The
Government of Victoria
, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded
certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but
retained complete independence in all other areas. The
Victorian Constitution says: "the Legislature of Victoria has full
power and authority." In practice, however, the independence of the
Australian states has been greatly eroded by the increasing
financial domination of the Commonwealth.
Victoria
is governed according to the principles of the Westminster system, a form of
parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom
. Legislative power rests with the Parliament of
Victoria
, which consists of the Crown, represented by the
Governor of Victoria, and the
two Houses, the Victorian
Legislative Council and the Victorian Legislative
Assembly.
Executive power rests formally with the Executive Council, which
consists of the Governor and senior ministers. In practice
executive power is exercised by the
Premier of Victoria 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.
Judicial
power is exercised by the Supreme Court of Victoria
and a system of subordinate courts, but the
High Court of
Australia
and other federal courts have overriding
jurisdiction on matters which fall under the ambit of the
Australian Constitution.
Current Departments and Statutory Bodies
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development
(DEECD)
The
Department
of Education and Early Childhood Development is one of the
largest employers in the Victorian Government with more than 60,000
employees working from more than 1800 locations.
Department of Human Services (DHS)
The
Department
of Human Services is the Victorian Government's largest
department. Its responsibilities include health, mental health,
senior citizens, community services, and public housing.
The department directly employs more than 13,000 people and funds
hospitals, aged care facilities, ambulance services, and community
service agencies that collectively employ more than 80,000
people.
In August 2009 the
Victorian
Premier announced that DHS was to be restructured, to create a
new Department of Health "focusing on hospital performance, mental
health and prevention"; all other responsibilities will be retained
by DHS.
Department of Transport
Department of Innovation, Industry and Regional
Development
victorian cross
Department of Justice
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Department of Primary Industries
Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE)
Website: http://www.dse.vic.gov.au/
Department of Treasury and Finance
- The Department of
Treasury and Finance provides policy advice to the Victorian
Government on economic, financial and resource management,
supporting the delivery of its financially responsible and socially
progressive policy platform.
- The Department formulates and implements the Government’s
longer-term economic and budgetary objectives, which are to achieve
economic growth for all regions of the State and increase the
living standards of all Victorians.
Department of Planning and Community Development
References
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