Government & the Law

The Australian Parliament has the power to make laws for the whole of Australia.. The Australian (federal) Parliament has the power to make laws that apply across the whole nation.

In Australia, the rule of law means that everyone, including the government, is subject to the same laws and must obey them.. Under the rule of law, all people in Australia are equal before the law and must obey it, including people in positions of power such as politicians, police and the government itself.

In Australia's parliamentary democracy, citizens elect representatives to make laws on their behalf through free and fair elections. A diagram for this topic isn't available yet — the worked example below walks the same reasoning step by step.

• !Some people may confuse Australia's system with other forms of government, such as a dictatorship or a theocracy, where laws are made by a single ruler or religious leaders. However, Australia's democratic system is designed to give power to the people through their elected representatives.
• !Some people may think that the rule of law only applies to citizens or that those in positions of power are exempt from following the law. However, this is not the case, as the rule of law is a cornerstone of Australian democracy and applies to everyone equally.
• !Some people may confuse the role of the High Court, which interprets laws, with the Parliament's role in making laws. Others may think that local councils or the Governor-General alone have the power to make national laws, but this is not the case.
• !Some people may confuse the High Court of Australia with other courts, such as the Supreme Court of New South Wales or the Federal Court, but the High Court is the only court that has the authority to interpret the Constitution and decide cases of special federal significance.
• !Many people get confused between the Governor-General's role and that of the Prime Minister, but they serve different functions.

Answer each from memory — you'll see instantly whether you're right and why.

Run a focused 10-question mini-mock on Government & the Law and see it stick.