NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Federal Executive Council

The Federal Executive Council is the formal body holding executive authority under the Australian Constitution. It is equivalent to the other Executive Councils in other Commonwealth Realms such as the Executive Council of New Zealand and is equivalent to the Privy Councils in Canada and the United Kingdom. The Executive Council is presided over by the Governor-General of Australia and exists to "advise" (in reality to direct) the Governor-General in the administration of the government. Unlike the British and Canadian councils, the Leader of the Opposition is not typically appointed to the Federal Executive Council. The Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (in full, An Act to constitute the Commonwealth of Australia) is the primary constitutional text of the Commonwealth of Australia. ... An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system exercizes executive power and is the top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor, Lieutenant-Governor or Administrator (all governors). Until the advent of responsible government, Executive Councils existed primarily to advise the governor of... A Commonwealth Realm is any one of the 16 sovereign states that recognize Queen Elizabeth II as their Queen and head of state. ... The Executive Council of New Zealand is the body which provides the formal basis for the Cabinet. ... A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, especially in a monarchy. ... Michael Jeffery, the current Governor-General of Australia The Governor-General of Australia is the representative in Australia of Australias head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, who lives in the United Kingdom. ... The Leader of the Opposition is a title traditionally held by the leader of the largest party not in government in a Westminster System of parliamentary government. ...

The Council is established by section 62 of the Constitution. Section 64 establishes that all Ministers of State (ie Ministers and Parliamentary Secretaries) are members of the Council. Membership of the Council is normally for life, although in practice only serving government Ministers are invited to attend meetings. The Executive Council differs from the Cabinet, in that the Cabinet only includes currently serving, senior Ministers. Members of the Executive Council are entitled to the style The Honourable. A minister or a secretary is a politician who heads a government ministry or department (e. ... In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to appoint parliamentary secretaries (in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, parliamentary assistants) from their caucus to assist cabinet ministers with their work. ... The Cabinet of Australia (whose members also serve in the Executive Council of Australia) is the council of senior ministers, responsible to parliament. ... The prefix The Honourable or The Honorable ( or formerly The Honble) is a title of quality attached to the names of certain classes of persons. ...

The position of Vice-President of the Executive Council is usually given to a Member of Cabinet. The appointment of James Killen to this post in 1982 was controversial because the office was seen as a sinecure. The Vice-President of the Executive Council is a Commonwealth position, whose holder acts as presiding officer of the Executive Council in the absence of the President of the Executive Council. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ... A sinecure (from Latin sine, without, and cura, care) means an office which requires or involves little or no responsibility, labour, or active service. ...

Meetings do not require the Governor-General's attendance, but the Governor-General must be notified of the meeting in order for it to be valid. A quorum for meetings is the Governor-General and two serving ministers or parliamentary secretaries. If the Governor-General is not in attendance, Quorum is the Vice-President and two serving ministers or parliamentary secretaries. In the absence of the Vice-President, quorum is three ministers, one of whom, a senior minister, will preside. In practice, meetings will only be attended by a small number of Councillors rather than the full Cabinet. Look up quorum in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In the parliamentary systems of several Commonwealth countries, such as Canada and Australia, it is customary for the prime minister to appoint parliamentary secretaries (in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, parliamentary assistants) from their caucus to assist cabinet ministers with their work. ...

Most of the powers vested in the Governor-General, such as appointments and the authorisation of budgets, are exercisable only by "the Governor-General in Council" - that is, under advice from the Federal Executive Council. The Council acts as a formal ratification body for decisions of the Cabinet. In a parallel manner to the Royal Assent given to legislative Acts by the Governor-General after they have passed both Houses of Parliament, proposed executive actions will receive the approval of the Governor-General in Council after they have been agreed to by the Prime Minister and Cabinet. // The granting of Royal Assent is the formal method by which a constitutional monarch completes the legislative process of lawmaking by formally assenting to an Act of Parliament. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ...

Each state of Australia also has an Executive Council, presided over in like manner by the Governor of that State. The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government. ... An Executive Council in Commonwealth constitutional practice based on the Westminster system exercizes executive power and is the top tier of a government led by a Governor-General, Governor, Lieutenant-Governor or Administrator (all governors). Until the advent of responsible government, Executive Councils existed primarily to advise the governor of... The Governors of the Australian states are the representatives in the six states of Australia of Australias head of state, Queen Elizabeth II. The Governors perform the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level. ...

The Governor-General has the power to dismiss any member of the Executive Council, but that is not exercised in practice -- although, it might be exercised, if hypothetically a former minister was convicted of a serious criminal offence.

