Australian Politics Test Preparation PDF

**Australian Politics Test Preparation** **Notes** **Week 1** - Politics is described as an arena (the state) and a social process (mirror for social power relations) Six Key Features of Australia's Liberal Democracy - [Parliamentary system:] citizens elect a representative chamber...

**Australian Politics Test Preparation** **Notes** **Week 1** - Politics is described as an arena (the state) and a social process (mirror for social power relations) Six Key Features of Australia's Liberal Democracy - [Parliamentary system:] citizens elect a representative chamber that forms the executive, separation of powers. - [Federalism:] government divided between federal, state/territory, local. - [Constitutional government:] high court interprets written constitution, basic law and basis of the state. - [Constitutional monarchy:] Crown is head of state (ultimate source of sovereignty), governor general and state governors. - [Strong bicameralism:] two chambers of parliament, upper and lower house (upper can block legislation). - [Majoritarianism:] electoral systems, political parties and parliaments make an absolute majority (consistent with the Westminster system). Why Study Politics? - Inevitability of politics: always power dynamics. Why Study Australian Politics? - Australian politics comprises of systems and features of the UK and the US as a liberal democracy. - Australia has been able to navigate historical challenges that regional neighbours have struggled with. - [Colonisation and politics:] each colony established their own system of government and their own parliaments, divisions encouraged federal cooperation. Challenge to Australian Politics: - [Fiscal challenges:] Commonwealth can make large loans to states but states are limited, lower tariffs has made Australia vulnerable to shifts in the global economy. - [Environmental challenges:] climate change, water management and drought (Murray-Darling Basin), fire management, mining, and forestry industries. - [National Identity:] refugees, Indigenous population. **Week 2** - [Written constitution:] formal document that is difficult to amend, legally binding on governments and enforced/interpreted by the judiciary. - Constitution outlines executive, parliament, public service and the courts. - [Unwritten constitution:] norms, informal rules and conventions that are not legally binding. - Westminster system of responsible government inherited from unwritten rules governing politics in Britain. - [Responsible government:] the executive is responsible to the Parliament and thereby the people. - [Political constitutionalism:] form of constitutional government that uses political mechanisms to control government and structures political decision-making through bicameralism, the separation of powers and federalism (holds powerful to account through political processes). - Constitutionalism = written + unwritten constitution. - Federal constitution adopted in 1901. - [Federal-state balanced power:] monetary power is centralised in the federal parliament but this can allow Commonwealth to limit state powers and responsibilities. - Federal constitution: drafted through a series of constitutional conventions in 1890s. - Concerned with mechanics of inter-state relations. - How to ensure the commonwealth does not encroach too much. - Legalistic instrument. - [Constitutional conventions]: both informal norms and rules that shape the behaviour of the state and actual meetings that decided what should be written in the Constitution. The Written Constitution - [Monarchy and British dominion:] establishes the Crown as the head of state, the GG, people as British subjects. - [Bicameral legislature:] two chambers elected by the people, upper house deliberately malapportioned to protect interests of smaller states, mechanisms to resolve deadlock. - [Federalism/state-heavy division of powers:] sets limited powers for the Commonwealth (enumerated powers) leaving the rest (residual powers) to the states. - [Independent judicial oversight:] interprets the document and compatibility of government with it. - [Hard to change the constitution:] formal process requires Act of Parliament plus referendum, requires double majority (national majority in a majority of states). - [Rights:] not many that are constitutionally protected but rather come from common laws and statutes. - [Written constitution:] does not mention PM or cabinet, does not mention the government should be based on majority in HR, does not say the Crown should follow advice from the PM. Key Conventions of Responsible/Westminster Government - Crown acts on advice of PM. - Minister draws from parliament and are answerable to it. - Government formed by whichever group commands lower house confidence. - If government loses the lower house confidence, it must resign. 'Washminster' - Westminster responsible government and American style bicameralism and federalism. - Clash: governments cannot be fully responsible because they can be blocked by the Senate. 