The Australian Democratic Political System - Report Example

Running Head: LIBERAL DEMOCRACY The Australian Democratic Political System (Name) (Course) (University) Date of presentation: Lecturer: The Australian Democratic Political System Australia’s Political System Australia (officially The Commonwealth of Australia) is an independent country is south pacific made up of six states and two mainland territories. Australia’s political system is based on the liberal democratic tradition, which among other things upholds the right to freedom of association and speech and deep commitment to religious tolerance. In accordance with the liberal democratic traditions of Western countries, Australia has adopted the representative democratic institution where people vote for candidates from multiple political organizations or parties to represent their interests in parliament, although the decision powers of the elected representatives are subject to the rule of law. Generally, Australia’s political structure as well as the legal and education systems, have borrowed heavily from the British and American models (Seymour & Lakin, 2004). Like Canada and New Zealand, Australia is governed as a constitutional monarchy and recognizes the Queen of England as the head of state. The governor general is the queen’s representative in Australia. The nation has a federal system in which power is divided between the Commonwealth (national) government on one side and the State and Territory governments on the other side. State and territory governments are responsible for all matters and duties not assigned to the Commonwealth government in the constitution. As such, the state and territory governments play an important role in the country’s political system. In practice, the two levels of the government cooperate in different areas where state and territory governments are formally responsible such as in education, law enforcement, health and transport. State governments have their own legislature, judiciary, police and the constitution (Hirst, 2000). In addition to the national and state and territory governments, there are local government bodies that are created by territory or state legislation. Cooperation between the local, state or territory and national governments is promoted by the Council of Australian Governments. Democracy is strongly practiced in Australia. Democracy, according to Hirst, (2000) is a form of political system where every eligible citizen has a say in the decisions that affect their lives. A democratic political system promotes direct or indirect participation in the development of laws and encompasses economic conditions which promote free and fair political practices. The constitution, together with the common and statute law protect the freedom and rights of individuals and minority groups. The constitution sets out the powers and responsibilities of the national parliament, the courts and the executive government. Amendments to the constitution are rare as this can only be possible following the approval of the electorate through a referendum and the passage of the amendment bill in parliament (Holdsworth, Stokes, Blanchard & Mohamed, 2007). Separation of powers between the different arms of the government (parliament, judiciary and executive) is a fundamental aspect of Australia’s political system. Under the constitution, parliament (the federal legislature) has the power to make laws and the executive has the power to implement laws enacted by parliament. The judiciary’s responsibility is to interpret laws. This clear separation of powers ensures that parliament, the executive and judiciary are independent of each other. The separation of powers effectively prevents inappropriate interference by one entity in the functioning of the other (Seymour & Lakin, 2004). In Australian law, a diversity of political interests is acknowledged and all Australians are entitled to fairness in dispute resolution. The Constitutions has given the federal government the powers to exercise authority over defense, trade and commerce, foreign affairs, taxation and immigration while other duties are exercised by state governments (Backhouse, 2007). There are two major political parties in Australia- the Labor Party and the Liberal Party- and several minor parties including the Greens and the Nationals. In parliament, elected representatives mostly vote with their parties although they may occasionally ‘cross the floor’ to express disagreement with their party policies. Australia is one of the few democracies to have made voting compulsory for all adult citizens aged 18. Although voting is mandatory, the penalty for not participating in an election is a minor fine. Nevertheless, most people participate in elections and voter turnouts of up to 90% are common in national and state or territory elections (Chen, Gibson et al, 2006). The Concept of Liberal Democracy Liberal democracy is a concept that refers to the Western political systems such as the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand among other nations. It refers to a political system where there are attempts to defend the civil liberties of the people against encroachment of governments and powerful institutions in the society (Backhouse, 2007). Liberal democracies make attempts to restrict or regulate government interference in economic, political and moral matters of their citizens. Such a political system increases the scope for political, religious and intellectual freedoms of the citizens and questions the claims raised by vested interest groups seeking special privileges. Accordingly, liberal democracies are instituted in such a way as to define and limit powers in order to promote legitimate governance within a framework of justice and freedom (Chen, Gibson et al, 2006). Liberal democracies share various basic principles which define the rights and freedom of citizens. As the term implies, liberal democracy includes two vales: democratic and libertarian. The first one implies that the government must respect and fulfill the wishes of the majority citizens through regular elections. The libertarian value implies that the political powers granted by majority citizens must be limited by recognition of the liberties of individual citizens and minority groups. Under a liberal democracy, citizens enjoy the right to universal suffrage, which grants all adult citizens the right to vote regardless of their gender, race or property ownership. Universal democracies encourage separation of powers between different branches of the government, an independent judicial system and a system of checks and balances to prevent abuse of power, all of which are essential rights enjoyed by citizens under the political system (Chen & Gibson et al, 2006). Multiparty political system and free ad fair elections are an important aspect of liberal democracies and hence a