#well the canadian provinces all legalized gay marriage within like a year of each other before the feds legalized it countrywide

[catgirltoes]

The funniest thing on Wikipedia is the timeline for the legalization of gay marriage, because the rest of the world is coloured in terms of individual countries but North America has separate dates for every Canadian province, US State, and Mexican State.

#well the canadian provinces all legalized gay marriage within like a year of each other before the feds legalized it countrywide #and dragged alberta and pei kicking and screaming into the 21st century #and about half the us states had it legalized at the same time a decade later by the us supreme court #but mexico it was done state by state with minimal federal involvement which i respect a lot #to be clear i respect the activists who had to go through the shit not the federal government #catgirltxt

[jtk1009-772-blog]

Australia’s Current and Prior Political and Social Landscape Overview

What is the system of government in Australia?

The system of government in Australia is a combination of three well-known systems; Federation, Constitutional Monarchy, and Parliamentary Democracy (The Museum of Australian Democracy). This section will be broken up into each system of government, to explain what the system means, and how it applies to Australia.

Federation:

A Federation is often described as “a political system in which at least two territorial levels of government share sovereign constitutional authority over their respective division and joint share of law-making powers” (O’Leary). This definition of Federation applies to Australia because the country has six states, each with its own government and, for the most part, their own Governor (The Museum of Australian Democracy). Each state has a two-chambered parliament, which is a branch of the government that is used to help the state government and the federal government work cooperatively (The Museum of Australian Democracy). The states make their own decisions in regards to laws and the federal government cannot override the decisions of the state unless it goes against the ideas of their Constitution (The Museum of Australian Democracy). It is clear to see the Federation aspect of Australia's government.

Constitutional Monarchy:

A Constitutional Monarchy is often described as a “system of government in which a king or queen is head of state, but laws are made and put into effect by a legislature, or a country that has this system of government” (Cambridge). The definition of a Constitutional Monarchy applies to Australia because Australia is in fact an independent nation, in shares a Monarchy with the United Kingdom (The Museum of Australian Democracy). Furthermore, Australia has a Governor-General, who is currently Governor-General Scott Morrison (BBC), and he is appointed by Queen Elizabeth II (BBC). The Governor-General oversees the six states and acts as head of the federal government (The Museum of Australian Democracy). For the reasons previously listed, it is clear that Australia can be applied to the Constitutional Monarchy system of government.

Parliamentary Democracy:

A Parliamentary Democracy is often described as “a form of representative democracy in which political power is vested in an elected legislature, but the executive and legislative branches are not separate” (Roots Of American Government). Additionally, “The elected legislature (parliament) chooses the chief executive (prime minister)” (Roots Of American Government). This type of government can be applied to Australia because Australia has a Senate and a House of Representatives, which is overseen by the Governor-General, who, as previously stated, is appointed by the Queen (The Museum of Australian Democracy). Due to these facts, it is clear that the Parliamentary Democracy does in fact apply to Australia.

Federation, Constitutional Monarchy and Parliamentary Democracy create the Westminster System:

The combination of these three systems of government together is often described as the Westminster System. The definition of the Westminster System can be explained as “a democratic parliamentary system of government modeled after that of the United Kingdom system, as used in the Palace of Westminster, the location of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The system is a series of procedures for operating a legislature. It is also used or was once used, in most Commonwealth and ex-Commonwealth nations, beginning with the Canadian provinces in the mid-19th century. It is also used in Australia, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Malaysia, New Zealand, Singapore and Malta” (Westminster System).

What are the most significant changes in the political system over time?

Within Australia, there have been changes in the political system that are important to note. To begin, the political power in the 20th century shifted between three main political parties; The Australian Labor Party, The Liberal Party and The National Party (Fact Monster). One specific instance of this power struggle between the three parties occurred on March 1996, when the Liberal Party and The National Party came together and won the national elections (Fact Monster). There are two main reasons why this change was and still is significant. The first reason is that the Australian Labor Party was controlling Australian politics for a long thirteen years (Fact Monster). The second reason the shift is important is that the National Party and the Liberal Party won the national election by great margins (Fact Monster). This possibly suggests the dissatisfaction of the voters in regards to The Australian Labor Party.

