英语国家概况15Chapter17.ppt

1、AustraliaGovernmentandsociety目录01020304GovernmentPeopleEconomyEducation1.Government The Commonwealth of Australia,formed in 1901,is comprised of 6 states and 2 mainland territories.The commonwealth of Australia is a constitutional monarchy,a federation and a parliamentary democracy.The King or Queen

2、 of Britain is the head of Australia,represented by the Governor General.In terms of its governmental system,Australia follows the federal model of the United States.The federal government has a three-tier system(三级体制):the federal government,governments at the state and territory level and local gov

3、ernments.The federal government is based on Parliament with 2 chambers:the House of Representatives,and the Senate.The party with a majority in the House of Representatives forms the government,with ministers appointed from both chambers to serve in the Cabinet.The government is responsible to the P

4、arliament.The division of powers between the federal government and state governments is defined in the Constitution.The powers exercised by the federal Parliament and government include the responsibilities for foreign relations and trade,defense and immigration,while the governments of states and

5、territories are responsible for allmatters not assigned to the Commomwealth.TheLegislatureTThe Parliament of the Commonwealth is the federal legilature of Austrslia.The Austraian Parliament consists of the Queen and 2 Houses.The Senate consists of 76 Senators who are elected by the proportional repr

6、esentation system比例代表制for a term of 6 years.The Senate has virtually equal power to make laws with the House of Representatives.The Senate has a highly developed committee system to inquire into policy issues in depth and scrutinize the way laws and policies are adminstered.Thus The Senate is called

7、 the House of review.The House of Representatives has 150 members who are elected for a term of up to 3 years by the preferential votingsystem名次投票制.The main function of it is the considerationand passing of new laws and amendments or changes to exsitinglaws.Another function is to determine the gover

8、nment,so itsalso called the House of government.The Executive Executive authority is vested in the Governor General,(总督)who is appointed by the British monach on the advice of the Prime Minister.The King or Queen of Britain has no real power in the government.The Governor General is His or Her Majes

9、tys representative and can only act on the advice of the Federal Council or the Cabinet.Federal policy is determined by the Cabinet,which is chaired by the Prime Minister.”Please enter your text here.Please enter your text here。The Judiciary The Judiciary is absolutely separate from the executive br

10、anch and the legislature.The Australian judiciary includes the High Court,the Federal Court,the Family Court,the Federal Magistrates Court and state and territory courts The High Court is the superior court in Australia Political PartiesPleaseenteryourtexthere.Pleaseenteryourtexthere.Australia has a

11、 two-party system.There are 3 major political parties in Australia:1.The Australian Labor Party,nominally representing thetrade unions,is Australias oldest political party,formed in the 1890s.Its the only party to have been in continousoperation since 1901.2.The Liberal Party,nominally represents ur

12、ban business-related groups,formed in 1944.3.The Nationals is the 2nd oldest political party in Australia,founded in 1920 as the Australian CountryParty.But its name changed to the National Party of Australia in 1982 and then the Nationals in 2006.ElectionAustraliaisoneofthefewnationsthathavecompuls

13、oryvoting.Ofalltheelections,thegeneralelectionisthemostimportant,theresultofwhichdetermineswhichpartyleaderwillrulethecountryasthePrimeMinister.Ageneralelectioncanbecalledbeforetheparliamenthasserveditsfullterm.Thereare3mainelectionalsystem,namelythesimplemajoritysystem,thepreferentialvotingsysteman

14、dtheproportionalrepresentationsystem.2.People The population has more than doubled because of the post-war immigration program since World War II.The oboriginal population has become more urbanized.Australia is the most sparsely populated of the inhabited continents.Multiculturalism was a policy in

15、Australia.;1)Diversity of Population:Australia is a country of immigration.There are 3 major contributors toAustralians diverse population:the indigenous peoples,the British colonial past and extensive immigration from different countries and cultures.2)Diversity of Language:while English is the dom

16、inant language in Australia,Australians speak over 200 languages collectively.3)Diversity of Religion:The major religion in Australia is Christianity.The non-Christian religions include Judaism犹太教，Hinduism印度教，Buddhism佛教and Islam伊斯兰教.3.EconomyprosperousWerstern-stylecapitalisteconomyhigheconomicperformancestemsfromeffectiveeconomicmanagementandongoingstructuralreformself-sufficientinfood:sheepcattleandgrainhavelongbeenthecountrysmajoroccupationsindustrializedcountryforeigntrade:chiefexportcommodi