Politics – government structure, who do I vote for and party differences
About the Author
Madeline Williams
I’m Madeline Williams, and I graduated from university with a Professional Writing degree in 2007. I remember just four years ago, having to vote for the first time. It was a difficult decision, mainly because I had no idea about politics. And why should I have known anything? Year 12 consumed all of my thoughts. But when it came time to vote, I didn’t want to waste it in a donkey vote, or have it go towards a party that – if informed – I would never have supported. So I did some research. Nothing too heavy; but enough to make sure that I understood the political system of Australia, and what each political party stood for. I hope this article helps you also to make an informed vote.
By
Madeline Williams
Time to vote? If you are over 18, it’s compulsory to vote in federal and state elections. But if you’ve never really thought about the Australian political system it’s hard to cast a vote that you’ll feel happy with. For a good start towards making an informed political decision, have a read below for the basic lowdown on the political system and parties in Australia.
Democracy
Australia’s political system is a liberal democracy. A democracy means that the governments are elected by a majority of citizens, and in Australia this is regarded as important enough to make voting compulsory for all. Liberal implies that the Government is given limited power, and so is unable to suppress the rights of citizens, overrule the interest of minorities, or prevent individuals from having the freedom to determine their own lives. In terms of government, Australia has a federal system. Federalism combines our separate States to form a national (or Federal) government, while still enabling the States to retain their identity and power, instead of being directly overruled by the national power. A document called the Australian Constitution sets out the different areas in which Federal or State governments are empowered to make laws.
Senate & House of Representatives
The Federal Parliament (the branch of government empowered to make laws) consists of two houses; the Senate and the House of Representatives.
The Senate is sometimes referred to as “the upper house” and the House of Representatives as “the lower house”. But what do they do? Well, in a federal government system, these houses (also called chambers) are intended to keep the balance of power between the national government and the State governments. In the Senate, each State is represented by the same number of elected members (Senators), regardless of a State’s population in relation to another’s.
On the other hand, each member of the House of Representatives represents the same notional number of people, and therefore the representation in the House of Representatives is proportional to the population in each State. The legislative power of each house is virtually equal in that for any law to be made valid in Australia, it must be approved by both houses of Parliament. When it comes to forming a government, however, because the House of Representatives more truly reflects the voting wishes of the whole population, the Government of the day consists of the members of the party (or sometimes the parties) that form the majority in that chamber.
For most people who are interested in playing a part in governing Australia, then, the first step is to join a political party and seek the party’s nomination as a candidate for election to one or other house of Parliament. Political parties exist on the basis of common views and values between their members and the voters who support them. That said, it is unlikely that when you vote, you will feel that all your views will precisely match all those expressed by whichever party you vote for. The best most people can say of their relationship with the party they vote for might be something like “the things that unite us outweigh the things that divide us”.
[ xxxxxxxxxxxxx ]