POLITICS AND LAW SEMESTER EXAM ACTUAL
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS|ALREADY GRADED A+
Advantages and disadvantages to the proportional system - ✔✔✔
ANSWER-Advantages:
-Much fairer to electors, candidates and political parties
---> all candidates that can receive a quota can win a seat as quotas
are lower than simple or absolute majority
---> in each states the quota to be elected is approximately 14.3
percent
-Creates a multiparty system---> senate more accurately represents
the diversity of society ( upholding mirror rep)
E.g
- 2022 the senate is 10.8 percent indigenous, where as the house of
reps is only 1.8 percent indigenous
-2022 senate is 57 percent women, Hor is 38 percent
-Parties may choose less conventional candidates ( as voters
predominantly vote due to party leadership, less emphasis on the
individual)
-Can produce a hung parliament meaning no one has a majority--->
negotiation is important, better scrutinizes HOR( good as is house of
review )
-Note vote wastage, vote splitting, winners bonus
,Disadvantages to the proportional system - ✔✔✔ ANSWER--Too much
power for minor parties---> may veto legislation even if they do not
represent the majority of the state
-2 options when voting means increased complexity ---> higher rates of
informal votes ---> in recent years has be known to reach 10 percent
2016 Senate voting reforms - ✔✔✔ ANSWER--2016 Commonwealth
amendment bill
---> introduced a new voting method
-Voters must number at least 6 boxes above the line
-OR a minimum of 12 boxes below the line
-Previous to this, system relied entirely on group ticket voting if
electors voted above the line
---> process where by voters vote for one political party, who then has
control over all preference distributions
-97.3 percent did this in 2013 election
Advantages and disadvantages to the senate voting reforms - ✔✔✔
ANSWER-Advantages:
-Gave voters more say in preference distributions and therefore the
electoral outcome
-Successful attempt to mitigate the affect of preference harvesting as
a result of group ticket voting
E.g 2013 Motoring enthusiast party candidate Ricky Muir received a
seat with only 479 first preference votes
Disadvantages:
,-Increased informal senate votes --> 3.9 percent in 2016, instead of 2.9
percent in 2013
Majority and minority government - ✔✔✔ ANSWER-Under the
preferential system, a strong majority is generally created in the house
of representatives.
---> creates a stable government
---> stable is good as democratic government needs to embody the
operating principle of liberal democracy that is majority rule.
Majority government is a firmly established characteristic of the
Australian legal and political system.
-Turnbull government having one seat majority
-Abbot government having 14 seat majority
Minority government occurs when the leading political party received
less than 76 seats
Australia's electoral system compromise - ✔✔✔ ANSWER-Australia
sues the combination of two electoral systems to elect the
commonwealth parliament
---> each system creates a pattern of representation that is thought to
be best suited to function of the house it elects.
-Preferential, single-member electorate system
-House of the people--> strong links between electors and
representatives
, -Need to win a majority to form government---> exaggerated majorities
creates stable government
-Upholding democratic principle of majority rule
-proportional, multi-member electorate
-Best fit as house of review---> increased presence of diversity, no
party holding absolute majority means need for consensus and review
-Upholding legal values ---> rights of minorities are protected when
senators form minor parties/ independents hold balance of power
Safe and Marginal seats - ✔✔✔ ANSWER--A states status previous to an
election is determined by the two party preferred (TPP) vote count
undertaken at the previous federal election.
