Let's Get Political

The Age

Monday October 16, 2006

Louise Merrington, Miranda Ramsay

Louise Merrington and Miranda Ramsay give an overview of how our State Government works.

AT FIRST glance it can be confusing, but understanding the political structure behind Victoria's democracy is empowering. Pinning down where you and your representative fit in the political scheme gives you the knowledge to raise issues, have your opinion heard and instigate change - even if you're not old enough to vote.

Here is a simple guide to Victoria's political system for you to use as a launching pad to making a difference.

How is Victoria governed?

Democracy sets minimum standards of equality, basic rights and privileges for people, and is centred on the idea of government run by people elected by the people.

The cornerstone of Victoria's democracy is its constitution. Although a dusty old document, it is the rule book for how democracy operates in Victoria. It defines the separation of powers between the legislature (the Parliament), the judiciary (judges and the courts) and the executive (the Government), and provides a framework for their collaboration. This means that the legislature makes laws, the judiciary interprets and administers them, and the executive puts them into practice.

Having officially opened as the seat of democracy in Victoria in 1856, this year the Parliament of Victoria celebrates 150 years of democratic history.

? The history of democracy in Victoria PAGE 4

Because Victoria belongs to a constitutional monarchy, the Queen of Australia must approve all proposed legislation (bills) before becoming law. The Governor of Victoria is the Queen's representative, and has the power to give "royal assent" to legislation on her behalf.

Victoria's Parliament consists of two houses, the Legislative Assembly (lower house) and the Legislative Council (upper house). The Premier and most Government ministers sit in the Legislative Assembly, where most proposed legislation is introduced. Although legislative councillors sometimes initiate legislation, the main role of the upper house is to review legislation initiated by members of the lower house. The main decision-making body of the Government is the cabinet, made up of the Premier and Government ministers. However, there is no mention of cabinet within Victoria's constitution, and it has no legal powers until its proposals are enacted by Parliament as legislation.

The basics

The lower house is the green one. It's where the State Government is formed. Your local member of parliament sits in this house, and depending on which party they belong to, will be either part of the Government, the Opposition or be an independent. The party or coalition of parties that has the most members elected into the lower house forms government and the largest party or group opposed to the government forms the Opposition. The upper house is the red chamber. It's a house of review, similar to the Senate at federal level. Both houses have to agree and the Governor has to sign off on a bill for it to become law.

? Inside the upper house reforms PAGE 12

How are politicians elected?

Enrolling and voting in state elections is compulsory for all citizens over 18 years of age. Any elector can also stand for election. Candidates can either be members of a party such as Liberal, Labor or the Greens, or they can be unaligned (known as independents). Both houses are elected using a preferential voting system.

? Should voting be compulsory? PAGE 6

How and when do I vote?

To be eligible to vote you must be over 18, an Australian citizen and listed on the electoral roll. You can enrol when you are 17, although you can't vote until you turn 18. Enrolment makes you eligible to vote in all federal, state and local government elections. To enrol you need to fill out an enrolment form. You must enrol before the due date in order to be eligible to vote and you must also re-enrol any time you change your details or address.

? Should the voting age be lowered? PAGE 15

The next Victorian state election will be on November 25 this year, which is a Saturday. Elections are always held on Saturdays so that most people don't have to fit in voting around work and other commitments. You vote at a voting centre in your local area, which is often a primary school, church hall or community centre. Voting centres close at 6pm. If you are overseas or cannot get to a voting centre on election day, it is possible to complete a postal or early vote.

? A year in the life of an election PAGE 8

Both houses of the Victorian Parliament are elected using a system of preferential voting. This means that every preference on your ballot paper is counted and allocated. This is different to the "first past the post" system currently used in other democratic countries such as the UK and USA, where you place a tick or cross next to the candidates you prefer rather than numbering them. In the preferential voting system for the lower house you need to have an absolute majority (50 per cent of the vote +1) to win, whereas in first past the post the candidate with the most votes wins, even if they have less than 50 per cent. In the upper house you need one-sixth of the vote to win.

? Voting systems around the world PAGE 13

How is the Government structured?

The party that forms government is headed by the Premier and Deputy Premier. The Premier then selects certain members to become ministers. Each minister is responsible for a particular portfolio, such as health, transport or sport. This group of ministers, including the Premier and Deputy Premier, is known as cabinet, and ministers are known as frontbenchers. The members of the government who are not ministers are known as backbenchers.

What areas is the State Government responsible for?

Australia has three levels of government - federal, state and local. State and Federal Governments have different responsibilities, though sometimes they overlap. For example, both the State and Federal Governments have an Education Minister, but the State Education Minister is primarily responsible for primary and secondary schools, while the Federal Education Minister is responsible for higher education. The Victorian State Government's responsibilities include tourism, business and industry, sport and recreation, finance, environment, transport, health, education, community services, the arts, police, primary industries and planning.

Where does the Government get its money?

The Victorian Government gets most of its money (known as revenue) from taxes such as payroll tax, land tax and stamp duty. The revenue from the federal Goods and Services Tax (GST) is also divided up among the states. In addition, fines and regulatory fees provide revenue for the State Government. This money is then spent on infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and schools.

did you know

The closest election in Victorian history was for Nunawading province in 1985. The ALP candidate got 54,822 votes and the Liberal Party candidate got 54,821 votes. In fact, it was a dead heat, and the returning officer was forced to put the names in a hat and draw the winner. The Liberal Party disputed the result and the election was eventually declared void and run again.

© 2006 The Age

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