Australian Government

Background on the government structure in Australia.
The following are excerpts from the Parliament of Australia website.

The Commonwealth of Australia was created in 1901 when the states made the decision to federate from the British.

Although the Queen of England no longer rules, she is the Former Queen of Australia and as such appoints the Governor General, on advice from the elected Australian government. The Governor General is appointed to represent the Queen locally.

Power is distributed at a national level (the Commonwealth) and state level (Made up of the five states of Australia-New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and South Australia-and three territories made up of the Australian Capital Territory, the Northern Territory and Norfolk Island).

The Governor General
...is appointed by the Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.

The Senate
...made up of 76 senators from the states and territories and is a very power political group.

The House of Representatives
...made up of 150 members as representatives of the electoriate.

Both the Senate and the House are elected for three year terms.

Each state has a governor.

For each citizen of Australian over the age of 18, it is compulsory to vote. You may be fined for not voting.


Political Parties
...Australia has four main political parties.  
The Australian Labor Party (ALP) is a social democratic party founded by the Australian labour movement. The ALP has governed since late 2007. 
The Liberal Party is a party of the centre right. 
The National Party of Australia, formerly the Country Party, is a conservative party representing rural interests.  
The Australian Greens is a left-wing and environmentalist party.


Facts on the Australian Government