How government works
Queensland is a representative democracy. This means citizens have the right to vote to elect the candidate they believe will best represent their interests in Parliament.
On this page:
Constitution of Queensland 2001
Our Constitution contains the set of rules for how Queensland is governed.
Until 2001, Queensland's Constitution was spread over a number of Acts, laws and documents.
After widespread community consultation, debate and analysis, The Constitution of Queensland 2001 and the Parliament of Queensland Act 2001 commenced operation on Queensland Day, 6 June 2002.
Access these documents and earlier versions of the Constitution and amendments (external site).
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Elections
It is compulsory to vote in all Australian elections - local, state and federal. So all Australian citizens who are 18 years or older must register to vote (external site).
Queensland state elections are held about every three years, which is the maximum term of a Parliament under the Queensland Constitution.
Queensland has 89 electoral districts each with an elected representative in Parliament.
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Forming government
The candidate who stands for election and wins the majority of votes in an electorate becomes a Member of Parliament – MP for short.
Of the political parties contesting the election, the party that wins the majority of seats forms the government.
The remaining MPs, who may be members of a political party or independent, form the opposition.
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Arms of government
Our system of government is sometimes referred to as the Westminster system (external site), after the British Parliament in the Palace of Westminster, London.
Under this system, there are three separate parts or arms of government:
- Parliament
- The Executive (the Governor, the Cabinet and the public service)
- The Courts (or judiciary).
This structure is known as the 'separation of powers' and is a means of ensuring that no one branch of government has all the power.
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Role of the Governor
The Governor is the personal representative in Queensland of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Governor summons and dissolves Parliament, gives Royal Assent to proposed laws (Bills) passed by Parliament, and issues writs for state elections.
More information is available from The Office of the Governor (external site).
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Queensland's Parliament
Queensland Parliament (external site) is the only state parliament in Australia without an Upper House. This makes it a 'unicameral' parliament, meaning that it has just one House - the Legislative Assembly.
As the name suggests, members of the Legislative Assembly make decisions about new laws and proposed changes to legislation.
As part of the democratic process, members also debate the key issues of the day and address questions to MPs.
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Ministerial portfolios
To help the Premier make decisions that are in Queensland's best interests, a number of MPs are selected to become Ministers, forming the Executive Council or Cabinet.
Each Minister, including the Premier, heads up one or more 'portfolios' or areas of responsibility. Portfolio areas include health, education, transport and the arts, among others.
View the current list of Queensland ministers and portfolios (external site).
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Government departments
For every portfolio there are government departments and agencies whose job it is to implement policies and deliver services to Queenslanders.
Departments are lead by Directors-General, who are effectively the Chief Executive Officers (CEOs). Collectively these departments and agencies are known as the public sector or public service.
The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is the Queensland public sector's lead agency.
Following the 2009 State Election, the Premier announced the creation of 13 new Queensland Government departments (external site) to help streamline Queensland Government services.
Last reviewed: 19 July, 2009
Last updated: 22 July, 2009
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