Commonwealth of Australia
- capital city: Canberra
- type of government: federal parliamentary democracy
- date of independence: january 1st 1901(from federation of U.K colonies)
- national holidays: Australia day on jan.26(1788)(celebrates first arrival of settlers) and ANZAC day on april 25th(1915) (celebrates landing troops during world war I in Turkey)
- chief of state: Queen of Australia Elizabeth II (represented by gov. general Quentin Bryce)
- head of government: Prime minister Anthony John
chief of state: general Quentin Bryce head of govt: Prime minister Anthony John
Executive Branch:
chief of state:Queen Elizabeth II(since february 1952); represented by governor general Quentin Bryce(since september 5 2008)head of government: Prime Minister Anthony John "Tony" Abbott (since 18 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss(since 18 September 2013)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general
Legislative Branch:
Bicameral Federal Parliament consists of….
Senate:
(76 seats; 12 members from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms all territory members are elected every three years)
House of Representatives:
(150 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives)
Elections:
Senate - last held on 7 September 2013
House of Representatives - last held on 7 September 2013 (the latest a simultaneous half-Senate and House of Representative elections can be held is 30 November 2016)
Election results:
Senate NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Liberal/National Coalition 53.45%, Australian Labor Party 46.55%; seats by party - Liberal/National Coalition 90 (Liberal 58, Liberal National 22, Nationals 9, Country Liberals 1), Australian Labor Party 55, Australian Greens Party 1, Katter's Australian Party 1, Palmer United Party 1, independents 2
Judicial Branch:
Highest courts:
High Court of Australia (consists of 7 justices, including the chief justice); note - each of the 6 states, 2 territories, and Norfolk Island has a Supreme Court; the High Court is the final appellate court beyond the state and territory supreme courts
judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor-general in council for life with mandatory retirement at age 70
subordinate courts at the federal level:
Federal Court; Federal Magistrates' Courts of Australia; Family Court; subordinate courts at the state and territory level: Local Court - New South Wales; Magistrates' Courts – Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory; District Courts – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia; County Court – Victoria; Family Court – Western Australia; Court of Petty Sessions – Norfolk Island
Their ambassador to the U.S: Kim Beazley
Location of their embassy in the U.S: Washington DC
Locations of their consulates in the U.S: New york, San Francisco, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angles, Denver
U.S ambassador to them: John Berry
Location of the U.S embassy there: Moonah Pl, Yarralumla ACT
Location of U.S consulate there: Melborne, Perth, Sydney
Their representative to the U.N: Gary Quinlan
chief of state:Queen Elizabeth II(since february 1952); represented by governor general Quentin Bryce(since september 5 2008)head of government: Prime Minister Anthony John "Tony" Abbott (since 18 September 2013); Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss(since 18 September 2013)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers
elections: the monarchy is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general
Legislative Branch:
Bicameral Federal Parliament consists of….
Senate:
(76 seats; 12 members from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms all territory members are elected every three years)
House of Representatives:
(150 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives)
Elections:
Senate - last held on 7 September 2013
House of Representatives - last held on 7 September 2013 (the latest a simultaneous half-Senate and House of Representative elections can be held is 30 November 2016)
Election results:
Senate NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - Liberal/National Coalition 53.45%, Australian Labor Party 46.55%; seats by party - Liberal/National Coalition 90 (Liberal 58, Liberal National 22, Nationals 9, Country Liberals 1), Australian Labor Party 55, Australian Greens Party 1, Katter's Australian Party 1, Palmer United Party 1, independents 2
Judicial Branch:
Highest courts:
High Court of Australia (consists of 7 justices, including the chief justice); note - each of the 6 states, 2 territories, and Norfolk Island has a Supreme Court; the High Court is the final appellate court beyond the state and territory supreme courts
judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the governor-general in council for life with mandatory retirement at age 70
subordinate courts at the federal level:
Federal Court; Federal Magistrates' Courts of Australia; Family Court; subordinate courts at the state and territory level: Local Court - New South Wales; Magistrates' Courts – Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania, Northern Territory, Australian Capital Territory; District Courts – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia; County Court – Victoria; Family Court – Western Australia; Court of Petty Sessions – Norfolk Island
Their ambassador to the U.S: Kim Beazley
Location of their embassy in the U.S: Washington DC
Locations of their consulates in the U.S: New york, San Francisco, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angles, Denver
U.S ambassador to them: John Berry
Location of the U.S embassy there: Moonah Pl, Yarralumla ACT
Location of U.S consulate there: Melborne, Perth, Sydney
Their representative to the U.N: Gary Quinlan
symbolism of flag:
Blue with the flag of the UK in the left corner, and a large seven-pointed star in the lower left corner known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star symbolizes one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; on the other half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small, five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars
Blue with the flag of the UK in the left corner, and a large seven-pointed star in the lower left corner known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star symbolizes one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; on the other half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small, five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars
national symbol:
Southern Cross constellation (five, seven-pointed stars); kangaroo; emu