Political system

The Commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of government. Queen Elizabeth II is the Queen of Australia, a role that is distinct from her position as Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. The queen is represented by the Governor General, who is appointed by the Australian government. The Governor General appoints members of the Executive Council, his advisory cabinet. The main legislative body in the country is Federal Parliament. It consists of the Queen, the Senate and the House of Representatives. The members of the Senate are elected for a six- year term. There are ten senators from each state and two from each territory in the Senate. The House of Representatives is elected by general direct vote for a three-year term. The executive power belongs to the queen and the government. It is headed by the Prime Minister. The ministers are chosen from members of Parliament and the Executive Council. There are three major political parties: the Labor Party, the Liberal Party and the National Party.

Australia consists of six states joined together in 1901 and two major mainland territories. The states are New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria and Western Australia. The two major mainland territories are the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory.

The Australian system of government reflects the influence of both the British and American models with some uniquely Australian characteristics, especially in its electoral system.

It is the only English-speaking country in the world that has made voting compulsory in federal and state elections. Australian citizens eligible to vote are required to do so and risk being fined if they do not vote. Another interesting feature of Australian electoral practice is the use of " preferential voting" for most elections. In this system voters number the candidates in the order of their preference or allow the political party of their choice to allocate their vote according to a pre-determined order of preference.

1. What is the political name of the country?
2. Who is the head of the state?
3. What is the legislative branch of power represented by?
4. Who does the executive power belong to?
5. What does Australia consist of?
6. What is special about voting in Australia?