---> TPP allocates seta to the Australian liberal party (coalition) and
the labor party only
Marginal---> Leading party receives less that 56 percent of the TPP
Fairly Safe---> Leading party receives between 56-60 percent of the
TPP
Safe ---> Leading party receives more than 60 percent of the TPP
Example of change: Kate Chaney
-Seat of curtain previous to the 2022 election was held by a margin of
13 percent ( very safe liberal seat)
-Kate Chaney and independent won 53.1 percent of final vote, in
comparison to Celia Hammond who won 48.7 percent
---> however Kate only one 29.5 percent of primary votes, Celia won
more primary (41.3 percent)
QUESTIONS AND VERIFIED
ANSWERS|ALREADY GRADED A+
Advantages and disadvantages to the proportional system - ✔✔✔
ANSWER-Advantages:
-Much fairer to electors, candidates and political parties
---> all candidates that can receive a quota can win a seat as quotas
are lower than simple or absolute majority
---> in each states the quota to be elected is approximately 14.3
percent
-Creates a multiparty system---> senate more accurately represents
the diversity of society ( upholding mirror rep)
E.g
- 2022 the senate is 10.8 percent indigenous, where as the house of
reps is only 1.8 percent indigenous
-2022 senate is 57 percent women, Hor is 38 percent
-Parties may choose less conventional candidates ( as voters
predominantly vote due to party leadership, less emphasis on the
individual)
-Can produce a hung parliament meaning no one has a majority--->
negotiation is important, better scrutinizes HOR( good as is house of
review )
-Note vote wastage, vote splitting, winners bonus
,Disadvantages to the proportional system - ✔✔✔ ANSWER--Too much
power for minor parties---> may veto legislation even if they do not
represent the majority of the state
-2 options when voting means increased complexity ---> higher rates of
informal votes ---> in recent years has be known to reach 10 percent
2016 Senate voting reforms - ✔✔✔ ANSWER--2016 Commonwealth
amendment bill
---> introduced a new voting method
-Voters must number at least 6 boxes above the line
-OR a minimum of 12 boxes below the line
-Previous to this, system relied entirely on group ticket voting if
electors voted above the line
---> process where by voters vote for one political party, who then has
control over all preference distributions
-97.3 percent did this in 2013 election
Advantages and disadvantages to the senate voting reforms - ✔✔✔
ANSWER-Advantages:
-Gave voters more say in preference distributions and therefore the
electoral outcome
-Successful attempt to mitigate the affect of preference harvesting as
a result of group ticket voting
E.g 2013 Motoring enthusiast party candidate Ricky Muir received a
seat with only 479 first preference votes
Disadvantages:
,-Increased informal senate votes --> 3.9 percent in 2016, instead of 2.9
percent in 2013
Majority and minority government - ✔✔✔ ANSWER-Under the
preferential system, a strong majority is generally created in the house
of representatives.
---> creates a stable government
---> stable is good as democratic government needs to embody the
operating principle of liberal democracy that is majority rule.
Majority government is a firmly established characteristic of the
Australian legal and political system.
-Turnbull government having one seat majority
-Abbot government having 14 seat majority
Minority government occurs when the leading political party received
less than 76 seats
Australia's electoral system compromise - ✔✔✔ ANSWER-Australia
sues the combination of two electoral systems to elect the
commonwealth parliament
---> each system creates a pattern of representation that is thought to
be best suited to function of the house it elects.
-Preferential, single-member electorate system
-House of the people--> strong links between electors and
representatives
, -Need to win a majority to form government---> exaggerated majorities
creates stable government
-Upholding democratic principle of majority rule
-proportional, multi-member electorate
-Best fit as house of review---> increased presence of diversity, no
party holding absolute majority means need for consensus and review
-Upholding legal values ---> rights of minorities are protected when
senators form minor parties/ independents hold balance of power
Safe and Marginal seats - ✔✔✔ ANSWER--A states status previous to an
election is determined by the two party preferred (TPP) vote count
undertaken at the previous federal election.
---> TPP allocates seta to the Australian liberal party (coalition) and
the labor party only
Marginal---> Leading party receives less that 56 percent of the TPP
Fairly Safe---> Leading party receives between 56-60 percent of the
TPP
Safe ---> Leading party receives more than 60 percent of the TPP
Example of change: Kate Chaney
-Seat of curtain previous to the 2022 election was held by a margin of
13 percent ( very safe liberal seat)
-Kate Chaney and independent won 53.1 percent of final vote, in
comparison to Celia Hammond who won 48.7 percent
---> however Kate only one 29.5 percent of primary votes, Celia won
more primary (41.3 percent)
