Australia is governed at three levels: federal, state and territory, and local. Each level is elected by the people and is responsible for different areas of everyday life. Understanding which level does what is one of the most useful things you can learn for the Australian citizenship test, because questions about the levels of government and their responsibilities come up often in the Government and the Law section.
What are the three levels of government in Australia?
The three levels of government in Australia are the federal (Australian) Government, the state and territory governments, and local governments (councils). The federal Government looks after national matters that affect the whole country, state and territory governments look after matters within their own borders, and local governments look after their own city, town, or shire. Each level is elected separately, and each has its own areas of responsibility set out in law.
This structure means responsibility for governing the country is shared, so that different issues are handled at the level best placed to deal with them.
What does the federal (Australian) Government do?
The federal Government, also called the Australian Government or Commonwealth Government, is responsible for matters that affect the whole nation. Its responsibilities include defence, immigration and citizenship, foreign affairs and trade, taxation, the national economy, postal services and communications, Medicare, and social security such as pensions and family support. The federal Government is formed in the Australian Parliament in Canberra, which is made up of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
These are national responsibilities because they need to be consistent across the entire country rather than differing from state to state.
What do state and territory governments do?
State and territory governments are responsible for matters within their own borders. Their responsibilities include public hospitals and health services, schools and education, police, prisons, public transport, and main roads and railways. Australia has six states — New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania — and two mainland territories, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. Each state has its own parliament and constitution, and the territories have their own legislative assemblies.
This is the level most people deal with for everyday services like sending their children to a public school or being treated at a public hospital.
What does local government do?
Local government — your city, town, or shire council — looks after the needs of the local community. Its responsibilities include rubbish and recycling collection, local roads, footpaths and bridges, building and planning approvals, water and sewerage in many areas, and community facilities such as parks, libraries, and swimming pools. Councils are run by elected councillors, often led by a mayor or shire president.
Local government is the level closest to where you live, which is why it handles the practical, day-to-day services in your neighbourhood.
Why does Australia have three levels of government?
Australia has three levels of government so that the responsibility for running the country is shared and each issue is handled at the most appropriate level. National concerns like defence and immigration are best managed by one central government, while services like schools, hospitals, and rubbish collection are better managed closer to the communities they serve. Dividing power in this way also helps prevent any single level of government from holding too much control.
This sharing of responsibility is a key feature of how Australia is governed and reflects the country's democratic system.
How are the three levels of government tested in the citizenship test?
In the citizenship test, you may be asked which level of government is responsible for a particular service, or to identify the three levels of government themselves. The questions are drawn from the Government and the Law section of the official Australian Citizenship: Our Common Bond resource. The most reliable way to answer them is to remember a simple example for each level — for instance, defence for federal, public schools and hospitals for state, and rubbish collection for local.
Practising these questions until you can match each responsibility to the correct level will help you answer quickly and confidently on test day. You can drill Government and the Law questions in our topic-based practice and check your progress with a full mock test.