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Advice for teachers -
Australian and Global Politics

Units 3 and 4 Australian Politics

Glossary

Asylum seeker

A person who has fled their home country to escape persecution and who is looking for protection and safety in another country as a refugee.

Bilateral

Action or agreement by two nation states on a foreign policy issue.

Bill of rights

A statement of the rights, privileges or liberties to which citizens are entitled, incorporated into a nation's constitution or a statute.

Bipartisan

Agreement by the two major political parties in Australia (the Liberal Party and the Australian Labor Party ALP) on a policy or political issue.

Cabinet

The Prime Minister and her/his senior ministers. The cabinet is the key policy making body and carries out the work of the executive branch in practice.

Caucuses (USA)

A type of primary election used in some US states where approval for candidates is sought through a meeting of local voters, where the candidate's supporters try to persuade others to join them and vote for their candidate. Iowa is a state that uses a caucus.

In Australia, the term 'caucus' is most often used to refer to the parliamentary members of the Australian Labor Party (ALP).

Checks and balances

The mechanisms by which the three separated powers in the US political system, the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, hold each other accountable.

Congress

The legislative branch of the US political system; it is a bi-cameral body, comprising a Senate and a House of Representatives.

Constitutional monarchy

A political system with a hereditary monarch, whose powers are limited by a constitution.

Constitution (Australia and USA)

 A written document which provides the framework for a government's powers. It may contain a Bill of Rights, as in the USA.

Electoral college

The process by which the US President and Vice President are formally elected. It consists of 538 voters who are usually nominated by the candidates' parties.

Executive (Australia and USA)

The executive is the government and has the function of carrying out or administering the law. In Australia, the Governor General and ministers of the governing party carry out this role. In the USA, the President and members of the cabinet carry out this role.

Federalism (Australia and USA)

A system of government in which law making powers and responsibilities are constitutionally divided between a central, national government and a series of state or regional governments. Both Australia and the USA operate a federal system of government.

Foreign aid

The purpose of the Australian foreign aid program is to promote Australia's national interests by contributing to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction in other countries.

Franchise

The right to vote in an election.

Global citizenship

Membership of the global community that requires certain rights, privileges and responsibilities. A global citizen may refer to a state, non-state actor or an individual.

Impeachment

The process by which a public or elected official can be removed from office. Most often used in relation to a method for removing the US president from office, by the legislature.

Interest group

A group of like-minded people who work to influence government policy and decision making, either for the benefit of those they represent or society more broadly, but do not seek election themselves.

Judiciary (Australia and USA)

The judiciary refers to the courts which interpret and apply the law. This role is carried about by the courts; in particular, the High Court (in Australia) and the Supreme Court (in the USA). In a democracy, the judiciary should be independent of the executive and legislative branches.

Legislature (Australia and USA)

The institution which has the function of making and debating the law. The key federal law making body in Australia is the Parliament. In the USA, it is the Congress.

Liberal democracy

A political system that combines two principles of political theory: that individuals have rights (liberalism) and that political rule should be by the people (democracy). Liberal democracies usually pursue policies that encourage capitalism and private sector involvement in the economy.

Mandate

The authority given to a political party to form government and implement policies, as a result of their democratic election by the people.

Ministry

Those members of government who have responsibility for a particular portfolio or policy area.

Multilateral

Action or agreement by more than two nation states on a foreign policy issue.

National interest

The national interests of a state are pursued to ensure the survival and potential growth of that state. States implement policies and types of power to achieve their national interests and maintain state sovereignty.

National security

This is the national interest of a state to ensure it maintains sovereignty. Traditionally this term refers to the protection of a state's borders from intruders but has evolved to include other forms of security, such as resource and environmental security, which are necessary for a state to maintain sovereignty.

Party conventions

Large scale political meetings held by the two major parties in the USA after the conclusion of the primary election process, to confirm their respective nominations for the presidential election.

Policy platform

A written set of ideas or plans for action to achieve particular outcomes in government, which are devised by political parties and campaigned on by them prior to an election.

President

The head of state and head of government in the US political system. The president heads the US executive branch of government and is elected separately to the Congress every four years.

Primary elections (USA)

A system where political parties conduct elections to determine their final candidates for general election. These are most prominently held in the lead up to a presidential election in the United States.

Prime minister

The leader of the political party (or coalition of parties) with a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. The prime minister has the day to day role of leading the executive branch and administering the nation.

Public service

Government departments, consisting of unelected and non-political public servants who administer government policies and provide advice on policy to Ministers.

Refugees

A person who has fled their state due to fear of persecution in their home state and is determined to be a refugee according to the 1951 Refugee Convention.

Representative democracy

A political system where people vote for other citizens in free and fair elections, to act on their behalf in the legislative branch.

Representative government

A political system where the legislative and executive functions are carried out by citizens who have been elected to make decisions on behalf of the people.

Responsible government

The term used to describe a political system where the executive government, the Cabinet and Ministry, is drawn from, and accountable to, the legislative branch.

Rule of law (Australia and USA)

The democratic principle that all people are equal before the law including members of the executive, and that all government action will be undertaken in accordance with the law.

Separation of powers (Australia and USA)

The principle that the three branches of government, the legislature, the executive and the judiciary, should be kept independent and act without interference from each other as means of decentralizing and preventing abuse of power. In Australia, the separation of powers is blurred as the executive and legislative branches are combined; in the USA, the separation of powers is very clear.

Sovereignty

Legitimate or widely recognised ability to exercise effective control of a territory within recognised borders. This is the primary organising principle of global politics, providing states with the authority to represent their territorial entity within the international community. State sovereignty can be challenged internally (for example, secessionist groups) or externally (for example, one state invades another).

Terrorism

Terrorism is the use or threatened use of force or violence against civilian and non-military targets in order to achieve political objectives.

Veto

The right of the US president to reject legislation passed by the congress and the right of the US congress to reject and overturn the president's veto. This is an example of the 'checks and balances' in the US system.