right that citizens enjoy under such a system. Liberalism values the individual above anything else and hence, it is crucial for individual citizens in a liberal democracy to enjoy certain basic rights and freedoms such as freedom of speech and association, choice, assembly, religion and opportunity (Backhouse, 2007). Liberal democracies support civic liberties and make it possible for everyone to develop themselves personally. In liberal democracies, there is a clear separation between state and religion and no individual can be prosecuted for their religious beliefs. Liberal democracies take different forms and as such there is no single blueprint for this type of political system. Some like the United States are republics with a presidential government system (Hirst, 2000). Others like United Kingdom, Australia and Netherlands are monarchies with a prime ministerial system of government. The United States of America, Australia and Germany among others have federal systems of government in which power is delegated to state governments. Generally, all liberal democracies support collectively owned institution and a free market economy. This means that these political systems combine human rights and personal liberty with free market economy. For instance, the United States is a capitalist economy and a liberal democracy. Other countries such as Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom and Denmark, all of which are liberal democracies, support free market economy (Seymour & Lakin, 2004). Liberal Democracy in Australia Australia is one of the oldest continuous liberal democracies in the world. There are a number of institutions that have helped promote a strong democracy in Australia. These include the country’s federal system of government, a robust parliamentary system, an independent judiciary and an independent national human rights institution. Collectively, these institutions play an integral role in promoting human rights in Australia and provide a strong bulwark against denial of fundamental rights and abuse of power. The Australian government consistently encourages its people to learn about and participate in democratic processes and in the promotion of democratic governance (Chen, Gibson et al, 2006). Key democratic principles practiced in Australia include: separation of powers between various arms of the government; responsible government; observance of constitutional safeguard; transparent criminal justice system; the rule of law; freedom of the press and equitable resourcing and respect for opposition parties. In addition, Australia’s strong democratic institutions are complemented by numerous protections for fundamental human rights. Anyone in Australia, including the government and political parties can have the lawfulness of their actions scrutinized before an independent judicial process and be held accountable for a commission inconsistent with the law. Just like other western liberal democracies, government policies are implemented by a professional public service which is not politically aligned (Backhouse, 2007). Australia has enacted anti-discrimination laws that provide legal resources to victims of racial hatred and other forms of discrimination. Under these laws, it is unlawful to discriminate against another person on grounds of gender, disability, race, color or ethnic or national origin. Such discriminations are prohibited in various institutions and areas including access to facilities and places, employment, provision of goods and services and advertising (Seymour & Lakin, 2004). Comparison of Liberal Democracy in Australia and the United States Australia’s liberal democracy shares lots of similarities with other liberal democratic countries including the United States. For instance, the United States just like Australia has a system of government which promotes the idea of indirect democracy. The American system is based on the principles of majority rule, political equality, and protection of human rights. Although the United States is the world’s oldest continuing democracy, it stands unique in the world with its emphasis on the idea of personal liberty. Nevertheless, both countries are governed through federal systems exercised at the national and state governments. Both Australia and the US have a national legislature (parliament) consisting of two houses- the Senate and the House of Representatives (Hirst, 2000). There are however differences between Australia and the United States in various aspects of liberal democracy. Australia is a constitutional democracy while the United States is a constitutional monarchy. In Australia, the cabinet is drawn from parliament whereas in the US, the cabinet is independent of parliament (the Congress) and no person can be a member of the cabinet and the Congress simultaneously. In the United States, the president is the head of state and government and is elected directly by the people whereas in Australia, the prime minister is the head of the government and is elected by the party (or coalition of parties) which form the greatest majority in parliament. In the US, elections are set on days for fixed terms while in Australia, the prime minister can dissolve parliament and call for a general election at any time (Holdsworth, Stokes, Blanchard & Mohamed, 2007). Another difference between the two countries forms of liberal democracy is that whereas electoral enrolment and voting is mandatory is Australia it is voluntary in the US. In the US, party discipline is not as strict as in Australia. This is the reason why members of political parties in the US can form changing voting alliances on specific legislations. While legislations in the US require both president’s signature and legislative approval, legislations in Australia are automatically ratified by the Governor-General once passed by parliament (Seymour & Lakin, 2004). References Backhouse, J. (2007). “e-Democracy in Australia: the Challenge of Evolving a Successful Model”, The Electronic Journal of e-Government, Vol. 5 Issue. 2, pp. 107 – 116. Chen, P. Gibson, R., et al. (2006). "Electronic Democracy? The Impact of New Communications Technologies on Australian Democracy". Democratic Audit of Australia: Report No 6, Political Science Program, Australian National University. Hirst, J. (2000). The Sentimental Nation: the Making of the Australian Commonwealth. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. Holdsworth, R., Stokes, H., Blanchard, M. & Mohamed, N. (2007). Civic Engagement and Young People: A report commissioned by the City of Melbourne. Youth Research Centre, Melbourne. Robbin, A., Courtright, C., et al. (2005). "Policy: ICTs and Political Life", Annual Review of Information Science andTechnology, Vol. 38, No. 1, pp410-482. Seymour, M. L. & Lakin, J. (2004). The democratic century. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press. Read More

