The politics of Australia operates under the written Australian Constitution, which
sets out Australia as a constitutional monarchy, governed via a parliamentary
democracy in the Westminster tradition. Australia is also a federation, where power
is divided between the federal government and the states. The monarch, currently
King Charles III, is the head of state and is represented locally by the governor-
general, while the head of government is the prime minister, currently Anthony
Albanese.
The country has maintained a stable liberal democratic political system under its
Constitution, the world's tenth oldest, since Federation in 1901. Australia is the
world's sixth oldest continuous democracy and largely operates as a two-party
system in which voting is compulsory.[1][2] The Economist Intelligence Unit rated
Australia a "full democracy" in 2022.[3][needs update]
Like other Westminster-style systems of government, Australia's federal system of
government consists of three branches: the legislative (Parliament), the executive
(the prime minister, the cabinet, other ministers, and government departments), and
the judicature (the High Court of Australia and other federal courts). The
Australian government consists of the party or coalition that had majority support
in the lower house and exercises both executive (as ministers) and legislative
(through control of the House) power.
Diagram of the roles of Australian political institutions
The federal Parliament (as defined in section 1 of the Constitution) comprises the
monarch and is bicameral (has two chambers): the House of Representatives (lower
house) and Senate (upper house).[4] The House of Representatives has 151 members,
each representing an individual electoral district of about 165,000 people.[5] The
Senate has 76 members: twelve from each of the six states and two each from
Australia's internal territories, the Australian Capital Territory and Northern
Territory.
Separation of powers is the principle the power of state should be shared between
multiple bodies, in order to avoid the concentration of power in one entity.[6] The
legislature proposes and debates laws that the executive then administers, and the
judicial arbitrates cases arising from the administration of laws and common law.
However, in accordance with Westminster system, there is no strict separation
between the executive and legislative branches, with ministers required to also be
members of the legislature.[7][8] Only the High Court can deem if a law is
constitutional or not.[6]
The Australian system of government combines elements derived from the political
systems of the United Kingdom (fused executive, constitutional monarchy) and the
United States (federalism, written constitution, strong bicameralism), along with
distinctive local features, and has therefore been characterised as a "Washminster
mutation".[9][10][11]
The three branches of Australia's system of government
Parliament House, Canberra
The legislature: Parliament House in Canberra, the seat of the Parliament of
Australia
Portrait photo of His Majesty Charles III, Queen of Australia
The executive: The Head of State and King of Australia, Charles III, who appoints
the governor-general on the advice of the prime minister
Portrait photo of Governor-General Samantha Mostyn
The executive: The Governor-General, Samantha Mostyn, who by Section 63 of the
Constitution follows the Executive Council's advice
Portrait photo of Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
The executive: The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, head of Cabinet which acts
through the Federal Executive Council
The High Court of Australia building, Canberra
The judiciary: the High Court of Australia, the nation's highest court
Federal nature
Australia is a federation, with different powers and responsibilities for the three
levels of government: the federal government, the states and territories and local
government.
The federal nature and the structure of the Parliament of Australia were the
subject of protracted negotiations among the colonies during the drafting of the
Constitution.[12] The House of Representatives is elected on a basis that reflects
the differing populations of the states. Therefore, the most populous state, New
South Wales, has 48 members, while the least populated, Tasmania, has only five.
[13] This is in contrast to the Senate which is elected on a basis of equality
among the states: all states elect 12 senators, regardless of population. This was
intended to ensure that smaller states retained influence over legislation and that
laws could not be passed with only the support of the more populous states.[14] The
Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory, the only territories
represented in Senate, each elect only two.[15]
The federal government may only legislate on certain matters, with any remaining
areas falling within the responsibility of the states. For example, the federal
government has the responsibility for defence, inter-state trade and bankruptcy
while the states have responsibility for healthcare and education.[16]
Additionally, the states can agree to refer any of their powers to the Commonwealth
government via legislation, as has been done to allow the Commonwealth to regulate
corporations.[17] The federal government can also significantly influence state
legislation by making tied grants (money which comes with certain conditions). This
is a significant power due to high levels of vertical fiscal imbalance arising
because of the limited revenue raising capabilities of the states.[18]
In addition, Australia has several territories, two of which are self-governing:
the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. As these territories'
legislatures exercise powers devolved to them by the Commonwealth, the Parliament
of Australia has the authority to override their legislation and to alter their
powers. Australian citizens in these territories are represented by members of both
houses of the Parliament of Australia, albeit with less representation in the
Senate. Norfolk Island was self-governing from 1979 until 2015, although it was
never represented as such in the Parliament of Australia.[16] The other inhabited
territories: Jervis Bay, Christmas Island and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, have
never been self-governing.[19][20][21]
The third level of governance is local government, in the form of shires, towns or
cities. The councils of these areas are composed of elected representatives (known
as either councillor or alderman, depending on the state). Their powers are
devolved to them by the state or territory in which they are located.[16]
