Governance

Question 1

Who is the Premier of Queensland as of today?

Answer 1

Steven Miles

Question 2

What is the type of parliament in Queensland?

Answer 2

Unicameral

Question 3

Who is the current Prime Minister of Australia?

Answer 3

Anthony Albanese

Question 4

What are the two houses of parliament in the Commonwealth of Australia?

Answer 4

• House of Representatives
• Senate

Question 5

What is the role of the Constitution?

Answer 5

Sets out the rules for running the country

Question 6

Which sections of the Constitution are particularly important?

Answer 6

• S51
• S109
• S44
• S128

Question 7

What does S51 of the Constitution detail?

Answer 7

The power of the federal government to make laws

Question 8

List some areas covered by S51.

Answer 8

• Foreign affairs
• Immigration
• Justice
• Defence
• Railways

Question 9

What does S109 address?

Answer 9

Inconsistency between federal laws and other jurisdictions

Question 10

What is the significance of S128?

Answer 10

Details how to change the Constitution

Question 11

What is required for a referendum to succeed?

Answer 11

• Majority of states in agreement
• Majority of voters in each state must agree

Question 12

What does S44 state regarding parliament membership?

Answer 12

Must be an Australian citizen and no other citizenship

Question 13

What is a plebiscite?

Answer 13

A non-binding vote on a question posed to the country

Question 14

How does a postal vote function?

Answer 14

Similar to a plebiscite, but conducted by mail and is non-binding

Question 15

What does S51 – External Affairs allow the government to do?

Answer 15

Make laws about external affairs and sign treaties

Question 16

What is a notable case where S51 was used?

Answer 16

1983 override of Tasmania’s desire to dam the Franklin River

Question 17

List some strengths of Parliament.

Answer 17

• Clear law-making ability
• Can act quickly
• Can make laws for the future

Question 18

List some weaknesses of Parliament.

Answer 18

• Difficult to change rules
• Requires interpretation from judiciary
• Does not truly represent the population

Question 19

What is the relationship between legislation and case law?

Answer 19

Legislation ‘trumps’ case law, but can be interpreted by courts

Question 20

What is the Family Court responsible for?

Answer 20

• Marriages
• Granting divorces
• Custody matters
• Property division after divorce
• Pre-nuptial agreements
• De facto relationships

Question 21

What does the Children’s Court handle?

Answer 21

• Youth criminal offences
• Adoption
• Child protection orders
• Non-commercial surrogacy

Question 22

What is the purpose of the Murri Court?

Answer 22

Provide a culturally appropriate alternative for indigenous offenders

Question 23

What does the Administrative Appeals Tribunal do?

Answer 23

Allows for disagreements with government decisions to be resolved quickly and less formally

Question 24

What does the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) cover?

Answer 24

• Fence disputes
• Building disputes
• Discrimination complaints
• Residential tenancy disputes
• Retail shop leases
• Tree disputes

Question 25

What major assumption was challenged in the Mabo Case?

Answer 25

That Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples had no concept of land ownership before 1788

Question 26

What was the outcome of the Mabo v. Queensland (No.2) case?

Answer 26

Recognized native title and removed the concept of terra nullius

Question 27

What did the High Court rule regarding the Meriam people?

Answer 27

They were entitled to possession, occupation, use, and enjoyment of their lands

Question 28

What did the Wik people's case extend?

Answer 28

Native title concept to include that pastoral leases do not extinguish native title

Question 29

What was the significance of the New South Wales v Commonwealth case?

Answer 29

High Court found that the federal government had the power to make laws impacting workers’ rights