Democracy is strongly practiced in Australia. Democracy, according to Hirst, (2000) is a form of political system where every eligible citizen has a say in the decisions that affect their lives. A democratic political system promotes direct or indirect participation in the development of laws and encompasses economic conditions which promote free and fair political practices. The constitution, together with the common and statute law protect the freedom and rights of individuals and minority groups.

The constitution sets out the powers and responsibilities of the national parliament, the courts and the executive government. Amendments to the constitution are rare as this can only be possible following the approval of the electorate through a referendum and the passage of the amendment bill in parliament (Holdsworth, Stokes, Blanchard & Mohamed, 2007). Separation of powers between the different arms of the government (parliament, judiciary and executive) is a fundamental aspect of Australia’s political system.

Under the constitution, parliament (the federal legislature) has the power to make laws and the executive has the power to implement laws enacted by parliament. The judiciary’s responsibility is to interpret laws. This clear separation of powers ensures that parliament, the executive and judiciary are independent of each other. The separation of powers effectively prevents inappropriate interference by one entity in the functioning of the other (Seymour & Lakin, 2004). In Australian law, a diversity of political interests is acknowledged and all Australians are entitled to fairness in dispute resolution.

The Constitutions has given the federal government the powers to exercise authority over defense, trade and commerce, foreign affairs, taxation and immigration while other duties are exercised by state governments (Backhouse, 2007). There are two major political parties in Australia- the Labor Party and the Liberal Party- and several minor parties including the Greens and the Nationals. In parliament, elected representatives mostly vote with their parties although they may occasionally ‘cross the floor’ to express disagreement with their party policies.

Australia is one of the few democracies to have made voting compulsory for all adult citizens aged 18. Although voting is mandatory, the penalty for not participating in an election is a minor fine. Nevertheless, most people participate in elections and voter turnouts of up to 90% are common in national and state or territory elections (Chen, Gibson et al, 2006). The Concept of Liberal Democracy Liberal democracy is a concept that refers to the Western political systems such as the United States, Britain, Canada and New Zealand among other nations.

It refers to a political system where there are attempts to defend the civil liberties of the people against encroachment of governments and powerful institutions in the society (Backhouse, 2007). Liberal democracies make attempts to restrict or regulate government interference in economic, political and moral matters of their citizens. Such a political system increases the scope for political, religious and intellectual freedoms of the citizens and questions the claims raised by vested interest groups seeking special privileges.

Accordingly, liberal democracies are instituted in such a way as to define and limit powers in order to promote legitimate governance within a framework of justice and freedom (Chen, Gibson et al, 2006). Liberal democracies share various basic principles which define the rights and freedom of citizens. As the term implies, liberal democracy includes two vales: democratic and libertarian. The first one implies that the government must respect and fulfill the wishes of the majority citizens through regular elections.

The libertarian value implies that the political powers granted by majority citizens must be limited by recognition of the liberties of individual citizens and minority groups.

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