Representative &

Responsible Government
Representative Government

There are eight key features of representative

government

Representative government extends beyond allowing

Australian’s the right to vote and to stand as
candidates for parliament

The existence of an elected parliament is no guarantee

there will be a democratic state
 Eight Features
• Rule of Law
• Universal Franchise
• Regular Elections
• One vote/one value and the secret ballot
• Salaries for Members of Parliament
• Parliamentary Privilege
• Right to protest, freedoms of association and political
communication
• Open parliamentary debates
 Rule of Law

• Citizens must be considered equal before the law

when they vote or stand for election
• Strict rules are essential to regulate the electoral
process and how parliament makes laws to uphold the
rights of all citizens
 Universal Franchise
• All individuals must be allowed the freedom to vote
regardless of their cultural background, race, sex or belief
system
• There must not be any barrier’s imposed to stop an
individual, or group in society from voting
• Voting is compulsory in federal and state elections Australia-
wide
• When a section of the community is disenfranchised, laws
created have the tendency to neglect their values and interests
 Regular Elections

• It is essential that the people’s elected representatives

are held accountable to the voters at regular elections
• The longer a tenure in parliament lasts, the more
likelihood that MP’s will act unilaterally and ignore
the wishes of the people who voted for them
 One Vote/One Value & the
Secret Ballot
• Every vote (ballot) cast should have no more value
than any other
• If this principle is distorted, governments can be
formed that do not reflect a majority of support in the
community
• Voting should be conducted in private to prevent the
chance of intimidation or pressure from others
Salaries for Members of Parliament

• Politicians must be entitled to a salary for their role of

being accountable to the community
• If payment does not occur, working class people could
be denied the opportunity of standing for parliament
to represent working people
 Parliamentary Privilege

• A full and frank debate on all issues before parliament

is essential to ensure that laws are made with all
information being made available for consideration
Right to Protest, Freedoms of Association and Political
Communication

• The right to peaceful protest, association and

expression must be protected by law
• These freedoms, ideas and debates are essential to
uphold the democratic process
 Open Parliamentary Debate

• Australian’s must have access to parliamentary

sittings to make their own judgments about the
workings of the law making body and the standard of
representation they are receiving as a member of the
community
 Responsible Government
There are FOUR key principles of responsible
government

Responsible Government is based on the British

Westminster system of parliamentary democracy

A large elected parliament will meet to debate issues

and make laws

A separate unelected executive body will administer

and enforce laws made in the parliament
 Key Principles

• Accountability
• Exercise of Executive Power
• Role of the Senate
• Miscellaneous conventions of responsible government
 Accountability
Relationship between the legislature and executive
arms of law
• Ministers of the Crown can only be chosen from members of parliament
• Ministers of Government must also be elected members of the
parliament.
• This system has been codified in State and Commonwealth
constitutions under the British Westminster system
• Because of this, Australia does not have a complete separation of
powers as the executive arm of law is formed in the legislative arm, and
therefore held directly accountable to it for the executive decisions is
makes
 Exercise of Executive
Power
• The GG must exercise his/her executive powers on
the advice of the current Prime Minister
• The GG is obliged to accept the advice of the PM
provided that three conditions exist:
1. The PM + government commands majority support
in the house of representatives
2. The PM can guarantee the passage of supply Bills
through parliament
3. The PM’s advice is aligned with the constitution
 Role of the Senate

• The Senate is expected by constitutional convention

to pass the supply Bill’s of the Government so that it
is able to adequately govern the nation
• However, section 53 of the Commonwealth
Constitution does not prohibit this
 Miscellaneous Conventions of
Responsible Government

• The PM is the head of Government and must sit in the

House of Representatives to the right of the Speaker
• The Speaker has unlimited access to the GG so that
he/she can identify which party leader has confidence of
the House
• Ministers can sit in both Houses on the front benches to
the right of the presiding offices
• The HCA is independent and cannot give legal advice to
the government
 Responsible Government and
Accountability
• Every detail of a minister’s public performance is
subject to scrutiny by parliament
• This scrutiny occurs ate Question time, grievance
debates and general debating stages of Bills
• Cabinet (government) meets privately and deliberations
are confidential
• Cabinet solidarity is important because the government
wants to display unity as well as preserve the confidence
of its backbenchers so that it can govern for its full term