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Question

Difficulty: MediumForming the Government

In an Australian federal election, a political party wins 78 out of 150 seats in the House of Representatives, but only 35 out of 76 seats in the Senate. According to the Australian parliamentary system, what is the result for this party?

  1. They form the Australian Government.Answer
  2. B
    They must become the Opposition because they do not have a majority in the Senate.
  3. C
    They must wait for the Governor-General to appoint a government from the Senate leaders.

Answer

They form the Australian Government.
The party forms the Australian Government because they have achieved a majority (78 out of 150) in the House of Representatives. In Australia's parliamentary system, the government is formed by the party or coalition of parties that wins more than half of the seats in the House of Representatives, regardless of whether they have a majority in the Senate.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the total number of seats and the majority requirement in the House of Representatives.
In a 150-seat House, a majority is 76 or more seats.
The Australian Government is formed by the party that holds more than half the seats in the House of Representatives.
2
Evaluate the party's results in the House of Representatives.
The party has won 78 seats, which is greater than the 76 needed for a majority.
This confirms the party has the numbers required to form the government.
3
Determine if the Senate results affect the formation of the government.
The Senate results (35/76) do not prevent the party from forming the government.
While a majority in the Senate helps pass legislation, it is not a requirement to be the governing party.

Key Concept

The Australian Government is formed in the House of Representatives by the party or coalition with a majority of seats.

Hints

1
Think about which of the two houses of Parliament—the House of Representatives or the Senate—is responsible for forming the government.

Practice More

Review the roles of the Prime Minister and the Cabinet in relation to the majority party in the House of Representatives.
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Forming the Government

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