The Westminster system and the government - Free Essay Example

1. The Westminster System The Westminster System (WS) is the British structure of representative government embodied by an executive council meeting within and being accountable to the legislature. Some other elements of the WS are a supreme executive authority, the Crown which doesn’t actively play a part in government, and a self-determining judiciary. Executive and legislative powers are not separate. It is called the WS because the British Parliament sits at Westminster which is part London. The constitutions of the Australian Commonwealth and the States adopted the WS which is also acknowledged as responsible government (Butt 2004, 457). 2. Responsible Government Responsible government is a specific way of governing through its elected representatives. Under this structure, the Parliament, not the government, is elected by Australian voters. Government Members are also Parliament Members. They become the government as they have a majority of members in the House of Representatives of the Australian Parliament. Occasionally a minority government might need the support of either a smaller party or independent Members. What is central to this structure is Responsible Cabinet government in Australia, and the democratic and liberal values which are entrenched within it. 2.1 Parliament and the Election of the Government Th e democratic element in the structure of the Australian government is the voters elect the Members of Parliament these Members then select the government. Under the WS the government is in the form of the Cabinet which is made up of the Prime Minister and Ministers who are drawn from the Government Members. 2.2 Parliament and the System of Responsible Government The Liberal element in the structure is that the government is held accountable to the Australian people. The Government is responsible to the Parliament not only for its actions but also for the government’s administrative arm (public service). The Government accountability is to the voters through periodic elections and is reinforced by procedures of the Parliament, and checks on the government executive branch and its bureaucracy. 2.3 Parliament and Ministerial Responsibility Individual ministerial responsibility is that Ministers are responsible to the Parliament not only for their actions but also fo r those of their departments. In the event of improprieties or maladministration’s a Minister should resign. A collective ministerial responsibility is when all Ministers must take responsibility for Cabinet decisions. A Minister that disagrees publicly with cabinet decisions should resign from the Ministry first. 2.4 The Australian model of the Westminster System The drafters of the Australian Constitution made two important modifications to the WS. They established the Senate an elected second chamber of Parliament where each State had equal representation. The other is based on parliament’s formal procedures which disguises the exercise of power of the Parliament, and its role in regards to the government’s exercise of executive power (Woodward 2010, 73-74). 3. Head of State A feature of responsible government in Australia involves the head of state. All executive powers are allocated in the Australian Constitution to the head of state. Yet in pra ctice, these powers are implemented on the recommendation by the elected government in virtually all cases. The government bears responsibility for all the decisions and the head of state (Governor General) remains above most of the political disputes (Woodward 2010, 66-68). 4. Conventions of Westminster-style democracies Australia, unlike the United Kingdom, the constitution is a written document where some of these rules are contained. The stipulations of the Constitution contain the official rules of government. But there are areas where the Constitution is silent, political behavior is directed by established practices, usages, methods, maxims and habits most of them were received from colonial parliaments, and in turn they were received from WS (Reid 1977, 244). 4.1. Principles of Westminster-style democracies Conventions are an integral component of the Westminster-style democracies supplying the details and assisting political practice to observe the principles of responsible government. For instance, conventions cover: †¢procedures concerning the relationship involving the Prime Minister or Premier and the Cabinet, †¢the function and the responsibilities of Cabinet; †¢separation of powers; †¢relations between the Crown and the Parliament; †¢relationships between the Houses of Parliament; and †¢how budgets are appropriated (Heard 1991, 1). 4.2 Constitutional Conventions There is a variety of definitions on what establishes a constitutional convention. Mainly definitions refer back to the work of British scholar A.V. Dicey who examined the distinctions concerning the law and the numerous constitutional conventions of the Constitution (Heard 1991, p. 4). 4.2.1 Identifying the existence of a convention The questions that need to be asked: †¢what are the precedents; †¢ do the players in these precedents consider they were obligated by these rules; and †¢ is there a beneficial purpose for the rule (Jennings 1959, 159) 4.3 Australian Parliamentary Key Conventions The main conventions are: †¢governments recognise a loyal opposition; †¢ministers must answer on behalf of their departments and provide explanations if questioned; †¢ministers must not mislead Parliament – or if they do inadvertently, then they must correct the record immediately; and †¢ministers have a duty to attend Question Time, except if they have urgent business (Jaconelli 2005, 150). 5. Conclusion The WS has evolved over hundreds of years and will continue to evolve; these precedents and practices continue to play a significant role in Australia, and serve our democratic way of life well. Bibliography Butt, P 2004, Concise Australian Legal Dictionary, 3rd edn, LexisNexis Butterworths, Chatswood NSW. Heard, A. 1991, Canadian Constitutional Conventions: The Marriage of Law and Politics. Oxford University Press, Toront o. Jaconelli, J. 2005, Do Constitutional Conventions Bind? Cambridge Law Journal, 64(1), March, pp. 149-176, viewed 12 March 2014, via Google Scholar. Jennings, I. 1959, The Law and the Constitution, 5th edn, University of London Press, London. Reid, G.S. 1977, ‘Commentaries’. In Evans, G (eds) Labor and the Constitution: Essays and Commentaries on Constitutional Controversies of the Whitlam Years in Australian Government. Heinemann, Melbourne. Woodward, D., Parkin, A. and Summers, J. (eds), Government, Politics, Power and Policy in Australia, 9th Edn., Pearson, Frenchs Forest NSW. 1

