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WAPolitics and LawQuick questions
Unit 4: Rights, Governance and International Law
Quick questions on Governance and Accountability: WACE Year 12 Politics and Law
2short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is responsible government?Show answer
Under the convention of responsible government, the executive (the ministry) is drawn from and answerable to the parliament. Ministers are individually responsible for their portfolios and collectively responsible for cabinet decisions. The government must retain the confidence of the lower house; if it loses a vote of no confidence, it must resign or call an election. Question Time, parliamentary debate and committees allow the parliament, especially the opposition, to scrutinise ministers.
What are external scrutiny bodies?Show answer
A range of independent bodies provide accountability outside parliament. The Auditor-General audits government spending and reports to parliament. The Commonwealth Ombudsman investigates complaints about government administration. Anti-corruption commissions, including the National Anti-Corruption Commission established in 2023, investigate serious or systemic corruption.
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