Federation Maps and Fact Sheets

Australia
A Federation since 1901
Official Website of the federal government of Australia

Constituent units

• Six states: New South Wales; Queensland; Tasmania; Victoria; Western Australia; South Australia.
  Two self-governing territories: Australian Capital Territory and Northern Territory.
  Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands; Christmas Island; Keeling Islands; Coral Sea Islands; Heard Island; Jervis Bay; McDonald Islands; Norfolk Island. Australia also has treaty responsibility for part of Antarctica.
  • Map of Australia
  • Official Websites of state and territorial governments

Constitutional distribution of powers

• The Constitution of Australia, in particular:
  • Powers of the Parliament (Chapter I, Part V, sections 51 and 52)
  • The states (Chapter V)

Legislative institutions

• Federal: Bicameral Parliament composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate is composed of 76 senators, twelve from each of the six states and two from each of the mainland Territories; the senators are directly elected by the people.
  • Official Website of the Senate; also Fact sheet on the Australian Senate;
  • Official Website of the House of Representatives  

• States/territories: Five of the six states have a bicameral Parliament.
  • Websites of state and territorial legislatures, from official Websites of governments of states and territories 

Official language: English

Other links of interest

• Australia's Federation
• Council of Australian Governments
  • An intergovernmental forum which comprises notably the Prime Minister and the State Premiers/Territory Chief Ministers.