Australia's System of Government (#283 in Issues In Society Series)

Publisher Description

Since 1901 the Australian nation has been governed as a parliamentary democracy represented by a federation of States under one Federal government. Although Australia is an independent nation, the Queen of Great Britain is also formally the Queen of Australia, represented by a Governor-General. With so many levels of government in Australia ¿ federal, state and local ¿ debate often arises over practicality, duplication and overlap. This book presents an overview of the structure and functions of Australia¿s governments, and explores proposed reforms regarding compulsory versus voluntary voting; the right to vote for young people under 18; and the federalism debate ¿ with so many layers of government, does Australia¿s federation represent and serve us all well enough? Chapter 1: The Australian System of Government Chapter 2: Voting and Electoral Reform Chapter 3: The Federalism Debate Glossary; Facts and Figures; Additional Resources; Index