Politics and Law - Terminology

Jurisdiction: the legal authority granted to a legal entity to enact justice.

Specific Laws: legislative powers outlined in the constitution (i.e. areas that the Commonwealth can make laws on)

Exclusive Laws: these powers that are specified in the constitution that only the Commonwealth can legislate in.

Concurrent Laws: specific powers mentioned in the constitution that are shared with the states, meaning that the states and the Commonwealth can both legislate in these areas.

Residual Laws: not mentioned in the constitution. Powers that the colonial governments had before federation and continued to have after federation. Out of bounds to the Commonwealth - can not legislate on them. (However, the Commonwealth has played into residual laws through the high court)

Westminster system: British parliamentary system.

The Wash-minster mutation: combines the US and Uk systems. US Senate and UK House of Representatives.

Friendly senate: a senate where the government has a majority.

Hostile senate: a senate where the opposition has a majority.

Hostile senate: a senate where the opposition has a majority.

Federal Arrangement: where there is one central government that legislates for the entire country and a number of regional or provincial governments that legislate for their own regions.

Federation: the action of forming states and territories into a single group with centralised control/power. E.g. Australia became a federation on January 1, 1901.

Constitutional Monarchy: A system of government with a reigning monarch who is the Head of State, but their power is limited by a constitution. Australia is an example of a constitutional monarchy.

Representative Democracy: A political system in which eligible citizens vote for candidates to legislate on their behalf.

Republic: a system of government where the head of state is also the head of government. Indonesia is an example of a republic.

Plebiscite: a vote on an issue that does not affect the constitution.

Referendum: a vote to change the wording of the constitution.

Dissent: have/will not come to a conclusion. Disagree.

Parliament: The upper and lower house, and the Crown. They fulfil legislative powers.

Legislative Power: law making

Executive Power: carrying out/executing the law

Judicial Power: adjudicating the law and ensuring that people who don’t follow the law are being punished.