Similarities and Differences between the Australian Labor Party and the American Democrats - Essay Example

Comparing the Australian Labor Party to the American Democrats Name: ID: Subject: Lecturer: Tutor: Introduction The Australian labor party (ALP) came into existence as a federal party in Australia a few years before the first Australian parliament sitting in 1901. It is the oldest political party in Australia and emerged as a collection of various labor movements founded in the Australian colonies. It became the first party to clench the majority seat in the Australian parliament. In 1891, a strike meeting held by workers in Barcaldine, Queensland became the incentive behind the formation of ALP. The party’s constitution describes it as a democratic socialist. Trade union activities greatly influence the party and take the frontline in addressing labor movement issues. The party includes both individual members who pay a membership fee and trade unions. The party contests for the national, territory and state elections with its candidates chosen though panels, committees, or ballot elections (Australia Gail Pearson 2009, p.p32). The Democratic Party is one of the major contemporary political parties operating in the United States of America alongside the Republican Party. The party’s formation dates back to 1828 and has since supported social justice and a mixed economy. It supports government intervention of the government in the economy through consumer protection, labor protection, social programs, and environmental conservation among others. The ideologies of the party favor labor unions, labor farmers, ethnic minorities, and laborers (Australia Gail Pearson 2009, p.p41). Over time, the party has adopted approaches that cover contemporary issues facing the citizens. Similarities 1. Federal System Both parties exist in a federal system where there exists power division between the national government and the state governments. The Democratic Party in the United States exists alongside its close competitor, the Republican Party (Australia Gail Pearson 2009, p.p14). Over the years, the parties have competed in attracting a huge following through modification of their ideologies. Initially the party’s ideologies employed a conservative perspective due to the prevailing conditions at the time. The party’s ideologies evolve with time to cater for changing social, economic, and political conditions. The Australian labor party on the other hand operates in the Australian government framework. Its candidates contest in the national and local political positions. Despite the party tracing its origin from Queensland, the party spread throughout the country attracting followers due to its focus on labor issues. 2. Bicameral System They have parliaments with two houses; a senate and a house of representatives. The Australian labor party operates in a parliament whose house of representatives consists of 150 members. The members who include the prime minister serve for a maximum of three years (A Tyree 2000, p.p13). However, the elections depend on the dates when the prime minister calls for elections. The party with the majority support in the House of Representatives forms the government. The senate composes of twelve senators elected from the individual states to serve for a fixed six-year term. Each territory provides two senators who serve for a three-year term. The state senate operates on a rotational basis where half of the senate undergoes elections on a three-year interval. In the United States, the congressional elections occur after a period of two year and often in a range of even numbers. The house of representatives consists of 435 members whose election lasts for fixed terms. The senate comprises two senators elected for each individual state to serve for a period of six years. A third of the senate seeks re-election during the election for the House of Representatives. 3. The Two Chambers The legislatures use similar lower and upper names, the House of Representatives, and senate. The speaker holds the position of the House of Representatives while the single-member senators, districts, and electorates represent the territories or states. The legislators represent voters, scrutinize the members of the executive, and considering the bills presented. The bill may undergo amendments to correct areas of controversies (A Tyree 2000, p.p24). The House of Representatives come up with bills relating to taxation and revenue adjustments. In both environments of the parties, the bills pass through the two houses of parliament before approval. The lawmakers share similar responsibilities with the congress and the members of parliament. The introduction of a bill starts the legislation process in congress and parliament. A minister in either house introduces the bill for discussion. Committees exist to scrutinize the introduced bills and make recommendations. The committee offer expertise analysis of the issues addressed in the bills, which the chamber cannot offer. The senate committee is the mostly engaged committee in this case. The engaged committees scrutinize a specific area of interest such as a policy areas. In the United States, the individual members introduce the bills. Some bills emerge at the request of the president like the annual federal budget bill. Committees assist with the scrutiny of the bills before their introduction into the congress. The subcommittees focus on the specific topics in the area covered by the respective committees. 4. Separation of Powers The United States and Australian constitutions operate under a written constitution and contain information about the three arms of government: the judiciary, legislature, and the executive. The government branches share the power to manage and make laws. This minimizes the likelihood of abuse of power by either branch. Both constitutions cover the separation of powers amongst the three arms of government (A Tyree 2000, p.p4). The Australian constitution came into existence on 1 January 1901while the United States constitution came into effect in 1788. The amendments to the Australian constitution require approval by the parliament. The voters hold a referendum for approval by the public. A double majority, majority of voters in majority states and majority of national voters must approve the proposal. The United States constitution prohibits the congress members from holding from holding executive offices. The cabinet members cannot come from the legislature hence the president cannot be a congress member. In the United States, the amendment requires the approval of two-thirds of both congress houses and two-thirds of the legislatures calling for the convention. The bill passes after the approval of three-quarters of the states. Differences 1. The System of Government The American democrats and the Australian labor party operate in different systems of government. Australia operates as a constitutional monarchy whereas the United States is a republic. The queen holds the position of the head of state in the Australian system of government. The governor general acts as the queen’s representative in the country (Australian Parliament Senate 2000, p.p41). The queen appoints the governor general under the guidance of the prime minister. The appointment covers a five-year term and occurs at the queen’s convenience. The term of service can undergo modifications under the prime minister’s guidance. The monarch’s position of leadership is hereditary in the British royal family. The head of states’ existence cannot undergo any challenging and there exists an obvious replacement to a vacant position. The governor general’s position however undergo modifications under the authority of the queen. The Australian citizens feel the need to change their system of government into a republic. The United States head of government is the president whose election occurs separately from that of the congress. The presidential elections undergo the indirect voting system. The Republican Party as well as the Democratic Party hold meeting in which they elect delegates to represent them in the national convention for the presidential candidate selection. Members of the Electoral College undergo election in the various states. The members of the Electoral College then cast their votes to elect the president who must attain 270 votes out of the overall 538 votes. Impeachment by the House of Representatives can remove the president from office. This occurs due to the president’s involvement in criminal offence. The two-thirds vote of majority in the senate effects this change. Concerns in this system of government emerge in connection to the complex presidential electoral system. 