history

what is major parties

political parties with enough electoral strength to win control of government

what is minor parties

smaller political groups that dont have enough votes or seats to form a government

examples of major parties

labor party - working class votes, centre left and a big government

liberal party - in a coalition, right wing, supports business owners and a small government

example of minor parties

the nationals - right wing and supports rural farmers

the greens - left wing, environmentalists and a small party

what is platform

a summary of what we believe it is general

what is policies

specific laws we put in places if we are elected

what is bias

a preference towards or a prejudice against a person, idea or group

what are the two house of parliament

house of representative - lower house, divided into electorates, each electorate has approx 100,000 people

senate - upper house, states have 12 seats each and territories gets 2 seats each

how often do we vote in WA state elections

every four years

how often do we vote in federal elections

every three years

how often do we vote in referenda

rarely, only for changing constitution

what is representative democracy

a system of government that citizens elect members of parliament to represent their interest in voting decisions for new laws

what is suffrage

having the right to vote

what is voter franchise

the proportion of the population entitled to vote

what year did women got granted suffrage

1902

what year did indigenous australians got granted suffrage

1962

what year did australia lowered the voting age to 21 to 18

1973

what makes a good election

free, fair, and trusted, where people can vote without pressure, all candidates compete and the result reflects how people actually voted

why do voters have access to reliable, diverse and free information about political issues

its essential for a healthy democracy, protection of free speech, rise of digital technology, and the democratization of media.

what is political spin

framing facts in a way that makes the major party or party look more favourable

what is the political spin designed for

to emphasize positive points and down play any negative points

what is the political spin uses

1. persuasive/exaggerated

2. humour

3. caricatures of personalities or groups

why do politicians use political spin

what voters read, see or hear, influences what

they choose to vote for.

1. protect the reputation

2. influence voters

3. control media narrative

4. avoid political disaster

what voting system does the house of representative use

preferential voting

what are the instructions for house of representative voters

1. put “1” in the box for your most preferred candidate

2. number all the other boxes in order of perferences

what is the absolute majority for voting

50% +1

what voting system does the senate use

proportional voting

when will the senators get elected

if they hit the Quota (total votes/6) +1= Quota

what are the instructions for senate voters

vote above- must number 6 parties

below the line- must number 12 individuals

What is the "political spectrum" and what does it show voters?

-a system to characterise and classify different political positions

-it shows voters where they, and political parties or candidates, stand on key ideological and social issues, ranging from left to right.