Changing Roles Of Nursing Today - 1358 Words

Changing Roles in Nursing Today Kenneth Zapata Miami Dade College Professor- Dr. Violeta Aguilar NUR3846- 856887 Changing Roles in Nursing Today Introduction The health care industry is undergoing a considerate change. In fact, the new model of leadership is current running across industries. According to Bickford, Brewer, Cones, Humes, and Wurzbacher (2010), the theory of transformational leadership is becoming popular among the health practitioners. It revolves around quality services and motivation. Patients like customers need quality services. However, the quality of services provided depends on the motivation of staff. For a long time, the nurses and doctors have been treated with cold bath. Nobody appreciated them as they†¦show more content†¦The registered nurses must make judgments based on the social science, behavioral, physical, and biological principles. Apart from being a profession, nursing appears to be a scientific discipline (Bickford et al., 2010). For example, the society expects nurses to use critical thinking so as to integrate the knowledge gained and objective data based on the healthcare consumer’s experience. The registered nurses use critical thinking and available evidence to diagnose and make judgment about the treatment of the patients. In most cases, nurses incessantly evaluate the effectiveness and quality of their practices to maximize outcomes. Evidence-Based Practice The evidence-based practice model has considerably impacted the nursing industry. The stakeholders expect the practitioners to deliver quality services that would transform the industry beyond the reproach. According to Stevens (2013), the national healthcare professionals have recommended improvements for the nurses working environment. Their valuable contributions will depend on the redesigned healthcare model. The evidence-based practice model offers the opportunity for nurses to incessantly improve on their performance. It involves the introduction of multiple practice adoptions and realignment of the education curriculum to help the nurses meet the dynamic demand in the health care industry. Shared Governance Model The sociological,

The Civil War America s Most Brutal Battles - 1902 Words

The Civil War was one of America’s most brutal battles in history. Majority of which being white, male soldiers. Over the years, many historians have argued the actual involvement of blacks during the civil war era. Many claiming that they were doing nothing more than assisting the actual, white soldiers in combat such as, nurses, and wagon drivers, not actually picking up the gun and shooting alongside in battle. Most people look over the fact that almost ten percent, or 180,000, of the Union army were African American. Though a small fraction of the amount of total soldiers during the war, their involvement is still significant. These soldiers recruited and voluntarily, committing the same acts of bravery of any Caucasian solider, due to the prejudice against them, they were pushed to the back burner and treated with disrespect, virtually diminishing their extensive courageous acts. Nevertheless these soldiers made an impact in world changing war. The Civil War is something almost everyone has a general idea about. It is more than a huge part of America’s history and is the central event in America s historical consciousness. This war, unlike the American Revolution which created the first American states, determined what kind of nation it would be. Though there are many reasons for the cause of the American Civil War, one of the main reasons is the different attitudes the North and the South had toward slavery. In January of 1863, The Emancipation Proclamation wasShow MoreRelatedBook Review Killing Lincoln765 Words   |  4 Pagesprocess of ending slavery and dealing with the civil war. The book tells the story of our president trying to do good things, while John Wilkes Booth is planning to do a really bad deed by killing Lincoln. This book shows us that Lincoln had a lot on his plate dealing with the Civil war and the criticism from the south. 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The Importance Of Effective Decision Making - 868 Words

The Importance of Effective Decision-Making Inadequate information, data, and knowledge. For rational decision-making to be accurate, reliable, and complete, information about various aspects of the problem under investigation is necessary. Possible future trends can be estimated with the help of such information. This facilitates rational decision-making. However, adequate and reliable information may not be available at the time of decision-making. As a result, the decisions may become defective or irrational or may prove faulty in the course of time. This is how decisions become irrational. Leader’s choices and actions are the result of the leader’s experiences (Bennis Goldsmith, 1997). Leadership in organizations is driven by uncertainty. How leaders make decisions based on that uncertainty determines the performance of an organization (Hatch, 1997). Decisions are made on the basis of information available about various environmental variables. 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Balances Of Values And Academiic Freedom Of Inquir Essay Example For Students

