1. Australia’s Government

2. Australia’s Government
• Australia has a federal parliamentary
democracy.
• There are three key factors that determine
Australia’s government:
– form of leadership
– type of legislature
– role of the citizen

3. Form of Leadership
• Queen Elizabeth II (England) is the head of state.
– She does not run the country, but she signs laws,
approves elections, and is commander-in-chief of the
military.
• The prime minister recommends someone to
represent the Queen in Australia—the governor-
general.
• The prime minister is the head of the
government & has the most political power.
– leader of the political party with the most members in
the Commonwealth Parliament

5. Type of Legislature
• An elected government operates the country.
• Every 4 years, citizens who are over 18 vote for
members of parliament.
• Parliament meets several times a year and
makes laws that affect how Australians live.
• There are 2 houses of the Commonwealth
Parliament:
– House of Representatives
– Senate

6. Type of Legislature
• House of Representatives: 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
• Senate: people from each state and the 2
territories elect 12 people to be their
senators

7. Role of the Citizen
• democracy: voters choose the lawmakers
• Everyone who is 18 or over is required by law to
vote.
– Citizens can be fined or go to court if they don’t vote.
• Citizens vote for MPs -- the leader of the party
that gets the most votes becomes the prime
minister.
• Voters do not vote for the head of state (Queen),
the governor-general, or directly for the prime
minister.

8. Role of the Citizen
• Australians enjoy many freedoms.
– freedom of religion, speech, job choice, travel,
etc.
• They can vote for the leaders that make
laws and lead the country.
• Their level of freedom is similar to what
people have in the United Kingdom & the
United States.

9. Your Task:
• Create a brochure that informs others about
Australia’s government. Please include a section for
each of the following:
• 1. Leadership
– Describe the 3 leaders
• 2. Legislature
– Describe the 2 houses of Australia’s Parliament
• 3. Role of the Citizen
– Who gets to vote? What freedoms do citizens have?

10. Your Task:
• Create a brochure that informs others about
Australia’s government. Please include a section for
each of the following:
• 1. Leadership
– Describe the 3 leaders
• 2. Legislature
– Describe the 2 houses of Australia’s Parliament
• 3. Role of the Citizen
– Who gets to vote? What freedoms do citizens have?