Government and Democracy in Australia

by Cook, Ian; Walsh, Mary; Harwood, Jeffrey

• ISBN13: 9780195561715
• ISBN10: 0195561716
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-11-15
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Government and Democracy in Australia covers most of the important aspects of government and democracy in Australia, by presenting a number of views and then asking readers to debate and discuss Australian politics. The tension between politics (understood as government) and democracy is an underlying theme. A variety of factors that affect politics in Australia are examined, such as globalization, the media and the internet, security and terrorism, as well as the basic aspects of Australian politics that must be addressed in a first year text. This new edition also covers the 2007 Federal Election, and looks to the future under a new Labor government. New pedagogical features have been included to make the text even more accessible to undergraduate students.

Author Biography

Ian Cook is Senior Lecturer at the School of Politics and International Studies at Murdoch University.
Mary Walsh is Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Business and Government at the University of Canberra.
Jeffrey Harwood is a Research Associate at the John Curtin Institute of Public Policy at Curtin University of Technology.

Table of Contents

Introduction to Government and Democracy in Australia

Government in Australia

The Constitution

The Legislature

The Political Executive

The Judiciary

The Governor-General (Head of State)

The Bureaucracy

Democracy in Australia

Federalism

Voting

Parties

Pressure Groups

Factors Affecting Government and Democracy in Australia

The News Media

Opinion Polling and Political Marketing

Globalisation

Issues for Government and Democracy in Australia

Indigenous Australians

Ethnic Diversity

Citizenship and Australian Identity

The Environment

Security and Terrorism

Conclusion

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