Part 3 : Government and the law citizenship test 2

On 1 January 1901, everything changed when the Australian colonies banded together, beginning the independent nation known as the Commonwealth of Australia; this momentous occasion was thanks to the Australian Constitution swinging into action. It was of significant consequence because, before then, the Constitution itself got the green light as part of a British Act of Parliament in 1900.

So, you can imagine, the whole we have to do everything by ourselves now feeling was pretty strong. It's not hard for one to imagine that each corner of Australia wanted its share—ending up with representatives, known as MPs, being voted into the Australian Parliament to voice the concerns and needs of their people.

Similarly, each state wanted to say clearly with their voices being brought to the table by Senators - 12 for each state, to keep things even.

Now, when it comes to making the big decisions and steering the ship, the Prime Minister, leading the executive branch, is the top person of the government; this is part of how things work in the Australian constitutional monarchy, where, contrary to what you might think, the King is more a figurehead, with the real power being held by the Governor-General; they've got some very important jobs, such as approving laws and picking who gets the main positions in the Executive branch.

In regards to the Executive branch, that is where important things happen in enforcing and getting laws to work day in, day out while handling the country's admin work. Ministers and the Prime Minister shape up the crew here, taking care of all sorts of government departments.

Jumping to another layer of democracy, local councils appear on the radar, tasked with getting their communities to run smoothly by figuring out services and planning.

It's an enormous job, considering Australia represents everything from cities to the more quaint towns. When voting time rolls around, Australians go into the booth, cast their votes in secret, to decide who gets to sit in the chairs, both locally and nationally; thanks to the compulsory voting feeling, nobody gets to skip this civic duty, ensuring everyone's voice gets heard.

At the end of the day, there is a profound and deep-seated certainty that whether it's fighting for a spot in Parliament as a trusted MP, or laying down the law in local municipalities, the dance of democracy, Australian way, keeps the spirit of fair play and representation right at the heart of it all – as unique as a fingerprint in its execution. To test your knowledge on these topics, you can take an Australian citizenship mock test.