Civics and citizenship

democracy

democracy

Meaning ‘the people rule’. Is a form of government in which the people determine how they will be governed.

Representative Democracy

• Representative government is where citizens elect representatives to make decisions for them.

• Australia is a Representative Democracy.

bicameral

having two houses (Upper and Lower)

Civics and citizenship

Civics and citizenship means the government of a country and what system the country is run by. It also means laws and how they are made.

What are the two houses of parliament?

The upper house- senate in federal politics, Legislative Council in state politics

The lower house- house of representatives in federal politics, Legislative assembly in state politics

What’s the difference between the two houses of parliament?

Upper house- the senate

• there are 76 members elected

• 12 from each state and 2 from each territory

• Bill are often introduced in the lower house, so this house often acts as a house of review

• red

Upper house- legislative council

• There are 40 seats

• The upper house of victoria

• red

Lower house- house of representatives

• There are 151 members

• AUS is divided into 151 electorates with roughly the same population, each one has an MP that they vote for

• House where the government is formed, where the PM sits

• Most bills (laws) are introduced here

• green

Lower house- legislative assembly

• There are 88 seats

• The lower house of victoria

• green

What’s the difference between government and parliament?

Parliament

• Parliament is made up of every single elected representative, from ALL sides (or ‘teams’) of politics

Government

• The party with the majority of seats in the House of Representatives forms the government and has more power to make decisions

What are the key differences between the three levels of government?

Federal

• Australia has one federal parliament

• Laws for the whole of Australia, such as military, citizenship, currency

• Powers come from the Constitution

State

• Australia has 6 state parliaments

• Laws for the whole state, such as schools, hospitals, roads, public transport, electricity and water

Local

• 560+ Councils across Australia

• Rules for the local area, such as parks, rubbish collection, street signs, pet control

How are members of parliament elected?

• For the lower house, members are elected by a system known as preferential voting

• Voters need to number EVERY box from 1 (your most preferred candidate) to 5 (your least preferred)

• Candidates need over 50% of votes to be elected, this is called absolute majority

• If NO candidate has more than 50%, then preferences are distributed

• The candidate with the LOWEST number of “1” votes has their cards looked at again and their votes now get given to whoever has a “2” next to their name

• The process repeats until a candidate has more than 50% of votes

What is the australian constitution?

A constitution is a set of rules by which a country or state is run.

Why is the constitution important?

The Australian constitution is very important because it determines how the country should be run.

What is contained within the Constitution?

• The constitution explains how the government should be run, its power, and how the state and federal governments work together

• It explains the roles of the executive government and the high court.

How can the Australian Constitution be changed, including an example from history

• The Australian constitution can be changed with a referendum

• An example of a successful referendum in history was in 1967 when First Nations people could be counted as a part of the population and receive services and representation from the government.

What is a referendum ?

• A referendum is a national vote to change a part of the Australian constitution.

• A referendum is hard to win since it needs a double majority.

• This means that over half of the states have to vote yes and half of the overall population have to vote yes.

What’s the difference between a rule and a law?

A rule:

• Is usually created by an organization, club or in your household that encourages respectful and productive behaviour.

• There is no legal punishment for disobeying a rule.

A law:

• A law is created by the government and is a rule that you legally have to follow.

• You can receive a fine, community service or jail time for disobeying the law.

Why does society need laws?

Society needs laws so everyone knows how to behave in a productive and respectful way.

What’s the difference between criminal and civil law ?

• Criminal law deals with cases where a person has committed a crime against the well-being and members of the community.

• Civil law deals with disputes against private people or organisations.

What’s the main role of parliament ?

The main role of parliament is to make and amend bills/laws

What’s the parliamentary process involved in making a new law?

1. A Bill gets researched and introduced to the first house. This is usually the lower house

2. second reading, members debate the bill

3. third reading

4. second house introduction and reading

5. second reading, members debate the bill

6. third reading

7. the bill is passed by both houses

8. Gets approval from the governor general

9. A new law is created

PM & opposition, premier & opposition

Anthony Albanese, Peter Dutton, Daniel Andrews, John Pesutto