1975 Dismissal - Clash between Westminster responsible government and bicameralism. - Senate blocked supply and starved the government into submission. - Whitlam refuses to resign, GG Kerr dismissed Whitlam and appoints Fraser as caretaker PM and forces election. First Peoples and the Constitution - 1967 referendum: did not grant first peoples a vote or provide citizenship. - Eliminated two clauses: can now discriminate and First Peoples are counted in the census. What is missing in the Constitution? - No mention of premier or prime minister. - No mention of ministry or cabinet or political parties commanding a majority. First Nations Reading: - Constitution makes no reference to Indigenous peoples. - Dispossession of land but the creation of reserves, occupied by indigenous people. - s51 excluded Indigenous people living in the States and s127 excluded them from the census. - After WW2, shift to assimilation policies: incremental repeal of discrimination. - 1967 referendum removed s127. - Mabo case: claim of traditional ownership of land. - 1990s a decade of reconciliation initiated by the Commonwealth. - The Uluru Statement called for two reforms: Constitution should be amended to enshrine a voice and involved legislative change to establish a Makarrata Commission. - This body would have two responsibilities: supervise a process of treaty-making and to oversee a national process of truth-telling. **Week 3** - [Federation:] system of government that divides and shares powers across at least two tiers: regional/state and collective/national/federal. Virtues of Federalism - Ability to tailor policy to local conditions, needs and preferences. - Provides alternative venues for policy initiation. - Potential for experimentation and learning (eg. human rights charters and treaties). Vices of Federalism - Inhibits economies of scales (some policies too expensive for smaller states). - Protects local injustices. - Creates inefficiency, overlap and duplication (eg. hard to reform school or hospital funding). 10 Key Features of Australian Federalism - [Voluntary union:] colonies decided to federate and designed the Constitution. - Centred in Canberra. - Six states entitled to full deck of senators (currently 12). - Two territories entitled to 2 senators and house seats. - [Dualist design:] both state and federal tiers are considered autonomous that function independently. - [Decentralised conception:] certain powers granted to federal government and others to states, section 51 of Constitution outlines the responsibilities of the Commonwealth, limited powers. - [Limited safeguards:] amendment initiation and High Court appointments are in the hands of the Commonwealth but still malapportionment for small states and double majority for referendums. - [Centralising evolution:] commonwealth involved in most areas of policy, bias towards the commonwealth, changes to constitution have expanded federal power in 1967 and 1946. - vertical fiscal imbalance: states have more responsibilities that they can fund, commonwealth have more money than responsibilities (power imbalance). - [Absence of a federal society:] lacks diversity of other federal states. - [Fiscal equalisation:] [horizontal fiscal equalisation (]redistribute wealth across jurisdictions). - [Partisan complexion:] party system has interacted with federalism unevenly and the pattern has changed with time too (historically, ALP was anti-federalism, non-labour parties were pro-federalism but now mostly opportunistic about federalism). - [Un-institutionalised intergovernmental relations]: relationship between commonwealth and states is not formalised into any body. - [Enduring power of the state:] states are primary agents of service delivery, central government sets policy and states implement. States and Territories - [NSW:] first colony and the largest state of people with 8.2million, fairly labour-leaning for much of its history, currently labour minority Premier Minns. - Features: independent commission against corruption. - [TAS:] 558,000, bicameral legislature, strongly labour, birthplace of the Greens, liberals become more dominant recently with liberal majority Premier Rockliff. - Features: Hare-Clarke system (STV). - [VIC:] original seat of federal government, 6.5million, bicameral legislature, strongly labour-leaning, labour majority with Premier Allen. - Features: charter of human rights and advanced in negotiating a treaty with First Nations. - [SA]: 1.8million, bicameral legislature, dominated by liberals until 1990, labour majority with Premier Malinauskas. - Features: truth in political advertising. - [QLD:] 5.2 million, unicameral legislature, early labour strong-hold, current labour majority with Premier Miles. - Features: unicameralism. - [WA:] 2.7million, bicameral legislature, swung both ways, current labour majority with Premier Cook. - Features: pragmatic nationals, high level of Indigenous land rights. - [NT:] 233,000, unicameral legislature, current Labour majority with Chief Minister Lawler. - Features: country liberal party instead of a liberal and a national party. - [ACT:] 454,000, unicameral, current Labour majority with Chief Minister Barr. - Notable features: Hare-Clarke system, minority/coalition governments. Reading: - Federalism can be detrimental when issues demand a uniform response but strengthened when there are local issues. **Week 4** Parliament - Parliament has 151 members elected every three or so years. - Each MP represents approximately 113k votes. - Electorates are sensitive to population. Senate - 76 senators, elected half at a time, on 6 year terms. - Senators represent a whole state/territory. - 12 senators per state and 2 per territory. Chain of Responsibility - GG \ Cabinet \ Parliament (Question Time and the Senate) \ Electorate Functions of Parliament - [Representation:] members are elected to Parliament as representatives - [Trustees:] people entrusted with the responsibility to decide for their constituents. - [Delegates:] give effect to their masters' orders and adhere to their mandate. - [Government formation:] under Westminster system, executive is drawn from and answerable to the