This paper is about democracy in Australia. Although the Commonwealth of Australia is considered by the majority of the people and claims itself to be a democratic nation, the picture painted these observations, from a neutral perspective, indicates that using the commonsense, the country of Australia can be regarded as a democracy but in reality it seems to be a system that enforces such laws upon its citizens that takes away their freedom from them and the nation itself is subject to rule from a monarch of another country. Such ideas portray that Australia is not necessarily a democracy, and only is assumed as one by the general population.
Social Science 8382
Australia may not necessarily be a democracy
The term democracy has been derived from a Greek word 'demokratia' that translates to 'rule of the people' (Liddell & Scott, 1996). Democracy was famously described by Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of the United States of America, as the 'Government of the people, by the people, for the people'. As the translation itself defines, democracy is a form of government in a country which is governed by a group of representatives elected by the people of that country on their behalf. Each citizen of a democratic system has the freedom of speech, the right to practice their religion and an equal say in the matters and decisions affecting their lives. This say is exercised through the means of a vote, which the people cast to elect probable candidates from within themselves, to manage, control and make decisions for the country on their behalf.
To ensure that the elected leaders work for the benefits and well being of the country and the general public that elected them, a set of fundamental principles and rules to be strictly followed for governing the state are established for a democratic country. Such rules and principles are referred to as the 'Constitution' of a country. The candidates who are elected become the part of a body of people, called a 'Parliament', which is responsible for running the country. And from amongst that body or by their vote, the head of a country is chosen, more appropriately titled as the 'President'. Unlike monarchies, the head of the state in a democratic country does not hold solely the power and authority to run the country. Commonly, in a democracy, every member of the nation legally has an equal chance of being a part of the government and becoming the head of the state.
Democracy is a very renowned form of government and currently exists in over one hundred countries around the globe (Democracy Index 2010), one of them being the Commonwealth of Australia. The country of Australia came into being on 1 January, 1901 as a democratic form of government, guided by the Constitution of Australia. Its first federal elections were held in March 1901 that led to the formation of the first elected Australian parliament. Australia's federal system is primarily based on the governing system of the United Kingdom. And like the United Kingdom, apart from having a parliamentary system, Australia also has a monarch as a Head of the State. Presently, the Queen Elizabeth II of England is also referred to as the Queen of Australia and is represented formally in Australia by a Governor-General, who is bestowed with wide powers according to the Constitution of Australia, although generally such powers are only exercised with the consent and advice of the Australian Prime Minister or other ministers (DFAT, 2008).
Using a bird's point-of-view, it can be deduced that the current form of government prevailing in the country of Australia fits outright into the definition and the structure of a democratic country as explained earlier. But when given a close look, few irregularities can be observed in the comparison. Like many democratic nations, the country of Australia does not have a head of the state figure (i.e. A President). Instead, there is a partial monarchy active in Australia, whereby the Queen of England, who is not a citizen of Australia, is also celebrated as the head monarch of Australia. According to the definition of democracy, every citizen born in a state, through the means of getting elected, can become the head of state. Evidently, this is not the case in Australia, as only a member of the Royal Family of the United Kingdom can become the head of the state in Australia. This is due to the association of Australia with the Great Britain through the allegiance to the Royal Family since the time Australia was declared a democracy in 1901.
The governmental system of Australia is a fusion of the systems presently active in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. While there is the presence of the British system of 'parliament and monarch' since its adoption after becoming a democratic state, Australia also integrated in its own system the design of a federal form of government based on the American system, where powers have been divided between one central legislature and the six provincial legislatures (Evatt, 1943). With this blending of the most successful forms of government present, Australia's system includes the federal Parliament and the provincial houses, while also having a Governor-General appointed by the Queen. Although, it is believed that the Australian Parliament is not subject to any interference from the British Parliament, the presence of an appointed Governor-General by the Queen, with wide powers authorized by the Constitution of Australia, provides a window for the possibility of interference from the Queen in the internal matters of the Commonwealth of Australia. Therefore, an argument can be made that such a possibility of interference presents the system of Australia to be non-democratic to a neutral eye as per the definition of democracy.
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