With the passing of the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 UK On 1 January 1901 Australia came into being as a nation more specifically a federation The structure and many of the procedures of the Commonwealth Parliament are also laid down in the Commonwealth Constituti ID: 620209
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Slide1
The Australian Parliamentary SystemSlide2
With
the passing of the
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (
UK) On 1 January 1901, Australia came into being as a nation, more specifically, a federation.
The
structure and many of the procedures of the Commonwealth Parliament are also laid down in the Commonwealth Constitution
.Slide3Slide4Slide5
The structure of Commonwealth Parliament
The Australian Constitution created the Commonwealth Parliament consisting of:
the Queen (the Crown)
The lower House: House
of Representatives
The upper house: Senate
. Slide6
The Lower House:
The house of Representatives
The ‘people’s house’
150 members- each represents an electorate of about 80,000 voters- therefore the physical size and number of electorates varies from state to state.
Members are elected for a 3 year termSlide7
Roles of the House of Representatives
Initiate laws
Usually introduced by the government, although any member can introduce a bill
Determines government
the political party with the highest number of elected members in this house forms the government
Represents the people
reflects the current opinions and views of the people because all members votes are worth the same and elections are held regularly so that members continue to represent their voters Slide8
Roles of the House of Representatives
Publicises and scrutinises government administration
Controls government expenditure
Government cannot collect taxes or spend money unless allowed to do so through appropriate bills, which must be passed through
both
houses. Government expenditure is also examined by parliamentary committees. Slide9
The Upper House- The Senate
‘State’s House’ and ‘House of Review’
Made up of 76 Senators– 12 Senators from each state and 2 from each territory- therefore states have equal representation, regardless of their population
Senators are elected for a 6 year termSlide10
Roles of the Senate
Initiates laws
can initiate any bills
except money bills
.
Debates proposed law
Senators enquire into policy issues in depth
Protects interests of the states
Each state is equally represented (s.7 of the Constitution)
Reviews legislation
Reviews bills already passed in the lower house- can reject or amend any proposed law. Slide11
Concerns with the Senate
Although the Senate is intended to be the ‘states’ house’ in practice the senators tend to vote along party lines.
If the opposition has a majority in the upper house it can cause a ‘hostile upper house’ which can delay the passage of billsSlide12
Concerns with the Senate
If the government has a majority in the upper house also, bills tend to be ‘rubber stamped’ and therefore the review process is not being fulfilled. Slide13
If the opposition has a majority in the upper house it can cause a ‘hostile upper house’ which can delay the passage of bills
Concerns with the SenateSlide14
The Role of the Crown
The Crown’s main responsibility is to ensure the democratic system operates effectively.
The Crown appoints times for
parliamentary sessions
It dissolves the House of Representatives to bring about an election.
It can dissolve
both
houses and call for a new election –
double dissolution powers s.57
It
appoints judges
to the courts.
Has the power to appoint a Prime minister if the election results in a ‘hung parliament’ or dismiss a Prime Minister who has lost the confidence of parliament or who is acting unlawfully (like the dismissal of the Whitlam Government in the 1970s).Slide15
Royal Assent s.58
s.58 of the Constitution sets out the signing of a bill by the Crown’s representative after a bill has passed through the other two houses of parliament.
While this is usually given as a matter of course, the Governor-General can
withhold
or
reserve
royal assent, return the bill to the originating house or suggest amendments to the bill.Slide16
The structure of Victorian Parliament
Legislative
Assembly
Legislative Council
Lower House
Upper House
88 members
40 members
Each electoral district elects one member to
represent them in Victorian Parliament
Eight regions
provide 5 members
4 year terms
4 year terms
Roles
Roles
Make
new laws
Similar to the senate (except
of course it does not represent the states)
Majority
party forms government
House of review for legislation passed by the Legislative Assembly
Represents the interests
of the people
Scrutinising
, debating and sometimes amending or rejecting legislation that has been proposed
Bills can be initiated here (except money bills) but it is less common