Political Systems In Australia

Australia is a democratic country with a liberal amount of debates and freedom of speech. The political system in opertation is a version of the Westminister system, which is based on the British form of government.

The political parties present are not particularly diverse with two main parties often alternating in power. These two are the Liberal Party of Australia and the Australian Labour Party.

Levels of Government
 
There are three tiers of government within the Australian political system. At the top is the Australian/national government located in Canberra, followed by the state/territory Governments and then Local Governments.

Australian Government
 
The Australian, National or Federal Government is sometimes referred to as the Commonwealth Government of Australia. It resides in Canberra, the nation’s capital. The Leader of the Australian Government is called the Prime Minister. Currently it is Mr Kevin Rudd, who leads the Australian Labour Party in power.

The Commonwealth Government is responsible for the administration of a wide range of duties including defence, foreign affairs, international trades and immigration. The Australian Government levies and collects all income tax, from individuals as well as from enterprises. It also collects a significant portion of other taxes, including Goods and Services Tax (GST). The Australian Government distributes part of this revenue to other levels of government principally the states and territories. The Australian Government laws overrule those of the State and Territory Governments where there is a conflict.

State Governments
 
There are total of six states and two territory governments in Australia that fall in this category. The six State Governments are the Government of New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmanian. The two territories, Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory are self-governing with fewer constitutional powers.
The jurisdiction of State and Territory Governments include law and enforcement, public health services, education, administration, transport and infrastructure.    Parliament House Photo
The main source of taxes collected is from property, employers' payrolls, and on provision and use of goods and services. This revenue base is supplemented by grants from the Australian Government, which includes an allocation of GST revenue.

State governments can make laws in any area not given to the Australian Government by the Australian Constitution.

Each state has a government headed by a premier and enjoys a great degree of political independence. In Western Australia, the Australian Liberal Party is the leading party in power maintaining the above duties, and our Premier is Mr Colin Barnett.

Local Governments
 
Local Government or Council represent their local community and reflect the interests of residents living in the region. They raise issues with other governments and provide a range of services such as the construction and maintenance of roads, streets and bridges, water, sewerage and drainage systems, health and sanitary services.

Local governments also provide transport facilities, hospitals, charitable institutions, recreation grounds, parks, swimming pools, libraries, museums and other business undertakings. Local governments' own-source revenue is derived mainly from property taxes. They also rely on grants from the Australian Government and their parent state governments.

Council can make local laws but operate in a legal framework set up by the State and Territory governments. The leader of the Council is known as the mayor.