Source: Getty image
Source: Getty image
Source: Getty image
Source: PA/ Yui Mok
Source: AAP/ MICK TSIKAS
Source: Getty image
Source: Getty image
Source: Getty image
Source: Getty image
Source: Getty image
Source: Getty image
Source: AAP/ RICHARD WAINWRIGHT
Source: Getty image
Australia has three tiers of government: Federal government, state and territory government and local government, which have their respective representatives of the people.
Australia is a constitutional monarchy and its head of state is the Queen of Australia, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen of Australia appoints the Governor-General as her representative in Australia and in each of the states there is a governor who represents the Queen.
But in practice, the leader of the Australian Government is the Prime Minister, the leader of the political party that formed the government through elections. A government minister is a Member of Parliament who has been chosen by a government leader to be responsible for an area of government.
The Australian Government is called the Federal Government or the Commonwealth Government. The Government is made up of members of the Australian Parliament, which has two Houses: House of Representatives and Senate.
The House of Representatives is one of the houses in the Australian Parliament. Other names for the House of Representatives are the Lower House or the People’s House.
Members of Parliament (MPs) represent the people in their electorate. The number of MPs for each state and territory is based on the number of people in that state or territory. Overall, there are 151 members elected to the House of Representatives.
The Senate is the other house in the Australian Parliament. The Senate is sometimes called the Upper House, the House of Review or the States’ House. Voters from each state also elect senators to represent them in the Senate.
All states are equally represented in the Senate regardless of their size or population. There is a total of 76 senators. Each state elects 12 senators, and the Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory elect two senators each.
Each state and territory also forms parliaments and governments through elections. The leader of a state government is the Premier and the leader of a territory government is the Chief Minister.
The states and the Northern Territory are divided into local government areas which may be called cities, shires, towns or municipalities. Each area has its own local council. Councils are responsible for planning and delivering services to their local community. Citizens in each local government area vote to elect their local councillors.
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