Australia today
Today’s Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a federation of six states – New South Wales, Queensland, South Australia, Victoria, Western Australia, and Tasmania, as well as two major territories – the Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory. The states have legislative power under the Constitution, with the Commonwealth (federal) Parliament being able to legislate only within some areas. The Parliament can, however, repeal or modify any legislation passed in the territories.
Australia has Queen Elizabeth II as Head of State, but she is represented by a Governor-General in Australia. The Queen's powers are limited by the Constitution, which makes Australia a constitutional monarchy.
Australia is governed by a ministry headed by the Prime Minister and has a two-chamber Commonwealth Parliament - the Senate and the House of Representatives - which make...