Federal Government |
 The Commonwealth of Australia was born on 1st January 1901 when the colonial states came together as a federation. Although the Queen still remains the symbolic head of state, in 1942 most of the constitutional links between Australia and Britain were formally ended.
Australia also administers numerous overseas territories. Inhabited overseas territories include Norfolk Island (located in the Pacific Ocean), plus Christmas Island, and the Cocos (Keeling) Islands which are located in the Indian Ocean.
 The Commonwealth (or Federal) Government, which meets at Parliament House in Canberra, is responsible for the national economy and defence. Kevin Rudd (left), has been the Australian Prime Minister since 2010. The Australian Parliament is composed of the House of Representatives (similar to our House of Commons) and the Senate (each state elects 12 senators).
Voting is compulsory in each state and territory, and at the federal level. |
State and Territory Governments |
| State and territory governments each have their own elected parliaments, and can pass laws on certain issues such as health, education and transport. The heads of state governments are known as Premiers, while the heads of territory governments are called Chief Ministers.
Except for Queensland and the territories (which only have one Legislative Assembly each), state parliaments are composed of two houses: the Legislative Assembly or House of Assembly (similar to our House of Commons); and the Legislative Council (which functions like an elected House of Lords). |
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Australian Capital Territory
ACT Legislative Assembly, Civic Square, Canberra
Chief Minister: Jon Stanhope |
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Northern Territory
Parliament House, State Square, Darwin
Chief Minister: Clare Martin |
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New South Wales
Parliament House, Macquarie Street, Sydney
Premier: Morris Iemma |
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Queensland
Parliament House, George Street, Brisbane
Premier: Peter Beattie |
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South Australia
Parliament House, North Terrace, Adelaide
Premier: Mike Rann (who was born in the UK) |
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Tasmania
Parliament House, Sullivans Cove, Hobart
Premier: Paul Lennon |
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Victoria
Parliament House, Spring Street, Melbourne
Premier: Steve Bracks |
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Western Australia
Parliament House, Harvest Terrace, Perth
Premier: Alan Carpenter |
Local Government |
| Councils in Australia, or Local Government Areas (LGAs), are known under a variety of names: cities, municipalities, towns, shires, or councils. These councils provide services such as local roads, sanitation, libraries, dog registration etc. They are composed of elected representatives, who usually serve on a part-time basis. |
Political Parties |
| The two main political parties are the Liberal Party (liberal conservative) and the Labor Party (social democratic). Other political parties include the Greens, the National Party, the Democrats and the Family First Party. |
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