parliament. - GG commissions government based on who has confidence in the LH. - [Confidence:] can survive no-confidence motion, can pass budget and does not require a one-party majority. - Essential characteristic of the Westminster system is that the government must be able to maintain the support of the parliament on issues of money and confidence. - [Legislating:] parliaments debate and adopt laws. - [Financial appropriations:] no taxation without representation, tax and public borrowing need approval. - [Inquisition]: parliaments ask questions and hold inquiries into problems and government policy, question time allows members to directly question ministers. - place of ideas and debate, as well as providing checks and balances on political power. - [Debates and grievances, scrutiny or accountability ] Parliamentary Privilege - Can regulate own proceedings. - Freedom of speech -- immunity from defamation. - Extend immunities to witnesses in inquiries. - Can call for documents/people to be produced. - Can hold members/people in contempt. - Can regulate MP conduct/suspend MPs. The Executive - Political executive: PM, individual ministers, cabinet. - Administrative executive: bureaucracy, government departments, regulatory and oversight agencies. - The executive is only responsible to HR. - [Executive-legislature regimes:] legislature chosen by the people and the executive is then formed from within this legislative pool. - [Hybrid system:] either semi-presidential or semi-parliamentary. Responsible Government - Individual ministerial responsibility: buck stops with the minister, resign when things go wrong in their department. - Collective cabinet responsibility: cabinet endorses policies, can be voted out by the parliament or public. Prime Ministers - Head of government, parliamentary party, hires and fires ministers, chair cabinet. - Supported by large department and private staff. - Not mentioned in the Constitution. - Powers of the PM: presidential-lisation (centralisation of power) Ministers - Usually picked by PM. - Often granted specific individual powers by various Statutes. - Inner and outer ministry. - [Functions of Ministers:] - Administer their department. - Design policy. - Introduce legislation. - Implement and enforce legislation. - Advocate for and educating the public about decisions. - Make discretionary decisions. - Establish inquiries. - Responding to scrutiny. Cabinet - Forum for policy discussion. - Chaired by PM. - Split into inner and outer ministry. Power Relations in the Executive - Dynamic and negotiable power relationships between PM and Cabinet. Ministers and their Departments - Principle-agent problem (ministers are the principles and have the ideas and hire their department as their agents to carry out their instructions). Procedures of Parliament - [Statutes:] determine the powers and compositions of each house. - [Standing orders:] lay down the important source of procedures. - [Sessional orders:] enable HR to do certain things and are not covered by Standing Orders. - [Rulings:] made by the chairs of each house and are often interpretations of the standing or sessional orders. - Custom and practice provide the rules the HR applies when there are no rules established. **Week 5** Democratic Laboratory - Adopted many democratic innovations: full male suffrage, secret ballot, female suffrage, payment of members, compulsory enrolment, independent electoral commission. Compulsion - Compulsory enrolment 1911 and compulsory coting 1924. - [Compulsory voting works for three reasons:] attracts widespread public support, AEC makes registration and voting as user-friendly as possible, prevailing utilitarian political culture supports compulsion in other areas of public life. Voting Systems - [Lower house:] single-member, majoritarian systems - First-past-the-post then preferential makes lower houses roughly bipolar in nature. - [Upper house:] information burden increased election to election, group ticket voting changed in 2016 due to unprecedented support for minor parties. - Used to use group tickets but this led to preference harvesting but system has changed. Preferential Voting - Adopted federally 1918. - Requires an absolute majority (50% + 1). - Absolute majority by eliminating lowest candidate and redistributing their second preferences and so on. Single Transferrable Vote - Multi-member electorates, candidates must win a quota to be elected. - Redistributes surplus votes first then eliminates lowest candidates. - Can vote for whole list or make totally open preferences. - Allows more diversity in party representation. By-Elections - Held for LH when a member vacates a seat. Money and Campaigning in Elections - [Public funding:] reduce reliance on donations and paid to parties/candidates. - [Private funding]: commonwealth (no limit, high donations disclosure threshold, no expenditure limits). - A lot of dirty money and lack of transparency, some donation caps and bans on donors with real-time disclosure (state and territory funding is more transparent than the commonwealth). - Tighter regulations are limited due to the discovery and interpretation of the implied right to political communication in 1992. Electoral System Design and Its Consequence - [Split-ticket voting:] reflects a desire to ensure that the government of the day does not control the upper house and therefore cannot enact its legislative agenda without scrutiny. - [Informal voting:] increased by the number of non-English-speaking immigrants and the heavy information burden that the system places on voters. - [Strong political