civics and citizenship

year 9 hass

what is a parliamentary democracy?

a parliamentary democracy is when elected representatives meet in parliament to create or change laws that impact the nation

what is the federal parliament?

the federal parliament is a national parliament that makes laws for the whole country such as defence, immigration, and trade for the whole nation. it is also known as the commonwealth parliament, and it situated in Canberra

what are the levels of government?

the levels of government are different forms of leadership that regulate and manage various aspects of government, at local, state, and federal levels

what is the state/territory parliament?

each of the six states and two territories has its own parliament for state matters like education, health, and transport

what is the local council?

local councils are not called parliaments, but they do make laws on local matters like rubbish collection and pet control. there are currently 560 local councils in Australia

what is a political system?

a political system is a way of determining who has the power and responsibility for making decisions about important matters that affect people

what is the Australian constitution?

the Australian constitution is the political system we have currently, which commenced on January 1st 1901. the constitution sets up a federal parliamentary system where law making is shared between state and federal governments

what is the house of representatives?

the house of representatives, also known as the lower house, is a part of parliament where elected members make and vote on laws to represent the people

what is the senate?

the senate, also known as the upper house, is the part of parliament that reviews, debates, and votes on laws, often acting as a check on the house of representatives

how many seats are in the house of representatives?

151 seats

how many voters does each electorate have?

94 000 voters

how many seats does a party need to win majority?

at least 76 seats

what is a political party?

a political party is a group of people who share similar ideas and policies on how to best govern the country

what is the majority rule?

the majority rule means that for a party to win, they must get majority of voters to vote for them

what is an electorate?

an electorate is an area where people vote to choose a representative for parliament. each electorate has its own voters and one elected member

what is a coalition?

a coalition is when two or more political parties join together to form a government

what is an opposition party?

an opposition party is the party that gets the next highest number of seats in the house of representatives. they oppose the leading party

what is a hung parliament?

a hung parliament is when no party achieves a majority. they then have to negotiate if they want to make or change laws

how many seats are in the senate?

76 senators

what is the leader of the party/coalition that has one the majority of seats in the house of representatives called?

the prime minister

what is the leader of the party/coalition that has the largest number of seats but has not gained a majority in the house of representatives called?

the opposition leader

what is a mandate?

a mandate is the authority given to a government by the people through an election. it means the government has permission to carry out its plans

what is the oppositions role?

the oppositions role is to hold the government accountable for its actions.

how many senators does each state get?

12 senators

how many senators does each territory get?

2 senators

what is parliament?

parliament refers to both houses (the house of representatives and the senate) and the governor-general

why do we have 2 houses of parliament?

while most of the real action seems to take place in the house of representatives, an important purpose of having the senate is that it is seen as a house of review, a house that checks on what the house of representatives is doing and holds it accountable for its actions

what is the government?

the government is the party or coalition that has a majority of seats in the house of representatives

what are independent parties?

independents are members of parliament who don’t belong to any political party. they often have unique views and can hold significant influence

which two political parties dominate Australia?

the labor party (also known as the ALP), and the liberal party

what are the key principles of the labor party?

• Australia’s oldest political party

• believes that the government should play a strong national role

• strives for a fairer Australia for all workers

• tries to close the gap between the rich and poor so that wealth is more evenly distributed

what are the key principles of the liberal party?

• believes in the power of the individual and business to make their own choices and prosper

• strives for less government control

• the liberals and nationals join forces at the federal level so they have enough members to form government

what is the role of independents in parliament?

independents can play a powerful role in parliament, particularly if the major party relies on their vote to pass important laws

what are some influences on government policy

public opinion, the media, and international pressures

what is a policy?

a policy is a plan or set of principles to guide future action. political parties create policies as part of their party platform to attract voters during elections. once elected, the winning party is said to have a mandate to carry out these policies

what are some influences on policy making?

opinion polls, interest groups, and relationships and pressures from other nations

what are some factors that influence voter behavior?

public debate, media, opinion polls, advertising, interest groups, important issues, party loyalty, and political cartoons

what are campaign strategies?

political parties and independents use different methods to appeal to voters

what is compulsory voting?

all Australians over the age of 18 must vote in national and state elections, not voting results in a fine

what is the process for voting in the house of representatives?

you most rank the candidates from most to least preferred using numbers

what is preferential voting?

preferential voting is when you rank your preferences to vote

how does preferential voting work?

• if no one gets more than half of the votes as first preference, the least preferred candidate is eliminated

• their votes are redistributed based on second preferences

• this continues until someone gets a majority

how long are senators elected for?

senators are elected for 6 years

how long can a party lead in the house of representatives?

3 years maximum

what is the process for voting in the senate?

there are two ways to vote:

• above the line: number at least 6 boxes for parties or groups

• below the line: number at least 12 individual candidates

what is proportional representation?

proportional representation is a voting system where parties win seats based on the percentage of votes they recieve

what are some social media platforms used for politics?

Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram

what is one big problem with political information on social media?

misinformation

how is social media cheaper for campaigns?

less money than TV ads

what is the legislature?

the legislature is the branch of government that makes laws, also known as parliament

what is the executive

the executive is the branch of government enforces laws, it includes the prime minister, ministers, police, and government departments

what is the judiciary?

the judiciary is the branch of government that interprets and applies the law, it is made up of judges, magistrates, and courts

what is a minority party?

A minority party is a political party that has fewer members in parliament than the major parties. It usually cannot form government on its own

what is a majority party?

A majority party is the political party that has the most members in parliament. It can form the government on its own

what is first past the post?

First past the post voting is a system where the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they don’t have more than half. Voters pick one person, and whoever gets the most votes is elected.