Frank Brennan’s informative book No Small Change: The Road to Recognition essentially looks at the prospect of potentially having a renewed referendum. Looking back at 1967, and the staggering amount of public support to both eliminate discrimination against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and to include Aborigines as part of the census, in essence ushered rudimentary human rights laws. That being said, Brennan observes the same opportunity to further the constitutions ongoing faults, issuing his respected opinion on how the country can push forward by delving into our failures and using them as a means of improvement. Though the prospect of a new referendum may seem far reaching on the outlook,…
Australia was born and became a recognised nation on 1 January 1901 with a federal government to govern it. This nation is a federal state with a constitution, which is a set of rules that govern Australia. The Australian constitution was drafted at a series of conventions which were held in the 1890’s. The constitution was later passed by Britain as part of the Commonwealth of Australia act 1900 and it took effect on 1 January 1901. Unlike many other states, Australia is the only democratic nation in the world without a national bill of rights.…
Australia Australia is a democratic legislature. The Australian Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the Queen of Australia, a 76-member Senate and a 150-member House of Representatives. The Constitution provides for the Commonwealth Government's legislative powers and gives certain powers and responsibilities to the Commonwealth government. All remaining responsibilities are retained by the six States which were previously separate colonies. Each State has its own constitution, so that Australia has seven sovereign Parliaments, none of which can encroach on the functions of the others.…
A debate has surfaced regarding the legal voting ages in Australia as to whether the voting age should be lowered to the age of 16. In response to this issue, Melissa Young, a 17-year-old girl, contends that the voting age should be lowered to 16 in her post on the website, youngpeopleunite.com. She conveys her message in an easy-going, colloquial manner but simultaneously presents her argument logically and systematically in her endeavour to appeal to teenage users of the website, most likely to be also part of the youth initiative. Young has posted up a photograph of young people casting their votes for a climate change related matter at Federation Square.…
Australia has been a “good” global citizen through its supportive role in the United Nations (UN), aid in other countries in the Asia-Pacific region and promotion of a range of regional agreements involving countries throughout the Asia-Pacific region.…
Many historians would say that Australia was a very united country in the effort to win World War I. But this has been debated many times, due to the fact that many Australian people were against war in itself and didn’t believe they should fight in a war that wasn’t even theirs. The onset of war had many negative effects on Australia and therefore it wasn’t as united as it should have been. The conscription debate also didn’t help unite the country. Both sides were substantially serious in establishing their point of why they should/shouldn’t conscript troops in other countries.…
The issue of changing Australia’s flag and to become a republic has once again created discussion and subsequent debate across the Australian community.…
Federation happened in 1901 when the six separate Australian colonies came together to form what is now the Commonwealth of Australia. It occurred for many reasons including: to unite the defence of Australia; to make uniform bank laws; taxes and tariffs resulting in better trade and communication between states; and to put the "White Australia Policy" into practise. Federation came about with the aid of many political leaders, federation lobby groups, many drafts of the constitution and the people of Australia, through a series of conventions held in different colonies.…
The journey toward Australia’s legal independence has been characterized by evolution not revolution, hence the lack of any one event and consequently a particular date to celebrate Australia’s legal independence. No particular dramatic event marked Australia’s gaining independence from England, Australian independence was gradual and incredibly slow, and in fact some would argue that it is still not wholly independent owing to residual links and the continuation of a British monarch as the Australian head of state. Australian independence has been reached through largely informal progress with key moments being legal and political milestones enshrined in the statutes of the United Kingdom (UK) and Australia respectively. Examples of these statutes include the Statute of…
Before 1945, many people, including Australians themselves, considered Australia to be nothing more than a British colony whose national identity was virtually the same as the British. During this period of Australia's history, our modes of entertainment, food, fashion, sporting culture and our social values and attitudes were largely dictated by British culture.…
How did Australian governments deal with the perceived threat of communism after 1950, both at home and abroad?…
In a republic the legislative branch will have a bit more power however, the Legislative branch is split into the house and senate. In a federal system in a republic the power surrendered by the people are allotted to divisions of the government then its subdivided into separate departments. There are so many separations among people and government that the minorities wont get drowned out. This is because each view is so different and separate. Stronger factions cannot overtake the weaker faction, like anarchy. Large factions and small will want a government that wants the best for everyone so both factions are in agreement. The larger the society the more likely it will able to self govern.…
On the 6th of November 1999 Australia was very close to becoming a republic. There was a 4% difference in the vote for the referendum with 46% of voters in favour for Australia to become a republic and 54% of voters against becoming a republic winning by the smallest margin. But why become a republic?…
Perhaps the most important revolutionary ideal known to the colonists was the formation of a republic. A republic is a government which is held by the people and their elected representatives, which has an elected president instead of a monarch. This idea of a republic, or a democracy, enticed many colonists, who were extremely upset with the tyrant King George III. When King George III repeatedly taxed the colonists without their consent, they grew angry with him, even though it wasn’t entirely him who was taxing them. It was Parliament as well, but it was easier for the colonists to blame one figurehead and King George III was the perfect target.…
Overall, Australians should feel lucky in the country we live in today. We have freedom that we should enjoy; we have the chance to speak what’s on our minds. We have the right to vote in elections. These are just some of the many things about being an Australian and…