About Government
The Three Levels of Government
There are three levels of government in Australia and each level provides different services to the people to whom it is responsible:
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Local Aldermen of councillors are elected to represent the residents. The Mayor leads the Council. Councils make laws called by-laws. Local government taxes, called rates, are collected from land owners. These, along with Federa and State money grants, pay for the following local government services:
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State The Premier is the leader of the State Government. Members of the State Parliament are elected to represent the people of each state. Each of the states, except Queensland, has two houses of Parliament. the lower house is called the Legislative Assembly or House of Assembly. The upper house is called teh Legislative Council. The parliament of each territory have only one house. State government raise money from taxes on goods and services, and grants from the Federal Government. Some services for which state governments are responsible include:
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Federal The Federal Parliament is located in Canberra and makes the laws which are carried out by the Federal Government. These laws are called acts of Parliament. There are two house of Parliament: the House of Representatives and the Senate. All Australians vote for Members and Senators to represent them in Parliament. The Prime Minister who is a member of the House of Representatives is the leader of the Federal Government. The Constitution gives the Federal Parliament more powers than state parliament or local councils, including most powers over taxation and economic matters. Some services for which the Federal Government is responsible include:
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