Australian Constitution Centre
  • About Us
  • The Australian Constitution
    • What is the Australian Constitution
    • The Writers of the Australian Constitution
    • The Australian Constitution
  • Origins of the Constitution
    • Where did the Australian System of Government come from?
    • Timeline
  • The Six Principles
    • Democracy
    • The Rule of Law
    • Separation of Powers
    • Federalism
    • Nationhood
    • Rights
  • The High Court
    • The First High Court
    • The Role of the High Court
    • Democracy – The Right to vote survives incarceration
    • The Rule of Law - Miners pay rise is unauthorised
    • The Rule of Law – The government overreached when it banned the Communist Party
    • The Rule of Law - Even a murderer deserves a fair trial
    • The Rule of Law - The High Court limits Federal Government spending powers
    • Separation of powers – Well may we say, “God save the Queen”
    • Separation of powers – The powers of State Courts
    • Separation of powers – Parliament cannot make laws to keep evidence from the High Court
    • Federalism – Engineers Union succeeds in the High Court, expanding Federal power
    • Nationhood - The Constitution saves the Franklin River
    • Rights - NSW Government compulsorily acquires wheat during World War I
    • Rights - High Court overturns 200 years of common law
  • Resources
    • Australian Constitution Centre Resources
    • FAQs
    • Glossary
    • Take the Knowledge Quiz
    • Introduction to the education program
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Lesson Resources ACHASSK134
    • Links to other relevant organisations
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PRINCIPLE 1: DEMOCRACY

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The Constitution established the rules for our ongoing democratic Australian Government. Australia shares some of our constitutional arrangements with other democracies. Like some others we elect a Parliament. Yet unlike most we have compulsory voting. All Australian citizens 18 and over must vote for their Members of Parliament in Federal and State Government elections. They must also vote in Local Government Council elections. Together, all our democratic constitutional concepts and our interpretations of them give us a democracy that is uniquely Australian. 

​No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise…
…Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried…

British Prime Minister Winston Churchill said this in the British House of Commons after the World War II defeat of the fascist Nazi regime in Germany.

What is democracy?
The meaning of democracy in our modern world can be very hard to put your finger on. We know it involves governments and elections. Here in Australia we have a parliamentary representative democracy. This means that we vote for people to represent our views in the Parliament.

Our Parliamentarians are ‘directly chosen by the people’
Sections 7 and 24 of our Constitution say that we get to vote for our Parliamentary representatives. Some countries don’t do this. For instance, the United Kingdom and Canada have upper houses (what we call the Senate) where members are chosen by the Government.

What about the voting method? 
Democracy is always changing and adapting to suit the times. That’s why the people who wrote our Constitution left it to Parliament to pass election laws. Over time the vote was extended to women and Aborigines. Parliament makes laws on things such as political advertising and donations, whether prisoners can vote, how elections are conducted and disputes are solved.

How does our Constitution protect our democracy?
By providing for a system of representative government, our Constitution enshrines democracy. This brings with it certain implied rights, such as freedom of political communication. 

Click here to download a PDF of Principle 1: Democracy in detail

Click here to read about the Democracy High Court Case - The right to vote survives incarceration

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British Prime Minister Winston Churchill Source: National Library of Australia
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Counting Senate election ballots 1970. Source: National Archives of Australia
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Contact Us
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​​Telephone: 1800 009 855
Exhibition Address: High Court of Australia, Canberra 
email: info@australianconstitutioncentre.org.au
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  • About Us
  • The Australian Constitution
    • What is the Australian Constitution
    • The Writers of the Australian Constitution
    • The Australian Constitution
  • Origins of the Constitution
    • Where did the Australian System of Government come from?
    • Timeline
  • The Six Principles
    • Democracy
    • The Rule of Law
    • Separation of Powers
    • Federalism
    • Nationhood
    • Rights
  • The High Court
    • The First High Court
    • The Role of the High Court
    • Democracy – The Right to vote survives incarceration
    • The Rule of Law - Miners pay rise is unauthorised
    • The Rule of Law – The government overreached when it banned the Communist Party
    • The Rule of Law - Even a murderer deserves a fair trial
    • The Rule of Law - The High Court limits Federal Government spending powers
    • Separation of powers – Well may we say, “God save the Queen”
    • Separation of powers – The powers of State Courts
    • Separation of powers – Parliament cannot make laws to keep evidence from the High Court
    • Federalism – Engineers Union succeeds in the High Court, expanding Federal power
    • Nationhood - The Constitution saves the Franklin River
    • Rights - NSW Government compulsorily acquires wheat during World War I
    • Rights - High Court overturns 200 years of common law
  • Resources
    • Australian Constitution Centre Resources
    • FAQs
    • Glossary
    • Take the Knowledge Quiz
    • Introduction to the education program
    • Lesson Plans >
      • Lesson Resources ACHASSK134
    • Links to other relevant organisations