parties:] high level of party identification/loyalty acts as an important informational shortcut to arriving at an electoral decision. Reading: - Electoral act was amended to permit the AEC to update elector's details on the roll and to add new electors to the roll without receiving an enrolment form. **Week 6** Political parties - Formed to represent particular interests and ideas. - Aim to shape laws and policies in accordance with interests and values. - Through endorsing candidates for elections to form government. Two-Party System [Can be explained by:] - Compulsory voting. - Frequent elections. - Preferential voting. - Major parties have more resources. - Media frames the electoral content as a two-party race. ALP - Started 1891. - Established as a response to significant trade union strikes. - Core themes of community, cooperation, equality, class politics and common ownership. - [Key ideas:] - [Labourism:] securing economic gains for workers within existing capitalistic structures. - [Social democracy:] egalitarianism, class and economic redistribution through democracy -- mixed economy of a strong welfare state. - [Third-way social democracy:] acceptance of capitalism and liberalising the markets with adequate safety nets and social welfare. - [Organisational Wing:] - Branches: local organising unit. - Electoral associations: responsible for pre-selecting candidates. - State divisions: each state has a conference, elected officials. - Conferences: meetings of elected delegates who decide party rules three-yearly. - State office: paid, professional staff working for the party. - [Parliamentary Wing:] - Organised groups inside all elements of the ALP that often seek to dominate internal policy disputes and leadership selection. - Caucus pledge: MP will abide by majority decision and vote as a unified caucaus. - [Factions: ] - Organised groups inside all elements of the ALP that seek to dominate internal policy disputes and leadership selection. - More disciplines and enshrined in party documents than the Liberals. - Strong socialist and unity factions. - [Controversies:] - Election of leaders: high churn of ALP PMs. - Branch stacking: recruiting members that are not genuine. - Indefinite suspension of Senator Payman. - CFMEU donations. - Withering of organisational wing: no longer a true worker's party. - 7 Key Elements of ALP Organisation: - National Executive: main administrative body. - National Conference: held every three years to decide on policy. - Federal Labor Parliamentary Party: MPs and Senators. - State/Territory Branches - Affiliated Trade Unions: fee-paying unions that can partake in decision-making. - Sub-sections and Networks: such as Country Labor or Rainbow Labor. - 'Rank and File': party members. Liberals - Started 1944. - Liberals, conservatives and anti-communists. - Most powers vested in state divisions which means it is weak federally -- changes must be made to the constitutions of each state division. - [Key ideas:] - Liberalism: dedication to individual rights and liberties. - Sceptical about egalitarianism and government intervention in the economy. - Anti-socialist: opposition to state-intervention. - Social conservatism: sceptical of rapid social change and supportive of traditional ideologies. - [Organisational Wing:] - Similar to ALP in structure branches, state divisions, executive committees and professional campaign office. - More de-centralised. - Federal division does not have power to intervene in state divisions. - A bit more conservative than the parliamentary wing. - [Parliamentary Wing: ] - Sovereign force. - Strong tradition of deference to the Parliamentary leader (empowered to choose front bench and set agenda). - MPs have greater autonomy from organisational wing. - MPs, in theory, able to vote by their conscience without being reprimanded. - [Controversies:] - Moderates and conservatives: significant leadership conflicts and turnovers. - Branch stacking: recently large recruitment pushes amongst religious groups. - One Nation The Nationals - Started 1920. - Designed to safeguard interests of farmers and agricultural sectors against dominant interests of urban areas. - [Key Ideas:] - Socialism or economic nationalism - Generally prefer market forces applied to non-agricultural sectors. - Support individual achievement, the importance of free choice, a fair go and rewards for private enterprise, anti-socialist. - [Organisational Wing:] - Branches, state and federal councils. - [Parliamentary Wing:] - More bound to organisation than liberals, however the leader is still determined within the party. - Nationals are considered 'agrarian exceptionalists': they believe in free markets and free trade but due to their low market power and influence, they warrant some market protection. LNP Coalition - 1923. - Agreements include that the Liberal leader will be PM and the Nationals leader will be deputy. - Founded on a mutual opposition to Labor. - Features of the agreement include a survival of losses of government and stability. National Trends - Major parties have lost significant grip. - Percentage of voters who do not identify with any party has increased. - [Possible Explanations:] - Traditional working-class occupations have declined. - Society has become more mobile: higher levels of education. - Parties are increasingly disconnected from the public. - Collude with each other to preserve power. **Week 7** Types of Minor Parties - [Secessionist minor parties]: splinters off major parties, focused on countering/moderating majors. - [Movement minor parties:] created by social