Australia & Indonesia Political System

• cabinet


  senior ministers in the executive branch.
• constitution


  a set of rules that determines how an organisation (or political system) is run.
• constitutional court


  one half of the top of Indonesia's judicial branch. Has the power to interpret and apply the Indonesian constitution to cases.
• democracy


  a system of government in which the people have the power to determine how they will be ruled or managed.
• electorate


  a designated geographic area that is represented by a member of parliament.
• executive


  a group of senior politicians who make decisions about how a country is run, and enforce laws. In Australia, the executive consists of the Governor-General, prime minister and a cabinet of senior ministers.
• government


  see executive. Can also be used to refer to all three branches of government as a more general term.
• governor-general


  the King's representative, and Australia's ceremonial Head of State.
• High Court of Australia

  the top court in Australia's judicial branch. Consists of seven justices, including one chief justice.
• House of Representatives


  the lower house of Australia's bicameral parliament. Consists of 151 members of parliament (MPs) who each represent an electorate of approximately 100,000 people.
• judiciary


  the courts - also known as the law-interpreting branch of government. Courts have the power to determine how the law applies to specific cases, and apply remedies or sanctions.
• legislation


  laws made by the parliament. Legislation can be in draft form (a bill) or in force (an act of parliament). The term statute has a similar use.
• legislature


  the law-making branch of government. See parliament.
• liberal democracy


  a form of democracy that emphasises representation and the rights of the individual, such as the right to vote in elections and to criticise the government.
• liberal democratic values


  the belief systems shared by liberal democratic societies, including choosing governments through free and fair elections, rule of law and the right to dissent, criticise and hold power accountable.
• MPR


  the MPR is Indonesia's bicameral legislature, consisting of the DPR (lower house) and DPD (upper house).
• parliament


  a law-making body that is made up of representatives. See legislature.
• president


  the head of Indonesia's executive branch. See republic.
• ratification


  a legal process that often follows the signing of an international agreement, that binds a country to implement the agreement.
• republic


  a system of government where the head of state and/or head of government are chosen directly by the people.
• resolution


  a formal proposal to adopt a course of action, or position on a particular issue. Resolutions can be binding or non-binding.
• responsible government


  the idea that a government should be accountable to the parliament and to voters, and should resign if they fail their duties.
• rule of law


  the principle that the law applies equally to everyone, including those in power.
• Senate


  the upper house of Australia's bicameral legislature. Consists of 76 Senators - 12 for each state and 2 per territory.
• separation of powers


  The principle that political power should be divided between lawmaking (legislature), law-enforcing (executive) and law-interpreting (judiciary) institutions.
• Supreme Court


  one half of the top of Indonesia's judicial branch. Resolves disputes between Indonesia's regions, and is the highest court of appeal.
• treaty


  written international agreements. Treaties can be bilateral (between two countries) or multilateral (between more than two).
• United Nations


  an international organisation formed in 1945 to enhance political and economic cooperation between countries.