Australia's Political Profile: Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy (Essay Sample)

Australia’s Political Profile Student Name: Course: Professor: Date: The government of Australia is a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. The nation belongs to the Commonwealth, and the British Monarch is recognized as its sovereign. Queen Elizabeth II is the head of state, and a Governor General represents her in the country. She is the one who appoints the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister heads the government. The country has a bipartisan system with The Liberal Party being the conservative party and The Australian Labor Party being the social democratic party. The current Prime Minister is Malcolm Bligh Turnbull. He has served as Prime Minister for the country since 14 September 2015 and belonged to the Liberal Party. The current Governor General is Sir Peter Cosgrove, and he has been serving his term since 28 March 2014. The last elections were held on 2 July 2016, and the next is expected to be held on or before 2 November 2019. (Dowding & Martin, 2016) Australia is open to foreign trade. The country’s economy is diverse, competitive and open making it attractive to foreign investors. Until 2007, the country had experienced a trade balance. However, since then there has been trading imbalance brought about by rotating periods of surplus and deficit. The success of foreign trade in Australia is highly determined by the value of the Australian dollar, the price of raw materials and the Chinese economic situation as well. The country has six Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) in force and eight under negotiation. Under World Trade Organization (WTO), the country has signed commitments on tariffs, quotas and export subsidies. (Trade, 2018) The country enjoys a stable, peaceful and prosperous political environment. The Australian Defence Force, the military organization in the country, plays an important role in ensuring the stability of the government. The country has reportedly low levels of corruption and a transparent business environment. However, for the last since 2012, the country has experienced increased cases of corruption. The most corrupt institutions include political parties, trade unions, and the media. Political issues such as changes in legislation and Senate inquiries could pose serious risks in the business environment. In the recent past, Australia has been publicly condemned for human right abuses. Several international human rights organizations such as the United Nations, have expressed concerns over the rights of refugees, indigenous people, intersex people, and women. However, with the imposition of new policies concerning human rights, the situation in the country is taking its rightful shape. Child labor has also been rampant in the country for many years. Many children especially the ones from indigenous communities worked in factories and farms for long hours with a less-sustaining wage. Today, the government has welcomed child labor laws, which will protect children from high-risk, low-cost labor. According to the Australian Human Rights Commission, women in the country have to work about extra two months in a year to earn the same amount of money men are paid for the same work. (Commission, 2018) The Commission is committed to resolving issues concerning gender discrimination, sexual harassment, violence against wome...