Federalism: Frequently Asked Questions Answers to commonly asked questions about federalism and federal systems Federalism Resources A range of federalism resources available on the internet Federalism in the News News and current affairs relating to Australian federalism Federalism Links A collection of links to important organisations in the Australian federation Federalism Project Research Research produced as part of the ARC-funded Federalism Project at the Gilbert + Tobin Centre of Public Law
Learning Outcomes
One of the main characteristics of Australia’s democratic system of government is what is referred to as the Division of Powers. In this type of democratic system no one level of government can control all the laws and activities in the nation. Australia’s system of government operates from a set of rules and structures based on a written document called a Constitution. The Australian Constitution, which came into existence at Federation in 1901, sets out the rules by which Australia is to be governed.
There are four different types of legislative power:
The Parliament of Australia located in Canberra
As well as being based on Britain’s Westminster system, some features of Australia’s federal system were inspired by the federal system of the United States. These include:
The division of powers is also often referred to as the three levels of government. Federal Parliament and the state parliaments are two of the levels and the third level of government are local councils (shires and municipalities). These are administered under the law of the state that they are in. Each of these levels of government provides services for the people of Australia. Each of them is elected by the people that they provide government for. NSW Parliament in Sydney
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