Australian Democracy
The Australian system of government is called a democracy. This system decides who holds power and influence in the ruling of our nation. ‘Democracy’ combines two shorter Greek words: ‘demos’ meaning citizen and ‘kratos’ meaning power or rule.
http://www.abc.net.au/btn/story/s4460249.htm
View the slideshow. Why did Australia use parts from both the British and United States government systems? Which one do we appear to be closer to?
Parliament is a place where ministers and senators meet to represent the people of Australia and make laws. The power to make and manage these laws is separated between Parliament, the Executive and the Judiciary. This separation is very important. If a small group of people has all the power, they may make decisions and laws that are not helpful to the majority of our citizens. The three arms of the government make sure that the power is balanced and that the people are represented.
Your task:
In small ‘expert’ groups, create a poster to display in the classroom that summarises one of the following topics below.
- Parliament of Australia
- Separation of Powers
- The House of Representatives
- The Senate