Balances Of Values And Academiic Freedom Of Inquir Essay yBalances of Values and Academiic Freedom of InquiryDear Mr. R. Kirby Godsey,In the process of life we face many challenges and many crossroads. Wehave many choices and many decisions to make. In making these decisions we mustkeep in mind the moral values our parents have taught us since we were born. Those Christian values should guide our lives and the choices we make. Thesesame values should also guide at school as well. In our pursuit of knowledge, weshould keep these values in mind. In our never-ending road of learning, we are granted with many academicfreedoms. We have the freedom to question and try to learn new ideas. We alsohave the freedom to disagree with the material presented to us. We can disagreeand voice our opinions, but in an orderly fashion. In exercising those freedoms, we should do so with maturity andresponsibility. As students, we are responsible for learning all the content ofany course we study. We are free to take exception to the views or informationpresented to us, and we are free to reserve judgment about matters of opinions. Sometimes, in our quest for knowledge, there becomes a conflict betweenour beliefs we are accustomed to and the material presented to us. When there isa difference, we should not ignore the idea or block it out. We should feel freeto learn and question new ideas. Just because we learn something doesnt mean wehave to accept it. We should leave ourselves open to new ideas. When we do thiswe become very well rounded individuals. An example of this is the issue involving the debate between evolutionand creationism. As Christians, we naturally believe in creationism, but weshouldnt stop learning about evolution because we dont believe in it. Thismakes us very close minded. We shouldnt stop learning about a subject justbecause we dont believe in it. One of our freedoms is the academic freedom ofinquiry. This means we have freedom to question. We have the freedom to learn. We can still search for more answers, and we can learn different theories andstill keep our beliefs. The trick in doing this is to balance all of this. Wemust be able to keep our beliefs and new ideas presented separated. We must beable to draw a line between what you learn and what you believe. In doing thiswe become open minded individuals. I believe if we can balance our values and our academic freedom ofinquiry we have reached a whole new level of learning. Not many people can dothis. It is hard to want to learn material presented to us that you dontparticularly care for or believe in. When we learn to do this we are open to awhole new world of possibilities. I feel I have learned how to keep my morals and beliefs, whilecontinuing my search for new ideas and information. I feel I have learned tobalance these. I have found the line between the two , and I know when too faris too far. Since Mercer is a place where I can feel free to open myself to newdoors and express my beliefs, I feel I would blend into the Mercer environmentvery well. I am open to new ideas and want to learn. I want to get the besteducation I can get and Mercer is the place where I can get it. I am willing tolearn as much as I can, whether it is spiritually, academically, orintellectually. .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 , .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .postImageUrl , .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 , .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2:hover , .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2:visited , .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2:active { border:0!important; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2:active , .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2 .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uc94a24bbf20afc1568521bd393ddcac2:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Rizal's Life Reaction Paper EssaySincerely,XXXXXXXXX

A Review of Christopher R. Brownings Ordinary Men free essay sample

This review of Christopher R. Brownings `Ordinary Men` examines the Nazi soldiers psyche during the holocaust. This paper reviews Christopher R. Brownings `Ordinary Men,` and its analysis of Nazi soldiers that murdered innocent civilians in the holocaust. The paper shows the methods used by the soldiers to rationalize their actions even though many of them were morally opposed to what they were ordered to do. From the paper: `It is understandably commonplace to refer to Hitler as a monster, as inhuman. It is also, by extension, equally commonplace to refer to the Nazis who obeyed him as monsters as well. Yet before the implementation of the madness that was the `Final Solution` in Germany and Eastern Europe, these Nazi soldiers were human beings like ourselves, individuals who lived in a world only a half-century or so before ours. They made ethical decisions on a day-to-day basis. They were ordinary men, according to Christopher R. We will write a custom essay sample on A Review of Christopher R. Brownings Ordinary Men or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Browning, who committed acts of extraordinary cruelty. The thesis of his book, appropriately titled Ordinary Men, provides a less comforting view of the foot soldiers of the Holocaust than is tempting to take. But it is ultimately more ethically illuminating these men were not monsters, Browning suggests, they were ordinary men who provide an example for us all how low we can sink if we are not vigilant in resisting the evil that exists around us.`