-Unique Geographical Culture and Politics ContentsvGeography -Location and Size -Geographic Regions -Climate -Major CitiesvPolitics -Three-tier System -The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution ActLocation and SizevAustralia lies in the Southern Hemisphere, between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. The country is surround by sea on all sides: the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Indian Ocean on the west, the Arafura Sea(阿拉弗拉海) on the north, and the South Indian Ocean on the south.vWith a total area of 7.7 million square kilometers, Australia is the sixth largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China, the U.S. and Brazil. Geographic RegionsBroadly speaking, Australia can be divided into three geographical regions: the Eastern Highland, the Central-Eastern Lowlands and the Western Plateau. Mount Kosciuszko(科修斯科山) -the highest point of elevation(高地) in AustraliaMurray-Darling Basin(墨累-达令盆地)the Gulf of Carpentaria(卡奔塔利亚湾)the Great Artesian Basin(大自流盆地)Lake Eyre(艾尔湖)the Great Sandy Desert(大沙沙漠)the Gibson Desert(吉布森沙漠)the Great Victoria Desert(维多利亚大沙漠) Climate vThe location of Australia in the Southern Hemisphere makes its seasons the reverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere. January and February are the hottest summer months, while June and July are the coldest winter months.vThe climate of Australia varies greatly from region to region. In the tropical area of the north, which occupies around 40% of the countrys total landmass, its warm to extreme hot all year round and there is no winter. By contrast, the temperate regions of the south enjoy a moderate climate, which hot summers and mild winters. The coldest areas are the highlands and plateaus of Tasmania and the southeastern portion of the mainland.vThe hot and dry conditions of Australia bring about recurring droughts across the country.Major Cities-CanberraCanberra(堪培拉)-the Capital of AustraliaCanberra is the political centre in Australia.Canberra is between Sydney and Melbourne. The name Canberra originally means “meeting place” in the Aboriginal language.Major Cities-SydneySydney is the largest and oldest city in Australia. It has a metropolitan area population of over 4.2 million, most of whom live in the suburbs. Sydney(悉尼)-the capital city of New South Wales(新南威尔市州) Major Cities-MelbourneMelbourne(墨尔本)-the capital city of Victoria and the 2nd largest city in AustraliaMajor Cities-BrisbaneBrisbane(布里斯班) is the capital city of Queensland and situated in the southeast of the province. It has a population of around 1.8 million, and its the third largest city in Australia.Major Cities-PerthPerth(佩斯) is the capital city of Western Australia. With a population of around 1.5 million, Perth is the fourth largest city in the country, and the largest city in Western Australia.Major Cities-AdelaideAdelaide(阿德雷德)-the capital city of South Australia and the fifth largest city in AustraliaPolitics vthree-tier system Australias system of government reflects both the British and North American models of liberal democracy, but with some unique Australian features. In terms of its governmental system, Australia follows the federation model of the United States. The federal government has a three-tier system: the federal government at the national level, governments at state and territory level, and about 900 local governments at the city, town, municipal and shire level. Politicsvthe Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act The commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act is a written constitution consisting of eight parts or chapters. The Australia deals with the composition of the Australian federal government, and the powers of the government and the relationship between the federal government and state governments. The division of powers between the federal and state government is defined in the Constitution, following the American model of federation. The powers exercised by the federal parliament and government include the responsibilities for foreign relations and trade, defense and immigration, while the governments of states and territories are responsible for all matters not assigned the commonwealth. The government is divided into three branches: the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. Parliament, the Federal Executive Council, and the High Court of Australia and other federal courts are the three bodies established to carry out the powers of each branch. The LegislaturevThe parliament of Commonwealth is the federal legislature of Australia. The Australian Parliament is bicameral, consisting of the King and the Queen and two houses- the Senate (the Upper House) and the House of Representatives (the Lower House ). Australian Parliament House On the principle of “separation of powers ”, parliament makes laws and provides a legislative framework for the operations of the other two arms of government.The SenatevThe senate is the upper of the two houses of parliament. It consists of 76 senators. The Senate has virtually equal power to make laws with the other house of Parliament, the house of Representatives.vThe senate has a highly developed committee system, which enables Senators to inquire into policy issues in depth and to scrutinize the way laws and policies are administered by ministers and civil servants. The House of Representatives vThe House of Representatives has 150 members, each representing an electoral division. Members are elected for terms of up to three years, by a system known as preferential voting, in which voters rank candidates in order of preference.vThe central function of the House of Representatives is the consideration and passing of new laws and amendments or changes to existing laws. A another function is to determine the government, therefore, it is also called the House of Government. After an election, the political party or party group with majority support in the House of Representatives forms the governing party, with its leader becoming Prime Minister. The House of Representatives is also involved in such responsibilities as publicizing government administration, representing the people, and the controlling government expenditure.The ExecutivevIn Australia, executive authority is vested in the Governor General, who is appointed by the British monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister-the head of the majority party in Parliament. The King or Queen of Britain is recognized as the royal head of state, but has no real power in the government and plays a merely symbolic role.vUnder the constitution, the Governor General has many important constitutional, official, and ceremonial duties to perform. In accordance with long-established constitutional practice, however, when performing these functions, the Governor General can only act on the advice of the Federal Executive Council or Cabinet comprised of senior ministers and the Prime Minister, who are accountable to Parliament. Federal policy, in practice, is determined by the Cabinet, which is chaired by the Prime Minister. The ministers are responsible for the individual departments of the federal government, and these departments are administered by civil servants. The JudiciaryvThe Judiciary is the government branch concerned with the administration of justice. It is absolutely separate from the executive branch and the legislature so as to check the concentration of government power. vThe Australia judiciary includes the High Court, the Federal Court, and the Family Court, and courts of the six states and two territories. The High Court is the superior court in Australia. Its functions include interpreting and applying the law, deciding cases of special federal significance, and hearing appeals from the federal, state and territory courts.Political PartiesvThere are three major parties in Australia-the Labor Party, the Liberty Party, and the National Party.vThe Labor Party, nominally representing the trade unions and liberal groups, is Australias oldest political party, founded in the 1890s.vThe Liberal Party nominally represents urban business-related groups. It is relatively young party, formed in 1944 by Sir Robert Menzies. Since then, it has remained one of Australias most major parties and has enjoyed a long period of success.vThe National Party is the most stable party in Australia. It was founded in 1922 as the Country Party, but adopted the name National Country Party in 1975 and changed to its present name in 1982.Election vAustralia is one of the few countries that have compulsory voting. At election time, it is compulsory for all citizens over the age of 18 to enroll and vote at a polling station.vAustralian citizens have been called on to give their decisions in elections and referenda at a rate higher than that of most Western nations. With the three-tier government, Australian electoral laws, practices and systems vary greatly. Thus, Australian citizens have been faced with not only high frequency, but also complexity and diversity of the electoral systems. ElectionvOf all the elections, the general election is the most important, the result of which determines which party leader will rule the country as the Prime Minister.vThere are three electoral systems which are important in Australia, namely the simple majority system, the preferential representation system and the proportional representation system. The simple majority system is a straightforward form of voting whereby the option with a simple majority of votes wins. Under the preferential representation system, voters number the candidates on the ballot paper in the order of their preference. Proportional representation is an electoral system delivering a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive.