Just like the United States, Australia practices representative democracy. This means that citizens elect representatives to make decisions about policy. The primary difference between Australian and American politics is that Australia is a parliamentary monarchy where a king or queen is the ceremonial head of state, and an elected parliament and prime minister have political power. As the king of the United Kingdom, King Charles III is also the king of Australia due to Australia’s commonwealth status. Anthony Albanese is Australia’s prime minister. Australia also practices compulsory voting, meaning that all citizens of voting age are required to cast a ballot during elections.
The two dominant political parties in Australia are the Labor Party (left-leaning, similar to the Democratic Party in the United States) and the Liberal Party (right-leaning, similar to the Republican Party). The Labor Party is currently the dominant party in Australia, with the Liberal Party being the primary opposition.
Governmental power in Australia has three tiers: federal parliament, state parliaments, and local councils.
