Please enable JavaScript.
Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.
TERM 4 CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP :confetti_ball: (Australian Constitution…
TERM 4 CIVICS AND CITIZENSHIP
:confetti_ball:
6 Key concepts
Participation
participation is an important part of living in a democracy
refers to the way good citizens contribute to or take part in society
we participate in the running of society in a number of ways, such as by voting in an election or referendum, serving on a jury or paying taxes
Participation is to join in
Rights & responsibility's
treated fairly
Australia, we have no official protection for our right to freedom of speech, but the democratic values held by our society ensure that this privilege is rarely prevented
protection against acquisition of property on unjust terms
we have the right to vote
Justice
Our legal system has strong ties with the concept of justice. In fact, it is sometimes referred to as ‘the justice system’.
In Australia, when people break the law and are convicted by the courts it is said that they have been ‘brought to justice’.
The Westminster System
Named after the area in London the
British Parliament
is a form of government originating from United Kingdom
Australian system of government is based on
Westminster
BI = TWO
Bicameral Parliament (two houses of parliament)
Lower house
Upper house
Governor-general
The Queen
Democratic Values
Freedom: rights, privileges and responsibilities for all without interference, or control from other citizens or government
Fairness: all people are treated fairly, or without injustice, and are given equal opportunity; also known as a ‘fair go’ in Australia
Equality: rights and privileges for all, without discrimination based on gender, race, religion, age, sexual orientation or level of education; all citizens have the right to the same opportunities
Respect: treating others with consideration and valuing their views, beliefs and rights
Freedom is important in Australia
Values; respect, equality, fairness and freedom REFF
Democratic values are beliefs and ideals that are held by our society as a democracy
Democracy
citizens over 18, have to vote
politicians represent
popular form of Government
Representative democracy
They get chosen by politicians
That person knows what everyone likes
Person who gets chosen/elected to represent
worked differently now
Died out for a while. Monarchy became popular
Ancient Greece, first people
Kratos - Rule/Power
Demos - People/Citizens
Australian Constitution
Set of rules for how a nation is governed
Like a guide book
British parliament
Constitution conventions – meetings
Commonwealth of Australia ACT
Came into effect 1st of January 1901 when federation occurred
Describes how the federal parliament works
What it can make laws about
How it shares its power with the states
Describes the roles of the government
Describes the roles of the high court
High court provides the official interpretation of the constitution
The Constitution is divided into 8 sections
The Parliament
The Executive Government
The Judicature
Finance and Trade
The States
New States
Miscellaneous
Alteration of the Constitution
Separation of powers
Legislature: power to make the law
House of Representatives (Lower House)
Senate (Upper House)
Executive: power to execute the law
Governor-general (the Queen's representative)
Prime minister and senior minister
Government departments
Judiciary: power to apply the law
High Court
Other federal courts
The upper house
• 76 senators
The lower house
• 150 members in parliament (MPs)
Three levels of Government
Federal Government
makes laws for the entire country. Leader of the federal government is called the prime minister.
e.g. Defence, Immigration and Environment
State Government
makes laws relevant to their state of territory. Laws only apply to the people living in that state
e.g. primary school, hospitals and police
Local Governmnt
there are over 560 local governments or councils. They manage things that are local like: parks, parking or garbage collection.
e.g. local libraries, rubbish collection and parks
Australia's Bicameral Parliament
Australia’s system of government is best described as a constitutional monarchy and a representative democracy.
• One Queen
• One elected parliament
What is the role of parliament?
The main role of parliament is to make laws in areas that the Australian constitution identifies as the responsibility of the federal government.
Parliament is a meeting place for elected representatives that allows them to discuss a range of views on how Australia should be governed
What is the bicameral system?
Australia’s parliament is bicameral, which means that there are two houses. They are the House of Representatives (also known as the lower house) and the Senate (also known as the upper house).
The house of Representatives
Who gets elected into the house of Representatives?
Australia is divided into 150 electorates, each of which represents an area of the country that has around 100 000 people who can vote
The House of Representatives therefore has 150 members of parliament (MPs), with each seat representing an electorate.
Who forms government and what is their role?
People who are elected into parliament not only represent their electorate but are also usually part of a political party.
Australia has two major political parties, the Liberal party and the Labour party
The role of the prime minister is to make important decisions about national issues, attend question time (when MPs ask questions of the prime minister and ministers) and choose members of parliament to be the minister
Who is the opposition?
The political party that has the most non-government seats becomes the opposition
What is the role of a member of the house of representatives?
The Senate
The Senate is also known as the upper house. a person elected into the Senate is known as a senator
How do members get elected into the Senate?
What is the role of the Senator?
Referendum
Most successful referendum in Australian History
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders are acknowledged now
27th May 1967
90% of Australian voters voted 'yes'
gave rights to not be discriminated
it took Aboriginals 10 years to get 100,000 signatures and get parliament to pass the change
Most unsuccessful referendum in Australia's History
6th November 1999
People wanted to replace the Queen, Governor - General and Prime Minister with a President
You have to get a double majority to change the Constitution
Double Majority
Most of Australian voters vote 'yes'
Most of Australian voters in at least 4 states vote 'yes'
Five step process
The Bill
The Bill is when an idea is given to Parliament and they will agree on the change or disagree
The Committees
The Committees is divided into two committees the 'yes' and the 'no' committees
The Writ
The Writ is when the Governor-General sets a date for the referendum
The Case
The Case is when then votes are printed and sent to every voter
The Vote
The Vote is when everyone over 18 votes 'yes' or 'no' for the change to the constitution