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What system of government does Australia have?

Answer

Australia has a representative democratic system of government. This means citizens vote to elect people to represent them in parliament. The elected officials will go on to make and vote on laws on behalf of their electorate. Therefore, when voting, it is important to consider which candidate most closely aligns with your interests, morals and preferences.

Australia is also a constitutional monarchy, which means that the King or Queen of Britain is our head of state, but they have limited power according to the Constitution. Due to the geographical distance and inconvenience, the King or Queen has a representative for the British monarch called the Governor General, who acts on their behalf.

Before a bill becomes law, it needs final approval from the Governor General, who represents the British monarch. This is called a Royal Assent. No Governor General has ever refused to give royal assent to a bill, as it has gathered enough support from politicians and citizens that it would be undemocratic for the Governor General to defeat the bill at its final stage.

Another factor in Australia's system of government is being a federation. A federation is when a group of states and/ or territories join together to form a single country. This occurred in Australia in 1901, creating our federal government.