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Australian Government Levels

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Australian Government Levels

Australia has three levels of government: national, state or territory, and local. Read the scenario and use the information on this sheet to decide which level is mainly responsible. Some services involve more than one level, so look for clues.

Briefing: how the system works

Australia is a federation. The Australian Constitution sets out areas of responsibility for Australia-wide and state governments. The Australian Government (also called the federal or Commonwealth Government) deals with matters such as defence, immigration, passports and foreign affairs. State and territory governments are responsible for services including public schools, hospitals and police. Local councils look after community services such as rubbish collection, local parks and libraries. Some areas are shared: for example, federal and state governments both fund parts of health and education. Local councils are established under state laws, so arrangements can vary between states and territories.

Identify the levels

Use the briefing to answer Questions 1–3.

1.Which statement best explains federalism in Australia?

One government makes every decision for the whole country.
Government powers and responsibilities are shared between national and state governments.
Local councils control the national government.
The Prime Minister decides every council service.

2.Complete the sentence: Australia has three levels of government: the government, the or government, and the government.

3.Which level of government is mainly responsible for issuing Australian passports? Give one clue from the briefing that supports your answer.

The community help desk

Tahnee is sorting requests sent to a community help desk. Choose the level mainly responsible for each issue. Remember that some services can be shared or vary by location.

4.A family needs to apply for an Australian passport before travelling overseas. Which level should Tahnee direct them to?

National government
State or territory
Local council

5.A public hospital needs support to provide health services. Which is the best answer, based on the briefing?

Only local government is involved.
State or territory government is responsible for hospitals, and health funding can be shared with the national government.
Only the national government is involved.
No level of government is responsible.

6.A rubbish truck has missed the regular collection on a neighbourhood street. Which level should Tahnee contact first?

7.A resident reports a dangerous pothole on a road. Explain why Tahnee may need to find out who manages that particular road before deciding where to send the report.

Check the claims

For each claim, decide whether it is true or false. Correct any false claim in your answer.

8.“Local councils are completely separate from state laws.” True or false? Correct the claim.

TrueFalse

9.“Every public service belongs to just one level of government.” True or false? Use one example from the briefing.

TrueFalse

10.A community wants a new public library, a local park upgrade and more public school places. Name the likely main level for each, and explain which request could involve a shared responsibility.

11.In two or three sentences, explain one benefit of having different levels of government and one reason it can sometimes be tricky to work out who is responsible.