Government and society

Constitutional framework

In theory, the state government administers internal matters, while the Commonwealth government is responsible for defense, foreign policy, immigration, trade, customs and excise, postal services, and air and sea transport. Within those limitations the state government is said to be sovereign and has powers to make laws for the peace, welfare, and good government of New South Wales. In fact, the Commonwealth government has used its financial powers to limit the powers of the states. Like other states, New South Wales has no armed forces apart from the police.

Parliament—which meets for four years but can be dissolved earlier—consists of two houses. The lower house, or Legislative Assembly, has 93 members elected to four-year terms from single-member constituencies by optional preferential voting. The upper house, or Legislative Council, has 42 members who (since 1978) are directly elected at large by preferential voting and proportional representation. The members are elected to serve during two sessions of Parliament and thus serve for a maximum of eight years in their first term. The cabinet is chosen from the party that commands a majority in the Legislative Assembly. It is headed by a premier. Through the party system there is effective executive rule, which may, however, be frustrated by a failure to control the Legislative Council.

The governor is the local representative of the British crown and is appointed by the British monarch on the recommendation of the premier. The titular head of the government, the governor has since 1946 always been an Australian. In 2001 Marie Bashir became the first woman to be appointed governor of New South Wales. Although the duties of the office are mostly formal, the governor may play an important role in a political crisis.

All elections are conducted on the basis of universal adult suffrage. Every citizen over the age of 18 is required to vote in all elections, including those for local government offices.

The basic local government areas are urban municipalities and rural shires. Bodies called county councils are organized to coordinate common services such as flood control and electric power supply in districts that comprise a number of local government units.

Political parties are usually state branches of the federal political parties and tend to have the same policies and interests, though “states’ rights” are jealously guarded even among political allies. The three chief parties are the Liberal Party and the Nationals, which generally form a coalition, and the Australian Labor Party, which traditionally has been allied to the trade unions. Smaller parties and independent members can play a significant role in influencing policy by trading their votes. This has been particularly true since the 1978 establishment of direct election to the Legislative Council on the basis of a statewide constituency, which enabled a greater diversity of candidates to win support.

State law and its administration are generally based on the British system. Legal procedure includes trial by jury in criminal and some civil cases, the right of appeal, and an independent judiciary. The highest state court is the Supreme Court, from which appeals can be made to the High Court of Australia. Minor offenses are dealt with by magistrates in the Local Courts, while more serious cases are brought before a judge and jury in the District Court. There is a juvenile justice system administered by magistrates.

Health and welfare

The state government is responsible for the administration of public health, hospitals, and medicine. Health care is nominally free under the Commonwealth government’s Medicare program, which is funded by deductions from taxable personal income, but the whole system has long been in a state approaching collapse because of inadequate funding. Those who can afford it patronize private hospitals, which are strongly supported by the medical profession. However, moves to privatize existing public hospitals, beginning in 1992, met with much public opposition, and it was debated whether services and efficiency had been improved.

Unemployment benefits and social security pensions to the aged, the disabled, widows, and single parents are paid by the Commonwealth government. Family allowances are paid to parents with dependent children. Despite this support system, poverty is a condition shared by many. Low-income households tend to be highly concentrated in certain areas of chronic disadvantage and to be characterized by low levels of home ownership, and it has been estimated that hundreds of thousands of children live in poverty.

Industrial awards (agreements setting out wages and conditions of employment) were for long set by the Australian Industrial Relations Commission at the federal level and by the Industrial Relations Commission of New South Wales at the state level. In 2010 a more streamlined set of awards was introduced under a national workplace relations system administered by the federal government. Most awards provide for a 38-hour workweek. New parents are entitled to 52 weeks of unpaid parental leave without loss of job or seniority. Child care for working parents, however, is considered by many to be inadequate.

Australia has limited government housing and only a small rental market, so buying a place to live is the chief burden for most people establishing their first home. There is a rapidly growing number of retirement homes and nursing homes for the aged, but debate has frequently arisen over the quality of care available in this often underfunded and poorly regulated sector.

Education

Schooling is compulsory for all children between the ages of 6 and 15. An increasing number continue to age 18, and many go on to subsequent higher education. Most children are educated in free nondenominational primary and secondary schools. A significant proportion use the alternative Roman Catholic system of schools, however, and there is an increasing move towards enrolling children in private schools; the trend reflects the wealth of families as well as concerns over standards and opportunities. There are several universities in the state, financed by the Commonwealth or by some combination of Commonwealth, state, and private funding. The University of Sydney and the University of New South Wales are among Australia’s leading educational institutions. Overall, there are 12 universities in the state, seven of them based outside of Sydney. There also are state-run technical colleges.