What is a nation
A community of people with a shared identity
Culture, language, history
May be tied to a particular flag
May not have sovereignty
What characterises a “state”
Recognised sovereignty
From other states and un
Permanent population
Defined territory
May not have an ethnically homogeneous population
Why is the state a “central act”
Oldest
Most powerful
Population
Military
Resources to violence
Economy
Resources
Taxes
Diplomacy
Seat on the UN
Treaties
Treaty = legally binding in international law
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Democracy
Liberty and equality underpin democracy
Fundamental questions democracies must answer:
What is the place of an individual in society, and which is more important - the individual or the
society
Who should constitute the demos? Who will have legitimate authority to make laws?
How are citizens governed? What political organisation or institutions will be needed?
How much freedom must individuals relinquish to the state for the good of themselves and their
society?
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Social contract - will of the poeple
Classic liberalism
Individual freedom is paramount
Society thrives on competition between individuals pursuing their own interests
Free trade
Social welfare destroys personal effort and initiative
state/social liberalism
Key role of government in society
Cooperation and consensus between people will build a better society
Protection of industry where necessary
Welfare is necessary in order to maintain social cohesion
Core principle of liberal democracy
The rule of law
The consent of the governed
The separation of powers
Political parties
Are formal membership-based organisations that seek to represent particular groups and ideas
about how society should be organised
Draw together people with similar political philosophies and ideas
Contest lections, seeking to acquire and exercise political power
Provide governments and oppositions in parliaments
Articulate philosophies and develop policies
Provide an avenue for community groups to influence the decision-making process
Are ultimately responsible for the structure of the machinery of government
Provide organizational support to their parliamentary wings, (financing and organising
campaigns, developing policies, recruiting and servicing a membership base)
Party systems
One-party system
Dominated by a single party; limited avenues to influence decision making; usually authoritarian
regimes, e.g. china
Two-party system
Two parties dominate; enabled/supported by electoral system, e.g. us
Multiparty system
More than two parties can form government; tend to produce coalition government
Non-government organisations
Are non-profit or charitable organisations whose purpose is to address a social or political issue
and who are independent of government
Entities not intended to make profit for owners or stakeholders
Often associated with charitable causes, human rights and humanitarianism
Engage in advocacy across local, regional, national and international sectors
Tend to use digital and social media
Funded by membership fees, donations, grants and bequests
Stakeholders- an individual or entity that has an interest in a company
An NGO does receive funding from the government, however they do not hold any influence
Employ a range of strategies to promote their agenda
Raising awareness and building support among the population
Coordinating with governments and media outlets
Arranging protests and demonstrations
Lobbying other political actors
Are formally organized, usually democratically controlled
Include paid staff, members and activists
Aka the non-profit sector, the social economy, civic or civil society, the third
Corporations
Are entities that conduct business operations in pursuit of profit; they ay be owned or controlled
by wealthy individuals, shareholders, governments or some combination thereof
As political actors, they tend to be larger businesses with significant economic power and
influence
transnational corporations (TNCs) are entities that conduct their operations across multiple
states and, due to their size, can have a significant influence on flows of global production,
trade, commerce and investment
Corporations
Tend to
Seek lower production costs by sourcing value for money inputs
Seek to increase sales
Be managed by a ceo and other officeholders in a hierarchical structure, answerable to
board of directors, in turn answerable to shareholders
Disburse profits via dividends
Manage risks to their profit
Tncs also specialise in certain industries such as mining, manufacturing etc
Social movements
Are groups of individuals who, through some organised effort, seek to achieve a certain social
change or political goal
Are comprised of loosely associated groups and individuals seeking to promote or resist change
Fall into three main categories
Reformist - seek change within systems
Revolutionary - seek to dismantle or replace systems
Reactionary - resist change or seek to revive past arrangements
Constitution
Australia has a written constitution detailing how the country is to be run
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The Parliemnt
House of reps
Parliment affects
Tax
Income
Laws
Health funding
Super annuation
Government helping buy homes
Social issue bills
House of reps
Prime minister
The hon anthony albanese MP
Leader of opposition
The hon peter dutton MP
The speaker
The Hon Mitlon Dick MP
Coloured green; known as the lower house
Has 151 members each representing a separate geographical district
Members are elected for terms of up to 3 years
The party (or coalition of parties) with majority support in the house forms the government
The parliament can hold the government to account, especially during question time.
Senate
Coloured red; known as the upper house
76 senators - 12 elected for each of the 6 states, and 2 for each of the territories
State senators serve 6-year terms, territory senators 3-year terms
If double dissolution occurred, then you only elect 46 and they only stay for 3 years
Historically regarded as a states’ house, as the states enjoy qual representation
Has a highly developed commitee system
Executive government
The parliamentary leader of the party (or coalition) that has a majority of seats in the house of
representatives is appointed prime minister by the governor general
The majority party becomes the government and provides the ministry
The prime minister apoints a ministry of up to 30 members of parliament to be ministers, each
with a separate area of responsibility - ‘a portfolio’
The prime minister and most senior members from the cabinet, the key decision-making body of
the government
All ministers belong to the federal executive council, over which the governor-general presides
Responsible government
Derived from the westminster system, is the principle that the members of the executive are
drawn from and are therefore directly accountable to the parliment
Collective ministerial responsibility
Is the convention by which all cabinet ministers take responsibility for the decisions of cabinet; if
a minister cannot publicly defend a cabinet, decision he or she should resign from the
government.