movements, focused on winning social movement's policy goals. Democratic Labor Party -- secessionist - Formed after 1955. - Anti-communist, socially conservative, largely Catholic. - Formed after a dispute within the ALP regarding perceived communist influence. - Social conservative goals. Australian Democrats -- secessionist - Small breakaway moderate Liberal groups -- brought together by Don Chipp 1977. - Self-declared centrists between the extremes. - Environmentalism, gender equality, and LGBT rights. - Plagued with leadership instability, policy compromise, loyal voter base loss. - Socially progressive goals. The Greens - Mostly from conservation movement but also pacifism and human rights. - Significant grassroots organisational wing and significant local and state representation. - Complex relationship with ALP. One Nation - Anti-multiculturalism platform. - Party has imploded and re-grouped multiple times. Family First - Conservative Christian. - Opposed euthanasia, same sex marriage, drug liberalisation, pornography. Independents - Usually do better in HR than the Senate. Dai Le -- Fowler NSW - Safe labor seat. - Working class and ethnically diverse. - Experience as a refugee. Andrew Wilkie -- Clarke TAS - Intelligence whistle-blower. - Is he a classic Burkean? He aligns with the trustee model as he wields his own personal judgement to vote and pursue agendas of interest. The Teal Wave - Not quite blue, not quite green. - What about David Pocock? - Elected as an independent senator for ACT. - Campaigned on climate and integrity. Hawke Government Reforms - Reforms to the Senate's electoral system included an expansion of the number of senators per state from 10 to 12 as there was an increase in HR members. - Implemented group ticket voting -- considered much simpler. - Provided election funding to encourage new minor parties to stand for election. Secessionist to Movement Minor Parties - Secessionist: created as a result of fragmentation of major parties and they demonstrated that minor parties could win seats and influence relations. - Why was there a rise of parties due to social movements: - social movements became significant drivers for political debate: issues considered less important by established parties. Why Independent parties have fared poorly? - Method of alternative voting or instant runoff voting and single-member districts means that well-funded candidates are more likely to be voted. **Week 8** - [Interest group:] an association of individuals or organisations that attempts to influence government decisions and public policy. - [Sectional groups:] claim to represent the interests of particular sections of society eg. Australian Bankers' Association. - Work strictly in the interests of their members/section. - [Promotional groups:] claim to promote particular ideas and values eg. Amnesty. - [Altruistic groups:] work for causes beyong the direct interests of their members. - [Insider strategies:] direct persuasion of policy decision-makers, requires good access, standing, information. - [Outsider strategies:] indirect and public campaigns to pressure decision-makers, involves mass media, usually less detail or fact oriented. - [Regulation of lobbying] - Limited regulations on interests groups. - Tax deductable status. - Post-parliament/public service employment. - Some registration on 'third party' lobbying. - Some scrutiny at state level. - [Virtues of Lobbying:] - Facilitate participation: deeper and wider engagement than electoral politics. - Allows for deeper consultation and negotiation on policy issues. - Helps maintain healthy competition between interests. - [Vices of Lobbying:] - Can give vested/minority interests vetos over majority. - Can corrupt policymaking (lobbying resources are not evenly distributed). - Group leadership is not always representative. - [Social movements are:] loose coalitions of ordinary people who join forces to make social change (less formal than interest groups but more diverse in their actions). - [Social:] feature collective action. - Often emerge because of exclusion of a group from the political system. - Necessarily start out with illegitimate status that greatly affects tactics. - Emerge from social, political, economic and cultural conflict -- people feel that they are not represented in government. - Australian Aborigines League and Australian Aboriginal Fellowship highlighted institutional racism of historical and contemporary state policies. - Inclusion of groups such as Indigenous peoples in settler-colonial states is limited by conflicts between interest groups interests and core state imperatives. - [Why join social movements?] - [Rational choice:] individuals join in collective action to realise individual gains that they cannot obtain solo (share of public benefit). - [Altruistic:] people join because of their socially embedded ethics and commitments to justice. - [What makes a social movement powerful? (WUNC)] - Worthiness. - Unity. - Numbers. - Commitment. - [State imperatives:] some aspects of the state are more up for negotiation than others, thins so core to the state that compromising on them threatens the very continuation of the State. - [Collective action:] intrinsic to social movements because they build out from beliefs and meanings about issues to form shared understanding. - Social movements have high levels of participation by individuals with these characteristics: - Don't see themselves as part of a formal organisation. - Self-identify with the cause of concern. - Partake in a collective identity. - See ideologies to overcome. - Willing to act.