U4 AO2 1a lesson 1: overview of parliament Flashcards
(21 cards)
structure of commonwealth parliament: crown + governor general
The Governor-General is the crowns representative in Cth parli
appointed by king on advice of PM
current: David Hurley
structure of commonwealth parliament: composition of upper house
reps states + territories
12 seats per state
2 per territory
76 total
structure of commonwealth parliament: composition of lower house
member from electorate voted will sit in LH
151 seats
needs 76 majority
Commonwealth Parliament
a body that consists of democratically elected members, chosen by the people to federal laws and, the Governor General and King.
government
the political party that has won an election. Their members will gain the most seats in the Lower House and their leader will become the Prime Minister.
current government is Labor, and the Prime Minister is Anthony Albanese
hung parliament
a situation in which neither major party wins a majority seat in the LH
bill
a proposed law that has been presented to parliament to become law. A bill becomes an Act of Parliament once it has passed through
all the formal stages of law-making (including royal assent)
Cross bench:
Members of parliament who do not belong to major political parties.
either independent or members of minor parties.
role of house of rep: Introduce bills/making laws
Most bills are introduced by Ministers to reflect the needs of society or respond to current needs for law reform. These ideas can also stem from election promises made to voters to secure their win
Introduce money bills - S53 of the Constitution requires that bills in relation to government spending must be initiated in the Lower House. For example, laws on taxes and excise.
role of house of rep: representative government
This refers to the principle whereby members of parliament should act in a way that reflects the views and wants of the people that voted them into power. This can take the form of introducing new laws, reviewing policies, debating or suggesting amendments to legislation. If they fail to do so, they risk being voted out of office at the next election.
role of house of rep: Forming government
After an election, the political party that has the most number of seats in the House of Reps will form government. In the case of a hung parliament , a party may seek support from independents/or another party so they can form government.
role of senate: act as a house of review
most bills will be introduced by the LH, the Senate has the role of debating and review these bills to ensure that they don’t disadvantage individual states.
Members of the Senate can suggest amendments before they agree to pass
the bill or reject it.
role of senate: initiate bills
the Senate can initiate bills (other than money bills). Although most bills are initiated in the House of Reps, a bill may be introduced in the Senate when a Minister is a Senator that is responsible for a particular area that is relevant to the bill being introduced.
role of senate: Ensure equal representation of the states
By each state having equal members regardless of population, when legislative amendments occur or, new legislation is being debated, the Senators representing smaller states such as Tasmania and South Australia can have equal say against that of states with larger population. This ensures that any laws being proposed or introduced uphold equal interests of all states and territories.
role of GG: suggest amendments to legislation after it has passed both houses of parli
If a mistake is found in the bill after it has been passed through both houses, a minister would advise the GG to return the bill to parliament with the suggested change
whilst the GG would also suggest required amendments. This power is granted to the Governor-General in s 58 of the Constitution but has been used very scarcely since parliament first sat in 1901.
role of GG: summon the executive council
The Governor-General is responsible for selecting and appointing the Executive Council who advise the Governor-General on government matters, while also seeking approval for various modifications to particular laws.
role of GG: grant royal assent
The Governor-General will sign a bill on behalf of the Crown after it has been approved by both Houses of the ComParli.
This is a necessary final step for a bill to become law and usually happens on the advice of the prime minister.
strength of government intro new policies
strength of government intro new policies
weakness of government intro new policies
weakness of government intro new policies
