gov and legal test revision Flashcards
(25 cards)
3 levels of government
federal, state and local
federal responsibilities
all of Australia, defence, currency, trade, social services, post, telecommunications, immigrations
state responsibilities
state and territory, education, transport, hospitals, road laws, public works, local government
local responsibilities
council. health centers, health regulations, rubbish collection+disposal, parks and gardens
what is an electorate
a geographical area consisting of approx 100 000 voters who one person represents.
how many electorates are there?
150 electorates
what do electorates represent?
house of representatives in the lower house
why is lower house sometimes not equal or fair?
because take VIC and NT, VIC has 37 house of representatives and NT has only 3. just because NT is more spread out but only 3 people represent their state compared to VIC who are 37 people to represent not just 3.
define democracy
a system of government by the people in which representatives are elected
where was the concept of democracy from?
origins from ancient Greece
what age is it where you have to compulsory vote?
every citizen over 18 yrs old.
what is a compulsory voting system?
a compulsory voting system that eligible citizens have to participate in to elect a representative.
2 pros and cons of compulsory voting?
pros: voting is a civic duty compared to a normal duty, makes the election more equal or fair if everyone has to vote.
cons: it’s undemocratic to force anyone to vote, it may increase the number of informal votes.
preferential voting system?
Preferential voting is required in Australia and it is a system that allows citizens to individually number and rank all candidates for both houses of parliament according to their own preferences.
parliament structure
(federal) senate, the house of representatives
(state) legislative council, legislative assembly
2 ways people can influence the change of law?
petitions (a formal request for parliament to take action) and demonstrations (protests)
what are trade unions?
organizations to represent the interests of workers
court jurisdiction low to high?
STATE: magistrates court, county court, supreme court (trial division), supreme court (court of appeal)
FEDERAL: high court, full court of the high court, full bench of high court.
what does magistrates court deal with?
speeding, fines, shop theft
what does county court deal with?
wreckless and damaged driving and armed robberies
what does supreme court deal with?
manslaughter and attempted murder
important people in politics
people
political parties
australian labor, liberal, nationals, the greens, democrats, independents
whats the crown
the English monarchy