What does Populism look like in your country?

Currently, in Australia, Queensland, one of the six states, has been the center of Populist ideas, and the reason being is because some of the most well-known Populist leaning figures come from this state (Kaltwasser, 2017, 123). Additionally, Queensland has had the best electoral support in regards to Populist ideologies (Kaltwasser, 2017, 123). The reason why some believe this is true is because of the low levels of education found in this area, as well as the low number of non-English speaking migrants, which in turn creates an environment where Populism often thrives (Kaltwasser, 2017, 123).

The most well-known Populist, Pauline Hanson, who is from the state of Queensland, is the leader of One Nation, a political party that gained momentum in the late 1990s (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). Hanson is known for her controversial statements and the fact that she believes she is close to “the people” because she grew up in a fish and chip town (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). While Hanson and her One Nation political party had a good start in the late 1990s, Hanson began to plummet politically due to her “out there” personality and her media attacks (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). Although she was unsuccessfully politically at this time, she stayed in the public's eye (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). In 2016, she surprised the country by being elected to the Senate (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124).

Another well-known Populist, Bob Katter, has been a prominent figure in Australian Populism for decades (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). He served in the Queensland Parliament in 1974, and then made his way to the Federal Parliament in 1993 where he remains (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). Katter ideologies connect with economic protectionism and social conservatism (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). Additionally, he is known for his politically incorrect outbursts against various social groups (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124).

The most recent Populist figure to enter Australian politics is Clive Palmer (Kaltwasser, 2017, 125). Palmer founded the Palmer United Party (PUP) in 2013, which differs from the anti-immigration based One Nation party by being anti-major party-driven instead (Kaltwasser, 2017, 125). Palmer claimed that the politicians in Australia were too busy arguing with each other, and his party would unite the country as one again (Kaltwasser, 2017, 125). As people accused Palmer of having his ideologies all over the place, he failed in the 2013 election, and the Palmer United Party has been in disarray ever since (Kaltwasser, 2017, 125).

The fact of the matter is that all these politicians who have adopted and applied Populist ideologies in Australian politics have not been successfully electorally overall (Kaltwasser, 2017, 126). Due to this fact, it is clear that there is no widespread Populist movement in Australia, but rather small political parties that have made minuscule impact in the grand scheme of things (Kaltwasser, 2017, 127). A good way to describe Populism in Australia is that “populism is a style rather than an institutional movement” (Kaltwasser, 2017, 127).

Civil Rights in Australia

Currently, in Australia, there have been many instances of brutality and inequality in regards to children, indigenous people, and other civil rights groups. To start, indigenous children are 25 times more likely to be thrown into prison compared to children that were born in Australia (Amnesty). Within these prisons, footage has been leaked of abuse towards these children, including tear gas, choking, and solitary confinement (Amnesty). Along with abuse inside prisons, there has been footage of abuse inside youth detention centers as well (Amnesty). On the other hand, indigenous adults were 15 times more likely to be thrown into prison compared to adults born in Australia (Amnesty).

As of recently, Australia has been implementing policies that have been returning refugees back to their home countries. It has been reported that since 2013, 30 boats have been sent back to the countries in which they had departed (Amnesty). In 2017, the same policies were implemented and more and more boats were sent back to the country in which they hoped to escape (Amnesty). Additionally, in Australia, if you arrive by plane without a visa, you are jailed (Amnesty).

Although same-sex marriage is legal in Australia (Amnesty), there have been instances of inappropriate political incorrectness from politicians towards lesbian and gays, including Bob Katter, who once claimed there were no homosexuals in his electorate (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124). Additionally, he has made racial remarks about Asians, calling them “little slanty-eyed” people who were trying to persecute everyday Australians (Kaltwasser, 2017, 125). Katter is not the only Australian Populist who has made comments about Asians in Australia. Pauline Hanson once made a claim about immigration, saying that Australia is “swamped by Asians” (Kaltwasser, 2017, 124).

(23B873AM)