How federal parliamentary system works in australia?

Question

i dont want you to do my assignemnt for me...i just need to do 500 words on how the federal parliamentary system works and i want to focus on the house of representatives and the senate. Could you give me a few dot points of what you think are the most important points, coz theres so much im feeling a bit overwhelmed. I appreciate any help thank you!

Answer 1

This website has everything you need

hope it helps you. good luck : )

http://www.aph.gov.au/PARL.HTM

Answer 2

the house of representatives comprises 150 members - 1 from each electorate in australia. the leader of the party with the most members  in the house of reps becomes the prime minister, and that party governs until the next election. any bills relating to money (such as taxation bills) have to originate in the house of representatives.

the senate is sometimes called "the states house" because all states have equal representation there. sometimes the party with a majority in the house of reps doesn't have a majority in the senate - this is called a hostile senate, and this can be a problem because it makes it hard to get bills passed (as they have to be passed in both houses). if a government faces a hostile senate and can't get the senate to co-operate and pass bills, then they can call for a double dissolution (as per section 57 of the constitution), which means that both houses of parliament get re-elected at the same time.

the two houses of parliament are important to the australian parliamentary system because it operates on a theory of accountability and 'responsible government' - namely that anything the government does has to be subject to scrutiny. this is why the senate was designed to most often be lead by a different party to the house of reps, and why the house of representatives has question time every sitting. this is also in keeping with the idea of the separation of the three powers - the executive (the prime minister, the governor general, cabinet), judiciary (the courts) and legislature (the houses of parliament) - which is another feature of the australian parliamentary system

hope this helps a bit! i know its overwhelming but the truth is its a complicated system with a lot of different components :P if you keep at it though it should get easier to understand