Alan J. Ward combines constitutional history and political science to compare all nine of Australia’s political systems, federal, state and territorial, from colonial times to the present. Guided by a model of parliamentary government drawn from comparative politics, he considers the following key topics: the selection of the government, the prime minister and cabinet; government control of the lower house; the primacy of the lower house in bicameral systems; the head of state; the influence of Australian federalism on parliamentary government; and the growth of executive democracy in Australia. Ultimately, Ward argues that as only one of Australia’s nine constitutions accurately describes parliamentary government as practiced in the country, it is a democratic imperative that the other eight be rewritten.

Alan Ward is Emeritus Professor of Government at the College of William and Mary, where he taught for 35 years.

The Anthem-ASP Australasia Publishing Programme

Anthem Asia-Pacific Series