CIVIC AND CITIZENSHIP REVISION 7D

We are going to do a Kahootz quiz. Here is your chance for revision before the quiz.

Australia has six (6) states and two (2) territories.

Malcolm Turnbull is the current Prime Minister. He is from the Liberal Party. Tony Abbott was
also from the Liberal Party. Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard and John Howard are past Prime Ministers
of Australia.

There are three (3) levels of law-making and government in Australia. They are Federal, State
and Local. The Federal government looks after matters that are important to the nation. State
government looks after state matters, such as those important to Victoria. Local government,
called local council looks after things that are important to the local area, like Wodonga.

There are two (2) houses of parliament; these are called the House of Representatives and
the Senate. The House of Representatives is where the government is formed. The members
of this house are elected by voters. There are 150 members in the House of Representatives
representing 150 electorates. Electorates are areas of Australia, each with about 81,000 people
in them. The Senates job is to make sure voters opinions are heard and considered. The
Senators represent the different states of Australia.

So we can all be responsible and respectful citizens, society needs laws a set of rules. The
Australian Constitution gives the rules for the governing of Australia. If someone wants to
make a new law or change a law, it first has to be introduced into parliament as a bill. It can
be read three (3) times in the House of Representatives and three (3) times again in the Senate.
When a law has been approved and signed by the Governor- General, it is called an Act of
Parliament.

If we want to change a part of the Constitution, we have to hold a referendum. For the change
to made, over half of the citizens must vote yes to the change.