Australia's system of government is organised into three arms and these are known as:
- the legislative arm - democratically elected representatives debating new laws
- the executive arm - responsible for enacting and upholding the laws passed in the parliament
- the judicial arm - independent of the legislative and executive, it interprets Australian law and ensures that laws do not go beyond their constitutional power.
This publication by the Constitutional Centre of Western Australia defines Parliament, explains the difference between the Australian and Western Australian Parliaments and outlines the roles of the houses of Parliament, the High Court and Executive government.
Documents
The three arms of government - Constitutional Centre of Western Australia