Yr6 - S1 - Federation and Australian Constitution Flashcards
(26 cards)
What is a constitution?
A constitution is a set of rules that guides and determines how a country, state, or other political organisation is run.
What is democracy?
Democracy is a system of government in which citizens exercise power by voting. It is a form of governance where people decide how to be ruled, who should be their leaders and limits the amount of time the leaders are in charge before everyone votes again. The leaders are elected by the citizens who vote to decide who they want to represent them.
Countries who do not have democratically elected governments and leaders often have either one person or a group of people making decisions. The people living in the country don’t have much control over these leaders. They sometimes resist with non violence or with violence. In countries with very strict laws and police this can be very hard to organise. For example, China doesn’t allow the internet, but instead has it’s own closed internet which blocks things they don’t want people in China to know about.
What is corruption?
Corruption is a form is dishonesty. lies, criminal activity or breaking the law by a person or organisation with authority, like police officers or politicians or a person who works for the government. It includes bribery, stealing money, and accepting money for making decisions or policies. The more corrupt a country or government is, the less democratic it is.
What is the Magna Carta?
Magna Carta, which means ‘The Great Charter’, is one of the most important documents in history as it established the principle that everyone is subject to the law, even the king, and guarantees the rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial.
It was written in 1215 in England to stop the unpopular King John fighting with a group of rebel barons.
The document stated that all free men have the right to justice and a fair trial, and that even the monarch (king or queen) has to abide by the law. The free men were the rich barons, not the unfree peasants working for them. The Magna Carta also outlined the rights of churches and limited the amount the monarchy could tax people living in the country.
It was rejected by King John, but then endorsed by a few later Kings before being written into English law about 100 years later.
Why is the Magna Carta still important today?
The Magna Carta is still important today because it was one of the first documents proposing a system to protect the freedom and rights of individuals. Some of the laws are still used today, such as law to protect the rights of churches in the UK. It is considered to be one of the first steps to establishing democracy. The basic principles of the Magna Carta are clearly seen in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, drafted after the second world war.
When was Australia’s constitution drafted and when was voted into law by the people of the colonies?
The constitution was drafted at the first National Convention in Sydney in 1891. It was put to a referendum (vote) in 1898-99.
Why did Australia need a constitution before the colonies could federate?
The less powerful and poorer states needed a written agreement to prevent the larger and richer states from overlooking and overruling them. Also because there state was thousands of kilometers away from any other state. Yet WA only agreed to federate when they promised to create a constitution and build a railway
Before Federation, what were the names of the seven Australian colonies?
- Queensland
- Western Australia
- New South Wales
- Tasmania
- Victoria
- South Australia
- Northern Territory
Who was the first prime minister of Australia?
Sir Edmund Barton
Outline three detailed arguments in favour of federation
- Federation would make trade within Australia more efficient and quicker. Because there would be more people that have immigrated to Australia to do the jobs of transporting goods.
- Australia’s defence forces would be the armed forces from all of the states, which would make them larger, more efficient and stronger.
- Australia will be more civilised because all the states opinions on the question.
Why was WA the last colony to join the federation?
WA were the last colony to agree to Federation because the leaders of WA were concerned that the richer and more populated states would not involve them in making choices that would effect everyone. They were thousands of km away from the other colonies. The Constitution, which guaranteed an equal say and power for all states, convinced them to join. They were also promised a railway to Perth.
Who is typically thought to be the person who was the main driver behind federation? and why?
Sir Henry Parkes, the NSW Premier, is referred to as the ‘father of federation’. He was the first influential governor to push for the colonies to federate.
As well as the people of the colonies, who else had to agree to the Australian constitution and why? What did the constitution take away from Britain?
The British Parliament had to accept the constitution and the queen had to approve it as well before it could be accepted because Australia was a British colony.
The Australia Acts took away the power of the United Kingdom to change the Australian constitution making them separate countries. From then on, how to interpret the Australian constitution was for the Australian legal system only.
When was the Commonwealth of Australia formed and Australia became a nation?
1st Jan 1901.
What impact did Australia’s Federation have on Indigenous Australians? 2 detailed reasons please!
- Aboriginals weren’t allowed to vote so there opinions on laws and rules were misheard.
- More of there land was taken because after the states united more people immigrated and there land was taken to build more homes, hospitals, schools and farms.
Why is democracy valuable? Support your response with two detailed examples
Democracy isn’t a perfect system, and it works well only if there isn’t a lot of corruption, but it is valuable as it tends to be the system that best protects the rights of each individual, people have an equal say in who leads their country, and democracy protects the freedom of the individual.
Separation of powers is an important part of democracy. The administrators and decision makers are separate from the legal system. This provides balance and they hold each other accountable.
Because leaders can be voted in and out regularly, there is less chance of misuse of power. Decisions are made the whole population, rather than just a few people. People are chosen to be leaders by all citizens, so are leaders because they convince people to support them, not because they were born into the royal family. In theory, anyone can be the leader of a democratic country.
Well run democracies tend to be wealthier and good for economic growth.
What are the three separate ‘powers’ in the Australian constitution?
The Judiciary, the Parliament and the Executive
Why was it important that the Australian Constitution created three separate powerful bodies in Australian system?
Three sources of power - the judiciary, parliament and the executive - creates accountability and balance. Difficult problems must be considered by all three groups, which makes for effective decision making. They have to come up with a good solution that they all agree with!
Who sits in Parliament in Australia and what does parliament do?
The Parliament of Australia is made up of the Crown (king or queen of UK), the Senate and the House of Representatives. Parliament put laws into action and carries out the business of government.
What is the Executive branch of the Australian government and what do they do?
The executive branch is the Cabinet and the ministry. led by the prime minister. This is a group of people who are responsible for making and changing the laws and also run the country. There are ministers for education, for defence, for relationships with other countries, for running the economy and other different roles. They also decide on tax and economic policy.
What is the judiciary and what role do they play in Australia
The judiciary are all the federal courts, including the high court. They resolve any disagreements about law-making and interpretation. They stop the government overstepping and uphold the law of Australia.
Give an example of a governing system that is not democracy
Kleptocracy, One Party State, Dictatorship
What is the principle behind the separation of powers in modern democracies?
Parliament;
-The Parliament makes and amends the law
Parliament (also referred to as the Legislature) is made up of the Queen (represented by the Governor-General), the Senate and the House of Representatives
Executive:
-The Executive puts the law into action
-The Executive is made up of the Queen (represented by the Governor-General), Prime Minister and ministers
Judiciary:
-The Judiciary makes judgements about the law
-The Judiciary is made up of the High Court and other federal courts
In the Australian Houses of Parliament, what two separate bodies exist and what is their purpose and role in running the country?
House of Representatives - lower house;
1. 150 members
2. Propose new law
3. Voted on every 3 years maximum.
4. The Government cannot collect taxes or spend money unless allowed by law.
The Senate - upper house;
1. 76 representatives (12 for each state and 2 for ACT and NT)
2. Senate can reject all bills proposed by the House of Representatives, including the budget (how much people and businesses will be taxed and what that will be spent on)
3. Representatives are voted in with a system of proportional representation