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Category: Government of Australia Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is the sixth-largest country in the world, the only country to occupy an entire continent, and the largest in the region of Australasia/Oceania. ... The main entrance to Parliament House in Canberra, with the flag mast visible. ... Australian House of Representatives chamber Entrance to the House of Representatives The Australian House of Representatives is one of the two houses (chambers) of the Parliament of Australia. ... Australian Senate chamber Entrance to the Senate The Senate is the upper of the two houses of the Parliament of Australia. ... High Court entrance The High Court of Australia is the final court of appeal in Australia, the highest court in the Australian court hierarchy. ... In Melbourne, the Federal Court is housed with other federal courts such as the High Court and the Federal Magistrates Court in the Federal Court Building on the corner of La Trobe Street and William Street The Federal Court of Australia is the Australian court in which most civil disputes... Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, in 1952 and 2002 The title Queen of Australia has existed since 1973, when the Parliament of Australia passed the Royal Style and Titles Act (1973). ... Michael Jeffery, the current Governor-General of Australia The Governor-General of Australia is the representative in Australia of Australias head of state, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, who lives in the United Kingdom. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... The Cabinet of Australia (whose members also serve in the Executive Council of Australia) is the council of senior ministers, responsible to parliament. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (922x693, 1523 KB) Summary Transparent copy of [1] Edited by Ansett 1means the typographical arrangement and layout of a published work. ... A how-to-vote card from the Australian federal election of 2004, showing voters how to fill in the squares on the ballot paper if they wish to vote for the Liberal Party of Australia. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on October 25, 1969. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on December 2, 1972. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on May 18, 1974. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on December 13, 1975. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on December 10, 1977. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on October 18, 1980. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on March 5, 1983. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on December 1, 1984. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on July 11, 1987, between Prime Minister of Australia Bob Hawke, leader of the Australian Labor Party, Opposition Leader John Howard, leader of the Liberal Party of Australia, and National Party of Australia leader Ian Sinclair. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on March 24, 1990. ... Federal elections were held in Australia on March 13, 1993. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on 2 March 1996. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... Legislative elections were held in Australia on 9 October 2004. ... The next general election for the Parliament of Australia is expected to take place in late 2007, although it can be held as late as 19 January 2008. ... The states and territories of Australia make up the Commonwealth of Australia under a federal system of government. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... Capital Canberra Government Constitutional monarchy Administrator none Chief Minister Jon Stanhope (ALP) Federal representation - House seats 2 - Senate seats 2 Gross Territorial Product (2006) - Product ($m) $19,167 (6th) - Product per capita $57,303/person (1st) Population (End of November 2006) - Population 333,667 (7th) - Density 137. ... The ACT Legislative Assembly building, as seen from the front The Australian Capital Territory Legislative Assembly (or, more formally and fully, the Legislative Assembly for the Australian Capital Territory) is the unicameral legislature of the Australian Capital Territory. ... The form of the Government of New South Wales is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. ... Elections for the 54th Parliament of New South Wales were held on Saturday, 24 March 2007. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... A general election was held in the Northern Territory, Australia, on June 18, 2005. ... Queensland Government Logo The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the Queensland Government. ... An election was held in the Australian state of Queensland on 9 September 2006 to elect the 89 members of the states Legislative Assembly, after being announced by Premier Peter Beattie on 15 August 2006. ... The form of the Government of South Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1856, although it has been amended many times since then. ... The general election for the 51st Parliament of South Australia was held in the state of South Australia on 18 March 2006, and was conducted by the independent State Electoral Office. ... The coat of arms of Tasmania. ... A general election for the House of Assembly (lower house) were held in the Australian state of Tasmania on 18 March 2006, the same day as the South Australian elections. ... The form of the Government of Victoria is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1855, although it has been amended many times since then. ... A general election for the 56th Parliament of Victoria took place on Saturday, 25 November 2006. ... The formation of the Government of Western Australia is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1890, although it has been amended many times since then. ... A general election was held for parliamentary seats in the Australian state of Western Australia on Saturday 26 February 2005. ... Judicial High Court Lower Courts Constitution State and territory governments Executive Governors and Administrators Premiers and Chief Ministers Legislative Parliaments and Assemblies State electoral systems ACT - NSW - NT - Qld. ... The Australian Democrats, who are often known simply as The Democrats in Australia, are a progressive social liberal party. ... The Australian Greens, commonly known as The Greens, is the Green political party in Australia. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The Family First Party (FFP/F1) is a political party in Australia, with policies that generally mirror socially conservative and family values. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... The National Party of Australia is an Australian conservative political party, which claims to represent rural voters. ...

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