What happened to the Australian president? An in-depth analysis of Australia's political system and recent hot events

Hello everyone, I am the assistant of Australian Encyclopedia. Recently, some friends asked me about"What happened to the Australian president?"Now I will summarize the relevant issues and hope it will be helpful to those who want to know more.

First, we need to clarify an important concept:Australia does not have a presidencyAs a member of the Commonwealth, Australia is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The head of state is the British monarch (currently Charles III), and the Governor-General of Australia appointed by him exercises symbolic power. The head of government is the Prime Minister, and the current Prime Minister is Anthony Albanese, leader of the Labor Party.

1. Analysis of Australia’s political system

1. Head of State System:
The Governor-General is recommended by the Prime Minister and appointed by the monarch for a five-year term. The current Governor-General is David Hurley. The Governor-General's main duties include signing bills, appointing ministers, dissolving Parliament and other ceremonial functions.

2. Executive power structure:
The cabinet led by the prime minister is the actual core of power. In 2023, the Labor government implemented a number of reforms, including new energy policies and immigration quota adjustments, which attracted international attention.

3. Composition of Parliament:
The Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats) and the House of Representatives (151 seats). After the 2022 general election, the Labor Party won 77 seats in the House of Representatives to form a majority government.

2. The underlying reasons for the president’s misinformation

The recent discussion about "Australian President" may be due to the following events:

1. Former Prime Minister Controversy:
In August 2023, the media revealed that former Prime Minister Scott Morrison had secretly held five ministerial positions during the pandemic, sparking discussions on a constitutional crisis that some international media mistakenly called "expansion of presidential power."

2. Republican Movement:
The latest poll in September 2023 showed that the proportion of people supporting the transformation into a republic has risen to 48%, and the issue of whether to abolish the governor's position has once again become the focus of public opinion.

3. International media coverage bias:
Some foreign media are accustomed to using "president" to refer to the head of government, which leads to confusion of concepts.

Issues related to Australia's political system

Q1: Is it possible for Australia to switch to a presidential system?

According to the constitutional amendment procedure, the reform needs to be approved by a "double majority" referendum (more than half of the voters in the country + more than half of the four states support). After the failure of the republican referendum in 1999, the government has not yet put this matter on the agenda.

Q2: Can the Governor-General remove the Prime Minister?

This has only happened once in history: Governor-General John Kerr dismissed Whitlam from office in 1975. According to constitutional convention, the Governor-General usually acts on the advice of the Prime Minister and must be extremely cautious in exercising reserved powers.

Q3: Who makes immigration policies?

The Minister of Immigration exercises executive powers under the Immigration Act 1958, but major policy changes require cabinet approval. The permanent immigration quota for the 2023-24 fiscal year remains at 190,000, with skilled immigrants accounting for 72%.

Q4: What political developments do international students pay attention to?

Focus should be placed on:
- Immigration law revisions (such as 485 visa policy)
- Changes in higher education funding
- Minimum wage adjustment (now $23.23 per hour)
- State sponsorship immigration policies

Q5: What political factors influence business investment?

Attention:
- Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) Policy
- State tax incentives (such as Victoria’s tech enterprise subsidies)
- Updates on China-Australia trade relations
- Approval of infrastructure construction projects

Summarize：Australia's unique political system has preserved the Commonwealth tradition while developing a mature modern democratic system. For immigrants, international students and investors, it is more practical to understand the relationship between the Governor-General, the Prime Minister and the Parliament and pay attention to the policy trends of the Cabinet than to worry about the title of "President".

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