2. Constitutional Power In Australia, the government emerges from the parliament and reports to it while in the United States, there is independence of the executive from the congress and a member cannot be in both at the same time. The constitution gives the queen executive power that the governor general exercises (Australian Parliament Senate 2000, p.p26). The prime minister and the cabinet exercise this power in the course of their duty. The constitution does not mention the cabinet and the prime minister. They rely on the majority support of the House of Representatives and approved by the governor general. The governor general conducts the federal executive council that offers advice to the governor general on administration matters. The council includes the ministers as well as the prime minister. The United States constitution gives the president executive power. The presidential indirect voting system involves systems across the country. The president’s responsibilities include the appointment of the cabinet members and senior executive officials that include members from all the parts of the country. 3. Election Dates The Australian labor party participates in elections at an interval of three years while the Democratic Party takes part in elections at a two-year interval. In Australia, the federal elections occur every three years at the request of the prime minister and approval of the governor general. The house of representative includes 150 members who undergo elections after every three years. The prime minister’s term also covers a period of three years and elections occur at his approval. The party with the majority composition then forms the government. Two senators from each territory undergo election for a term of three years. The terms of the state senators end on 30 June while the next rotational term begins on 1 July. The terms of the territorial senators compare to those of the members of the House of Representatives. The Australian electoral commission conducts the federal elections. The electoral act ensures a standardized election throughout the country to eliminate biasness. All Australian citizens above the age of eighteen must undertake in the national and state elections as their civic duty (Australian Parliament Senate 2000, p.p25). The elections in the House of Representatives adapt a preferential system of voting in electing a member for each electorate. The elections of the senate members adopt a proportional system of voting to elect candidates to the multiple seats in the state and territories. The United States holds its elections after every two years in November in even-numbered years. The 435 members of the House of Representatives serve for fixed two-year terms. Each state provides two senators for a six-year term. One-third of the senate may seek re-election at the House of Representatives. The constitution governs the federal elections organized by the fifty states. They oversee the practical implementation of the electoral law in details for efficiency purposes. The elections requirements may differ in the different states since some people may vote in some states and not in others. The electoral system however is not compulsory in the United States. The citizens take part in their elections voluntarily at their own discretion. The simple majority governs the winners of an election in both houses. 4. Party Discipline The Australian labor party operates under strict regulation while the discipline regulating the Democratic Party is relaxed. The parties therefore require adjustable voting alliances through legislation. In Australia, the party members should vote with their party under the strict party discipline instilled. The Australian labor party outlines formal guidelines that require members to vote with the party. It discourages the members from voting against the party or acting against the party’s interests (Cch 2011, p.p7). The houses may contain members of parliament independently elected. In the United States, a political party may win the presidential elections without gaining control on the congress. The party members operate as individuals and make decisions on how to vote in their individual capacities. The political party system does not impose discipline on the party members. Despite this approach, the parties experience unity in voting. There also exists independent candidates in the United States but over time, the independent candidates become associated with either the Republican Party or the Democratic Party. 5. Legislation Process The legislation process in the United States requires the president’s approval as well as legislative approval. The Australian legislation automatically requires ratification by the governor general after passing in both houses. The congress can overturn a veto in the United States. The governor general receives the bill after passing in parliament (Cch 2011, p.p11). The governor general signs the bill into law in a process known as the royal assent, which marks the final step of the bill. The governor general may request modifications in the bill under the advice of the government. In the United States, a bill goes through the congress for approval. The bill then undergoes approval by the president who signs it into law. Conclusion The Australian labor party and the American Democratic Party have several similarities as well as differences. They both operate in a federal system of government where there exists separation of power between the national and state governments. The systems possess a bicameral approach with the chambers; House of Representatives and the senate. The legislation process also highlights major similarities as well as the separation of powers between the arms of government; the legislature, judiciary and the executive. The main reason for the difference in the systems of government emerges because Australia adopts a constitutional monarchy while the United States is a republic. The differences begin with the heads of states to the general structure of governance. The Australian political system is a hybrid product of the British and the United States systems of government (Cch 2011 p.p 5). References A Tyree 2000, ‘The Privacy (Private Sector) Amendments’ Journal of Banking and Finance Law and Practice Australian Law Reform Commission 2014, Approach to Reform Part IIIA, and the NPPS Australian Parliament Senate 2000, Parliamentary Debates (Hansard), Commonwealth Government Printer Cch 2011, Australian Superannuation Legislation, CCH Australia limited CCH Australia Limited 2011, Understanding Australian Consumer Credit, CCH Australia Limited Read More