By Lizza Gebilagin

Australian Coat of Arms

We are truly blessed to be living in a country where overt corruption isn’t the norm. Sure it can be a pain waiting in line on election day to cast your vote. And honestly, it isn’t much fun having several how-to-vote leaflets shoved into your hands at the polling booth. But Filipinos everywhere understand the great privilege that we have in Australia. When we vote, that vote counts. It really does make a difference. We can be confident knowing that citizens who died 20 years ago aren’t continuing to cast their votes from the grave. We can also be assured that the political party who wins in the end, won legitimately – whether we do or don’t agree with the results.

Trying to follow Australian politics can be daunting, especially in the lead up to an election. Who is the Governor General and what does he do? What’s the difference between the upper and lower houses? What does the federal government look after? These are all questions that even many Australian born citizens have trouble answering. So, to make it easier for you to understand the system, here are the answers to the most common questions asked about the topic. Politics may not be your forte, but at least now you will have a better understanding of what is happening.

Why is the Queen on our currency?

Australia is a constitutional monarchy, which means our Head of State is Queen Elizabeth II. In Australia, the Queen is represented by the Governor General. Our country’s British heritage stems from the arrival of the first white settlers in 1788. It was only in recent history, in 1986, that Australia severed its legislative and judiciary ties with Great Britain. In other words, Australia became independent from Britain in 1986, yet the Queen remains our Head of State. In the 1990s, there was talk of Australia becoming a republic and replacing the Governor General with a President elected by the Prime Minister. A referendum was held in 1999, but the majority of the population voted against becoming a republic.

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