Australien Regierung Profil 2008

Hauptstadt

Name: Canberra
geographische Koordinaten: 35 17 S, 149 13 E
Zeitunterschied: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March
note: Australia is divided into three time zones

Unabhängigkeit

1 Januar 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

Nationalfeiertag

Australia Day, 26 Januar (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)

Konstitution

9 Juli 1900, effective 1 Januar 1901

Wahlrecht

18 Jahre; universal und obligatorisch

Exekutive

Staatsoberhaupt: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (seit dem 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY (seit dem 11 August 2003)
Regierungschef: Prime Minister Kevin RUDD (seit dem 3 December 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Julia GILLARD (seit dem 3 December 2007)
cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general