Westminster system

The British Empire was once the largest empire the world had ever seen. It was thanks in part to the adoption of a strong, organized form of government. The Westminster system is one of the most prominent systems of government globally thanks to the now defunct empire’s far-reaching influences. The system of a bicameral parliament, which is what the Westminster system is, represents every citizen’s voice, but that is not necessarily the case. Many of the countries that impose this system of government have attempted to amend the system; such is the case with the United Kingdom and their House of Lords, as well as the elected Senate in Australia. This is not the case with one of the empire’s former colonies in particular. From its outset, there…

New Zealanders are affected on a daily basis by the decisions the government makes. These decisions are made through a particular protocol that occurs within our parliamentary system (New Zealand Parliament 2014). This parliamentary system is embodied in constitutional law, and as a formal legal structure, it displays information in regards to the relationship between the three main branches of government. These three main branches are the judiciary (applies, sometimes makes law), the executive…

Aucoin, P. (2012). New Political Governance in Westminster Systems: Impartial Public Administration and Management Performance at Risk. Governance, 177-199. This article analyzes the increasing political pressures in four parliamentary systems, which include Australia, Britain, Canada and New Zealand. It looks at pressures from mass media, transparency in the government, more in depth audits, increased political competition and political restrictions in the electorate. The article then…

the role of the nation’s leader has changed. While the prime minister is elected by the people to govern at the helm of Canada, “the excessive centralization of executive powers by the prime minister can damage good democratic government”. In our Westminster-style government, the power vested within the prime minister has become somewhat absolute, with too much control over the House of Commons. Over time, numerous factors have contributed to the decline of responsible government and the rise…

about the Westminster model in New Zealand. There has been a significant change in the Westminster model since it was established since 1840 after British settlers brought the Westminster model to New Zealand. The key principle changes include mixed member proportional(MMP), multi-party system, coalition government and change in executive power. Although these are only just some of the significant changes that have had an impact on the Westminster model of government in New Zealand. The New…

ignored by stakeholders. Consequently, when deciding on a normative lens, the study of House of Commons committees should rely on Deborah Stone’s polis model specifically because of its focus on realpolitik instead of the idealism rejected in the introduction. While her polis model is incorporated throughout, this section provides a more rigorous defence, ideally topical, and applies her model of social constructionism through first defining the relative contrast, identifying the positivist…

Mechanism within Canada’s Parliamentary System Introduction The parliament of Canada is known as the federal legislative branch of the Canada. The parliament is seated at the parliament Hill. It is located in the national capital, Ottawa, Ontario. The organization of the parliament consists of Canadian monarch, which is symbolized through a viceroy, the upper house, the senate, the governor general and the lower house. This is known as the House of Commons. Each category has possess…

David C. Docherty’s (2002) scholarly journal: The Canadian Senate: Chamber of Sober Reflection or Loony Cousin Best Not Talked About, responds to the continual controversy and debate of the usefulness of the Canadian senate. Docherty’s (2002) article analyzes the current Canadian senate and argues that the senate is a failing Canadian institution because of two democratic deficiencies: the undemocratic nature of senator selection and the inability of senators to represent provinces properly.…

On 29th October 2015 Prime Minister Turnbull committed Australia to joining the Open Government Partnership, launching a public consultation to develop an Australian National Action Plan for open government. Australia has a long and proud history of open government, being one of the most transparent, accountable and engaged democracies in the world, but there is always more to be done. Through consultation the Australian National Action Plan will ideally include ambitious actions that support…

Effective, Equal, and Elected would need to change in order to serve on behalf of the Canadians in other regions and provinces. The Canadian Senate is fine the way it is. Senator Joan Fraser points out that an elected Upper House would end up challenging the House of Commons; in the current system, the Commons determine the key elements of government and social policy… Australia’s experience suggests that an elected Senate holding these same powers might not be so scrupulous. Also, Senator…