Queensland Government Coat of Arms
The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government". The form of the Government of Queensland is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then. Since 1901 Queensland has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia, and the Australian Constitution regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth.
Queensland is governed according to the principles of the Westminster system, a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom. Executive power is exercised by the Premier of Queensland and the Cabinet, who are appointed by the Governor, but who hold office by virtue of their ability to command the support of a majority of members of the Legislative Assembly. The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the Queensland Parliament until its abolition in 1922. Consequently, the Legislative Assembly of Queensland is the only unicameral state parliament in Australia.[1]
Legislative power rests with the Parliament of Queensland, which consists of the Crown, represented by the Governor of Queensland, and the Queensland Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly generally sits at Parliament House, Brisbane and it currently consists of one member from each of the 89 electorates.[1] In Queensland general elections must be held every three years.[1]
Courts and tribunals [edit]
Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court of Queensland and a system of subordinate courts, but the High Court of Australia is the final arbitrator of most legal questions, other federal courts have jurisdiction on matters which fall under the ambit of the Federal Government as defined by the Australian Constitution. Other Queensland courts include the Children's Court of Queensland, Coroners Court of Queensland, District Court of Queensland and the Magistrates' Court of Queensland.
Government Departments [edit]
Following the 2012 Queensland state election which resulted in a change of Government, Premier Campbell Newman announced machinery of government changes. The changes involved reforming the Queensland public service, introducing several new departments and reforming others so that each department was responsible to an individual minister.[2]
| Department |
Minister |
Portfolio |
| Department of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs |
Glen Elmes |
Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs and Minister Assisting the Premier |
| Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry |
John McVeigh |
Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry |
| Department of Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services |
Tracy Davis |
Minister for Communities, Child Safety and Disability Services |
| Department of Community Safety and the Queensland Police Service |
Jack Dempsey |
Minister for Police and Community Safety |
| Department of Education, Training and Employment |
John-Paul Langbroek |
Minister for Education, Training and Employment |
| Department of Environment and Heritage Protection |
Andrew Powell |
Minister for Environment and Heritage Protection |
| Department of Housing and Public Works |
Tim Mander |
Minister for Housing and Public Works |
| Department of Justice and Attorney-General |
Jarrod Bleijie |
Attorney-General and Minister for Justice |
| Department of Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience |
David Crisafulli |
Minister for Local Government, Community Recovery and Resilience |
| Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing |
Steve Dickson |
Minister for National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing |
| Department of Natural Resources and Mines |
Andrew Cripps |
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines |
| Department of Premier and Cabinet |
Campbell Newman |
Premier |
| Department of Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts |
Ian Walker |
Minister for Science, Information Technology, Innovation and the Arts |
| Department of State Development, Infrastructure and Planning |
Jeff Seeney |
Deputy Premier and Minister for State Development, Infrastructure and Planning |
| Department of Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games |
Jann Stuckey |
Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Small Business and the Commonwealth Games |
| Department of Transport and Main Roads |
Scott Emerson |
Minister for Transport and Main Roads |
| Queensland Health |
Lawrence Springborg |
Minister for Health |
| Queensland Treasury and Trade |
Tim Nicholls |
Treasurer and Minister for Trade |
Former Government Departments [edit]
Following the 2009 Queensland state election, which resulted in the re-election of the Bligh Labor Government, a departmental restructure took place in which the number of government departments was reduced to thirteen.[2] These included:
Agencies [edit]
Government owned corporations [edit]
The government is responsible for a number of corporations, of which the responsible minister typically holds a 100% ownership stake in. These include:[3]
In 2006, then-Premier Peter Beattie privatised a number of government owned electricity retailers.[4]
On June 2, 2009 the government announced the 'Renewing Queensland Plan' that would sell state-owned railway, port and forestry assets to raise $15 billion, and avoid a further $12 billion required in future capital investment.[5][6] On 18 May 2010, Queensland Forestry Plantations was the first commercial business to be sold.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
External links [edit]
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