwealth
Bicameral system – two houses of parliament
Bicameral System
Upper House
Lower House
Commonwealth and all state parliaments excluding QLD and the territories operate on a bicameral system
Structure of parliament
Commonwealth
ParliamentVictorian Parliament
Head of State
Queen's RepresentativeGovernor-general Governor
Upper house Senate Legislative Council
Lower houseHouse of
Representatives Legislative Assembly
Political Parties
Houses of Parliament consist of members of the
community who have been elected to hold a seat
from a particular electorate (geographical location)
Most parliamentarians belong to a political party that
share common values ideas and beliefs. Those not
affiliated with a party are known as independents
Sometimes political
parties will join together
to gain the majority
vote and form a
coalition like that of
the current Liberal
Party and National
Party
Government
The political party or coalition with
the majority of seats in the lower
house forms government
The cabinet decides which laws
will be heard by parliament but
does not pass laws
The Prime Minister is the leader of
the Commonwealth Parliament and
the Premier is the leader of the state
government
The
Opposition
The political party or coalition with the next highest
number of votes forms the opposition. The main
role of the opposition is to question and challenge
the government on all political matters
Commonwealth Parliament
Senate House of
Representatives
150 seats
Elected for a 3 year period
Review bills passed by the
Senate
Form the government
Represent the people
Introduce and pass laws
76 senators (equal
representation of each state
and territories)
Elected for 6 years
Review bills passed by the
House of Representatives
House of review
States' house
Victorian Parliament
Legislative Council Legislative Assembly
88 members
Fixed 4 year term
Introduce and pass bills
Form government
4o members
4 year term
Introduce bills
Review bills passed by
Legislative Assembly
Can reject or amend bills on
review
UCLA
The Crown
Gives or withholds royal assent to Bills
Appoints an executive council
Federal level: made up of prime minister and senior ministers
State level: premier and senior ministers
Can make delegated legislation
Has reserve powers
Power to appoint or dismiss a premier/prime minister or minister
Power to dissolve the lower house
Principles of the Parliamentary System
0Representative Government
0Responsible Government
0Separation of Powers
Representative Government
0 Represents the views of the majority
0 Consists of representatives chosen by the people
0 Regular elections aim to maintain this
0 If a government does not reflect the views of the people and/or represent the needs of the majority it will most likely be voted out
Responsible Government
0 Government is responsible to the voters
0 Ministers are responsible to Parliament and therefore the people
0 Ministers are accountable for the actions of their department
0 Minister must act with integrity and propriety or resign
0 If the government loses the support of the lower house it must resign
Separation of Powers
0Three types of power
0Held by separate bodies
0Ensures no one body has
absolute power within the
legal system
Reasons for the separation of powers
0 Protects the stability of government and the freedom of the people
0 Provides independence between the bodies that make the law (parliament) and enforce the law (courts)
0 Provides a check on the power of parliament to ensure that it does not go outside its area of power
Executive and Legislative are combined
Must remain independent
Effectiveness of the Parliamentary System
0 Parliament is the supreme law-making body
0Rubber Stamp?
0Time for public debate
0Restrictions
0Reflect values
0Participation by the individual
End of Part A