Government of Queensland - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Government of Queensland is commonly known as the "Queensland Government".
The form of the Government of Queensland

Queensland

Queensland is a state of Australia, occupying the north-eastern section of the mainland continent. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Australia and New South Wales to the west, south-west and south respectively. To the east, Queensland is bordered by the Coral Sea and Pacific Ocean...

is prescribed in its Constitution, which dates from 1859, although it has been amended many times since then. Since 1901 Queensland has been a state of the Commonwealth of Australia

Australia

Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...

, and the Australian Constitution regulates its relationship with the Commonwealth.

Queensland is governed according to the principles of the Westminster system

Westminster System

The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....

, a form of parliamentary government based on the model of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. Executive power is exercised by the Premier of Queensland and the Cabinet, who are appointed by the Governor

Governors of Queensland

The Governor of Queensland is the representative in the state of Queensland of the Queen of Australia. The Governor performs the same constitutional and ceremonial functions at the state level as does the Governor-General of Australia at the national level....

, but who hold office by virtue of their ability to command the support of a majority of members of the Legislative Assembly. The Queensland Legislative Council

Queensland Legislative Council

The Queensland Legislative Council was the upper house of the parliament in the Australian state of Queensland. It was a fully nominated body which first took office on 1 May 1860. It was abolished by the Constitution Amendment Act 1921, which took effect on 23 March 1922.Consequently, the...

was the upper house of the Queensland Parliament until its abolition in 1922. Consequently, the Queensland Legislative Assembly

Queensland Legislative Assembly

The Queensland Legislative Assembly is the unicameral chamber of the Parliament of Queensland. Elections are held approximately once every three years. Voting is by the Optional Preferential Voting form of the Alternative Vote system...

is the only unicameral state parliament in Australia.

Legislative power rests with the Parliament of Queensland

Parliament of Queensland

The Parliament of Queensland is the legislature of Queensland, Australia. According to the state's constitution, the Parliament consists of the Queen and the Legislative Assembly. It is the only unicameral state parliament in the country, the upper chamber, the Legislative Council, having been...

, which consists of the Crown, represented by the Governor of Queensland, and the Queensland Legislative Assembly. The Legislative Assembly generally sits at Parliament House, Brisbane

Parliament House, Brisbane

Parliament House in Brisbane is the home of the Parliament of Queensland, housing the Legislative Assembly. It is situated on the corner of George Street and Alice Street...

and it currently consists of one member

Members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly, 2009–2012

This is a list of members of the Queensland Legislative Assembly from 2009 to 2012, as elected at the 2009 election:-See also:*Speaker of the Queensland Legislative Assembly*Premier: Anna Bligh...

from each of the 89 electorates. In Queensland general elections must be held every three years.

Government Ministerial Portfolios

The following people are Ministers in the current Cabinet.

Premier
Premier
Premier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...

and Minister for Reconstruction: Anna Bligh
Anna Bligh
Anna Maria Bligh is an Australian politician and the Premier of Queensland since 2007. The 2009 Queensland state election was the first time a female-led political party won or retained state or federal government in Australia...
Deputy Premier, Treasurer and Minister for State Development and Trade: Andrew Fraser
Andrew Fraser (Queensland politician)
Andrew Peter Fraser is an Australian politician in the Queensland State Parliament. He was first elected into the Queensland Legislative Assembly on the 7 February 2004...
Attorney-General, Minister for Local Government and Special Minister of State: Paul Lucas
Paul Lucas (politician)
Paul Thomas Lucas is the Attorney-General of Queensland and Minister for Local Government and Special Minister of State in the Bligh Labor Government and the Member for Lytton...
Minister for Health: Geoff Wilson
Geoff Wilson (Australian politician)
Geoffrey James "Geoff" Wilson is an Australian politician. Born in Culcairn in New South Wales, he was a barrister on the NSW Supreme Court, the Federal Court and the High Court. He was also a union official. In 1998, he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as the Labor member for...
Minister for Police, Corrective Services and Emergency Services: Neil Roberts
Neil Roberts (politician)
Neil Stuart Roberts is an Australian politician. He was first elected to the seat of Nudgee in the Queensland State Parliament on 15 July 1995....
Minister for Energy and Water Utilities: Stephen Robertson
Stephen Robertson (politician)
Stephen Robertson , Australian politician, is a member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly representing the electoral district of Stretton for the Australian Labor Party. He was the Minister for Natural Resources, Mines and Energy and Minister for Trade in the cabinet of Premier Anna Bligh...
Minister for Main Roads, Fisheries and Marine Infrastructure: Craig Wallace
Craig Wallace
Craig Andrew Wallace is an Australian politician. He is the member for Thuringowa in the Queensland State Parliament, to which he was elected to on 7 February 2004....
Minister for Education and Industrial Relations: Cameron Dick
Cameron Dick
The Honourable Cameron Robert Dick MP is the Australian Labor Party representative of the seat of Greenslopes in the Queensland Legislative Assembly...
Minister for Agriculture, Food and Regional Economies: Tim Mulherin
Tim Mulherin
Timothy Sean "Tim" Mulherin is an Australian politician. Born in Mackay, he was a clerk on the Mackay Electricity Board before becoming involved in politics. From 1994 to 1995 he was a state organiser of the Australian Labor Party. In 1995, he was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly as...
Minister for Employment, Skills and Mining: Stirling Hinchliffe
Stirling Hinchliffe
Stirling James Hinchliffe is an Australian politician. Born in Dalby, Queensland, he was educated at state schools and received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Queensland. He was a property industry analyst, policy manager, policy advisor and executive officer before his entry into...
Minister for Finance and the Arts: Rachel Nolan
Rachel Nolan
Rachel Genevieve Nolan is an Australian politician. She was elected as the state member for Ipswich on 17 February 2001. At the time she was Queensland's youngest ever female MP....
Minister for Environment: Vicky Darling
Vicky Darling
Vicky Elizabeth Darling is a Labor politician elected to the Queensland State Parliament in September 2006 as the member for the safe seat of Sandgate....
Minister for Transport and Multicultural Affairs: Annastacia Palaszczuk
Annastacia Palaszczuk
Annastacia Palaszczuk, born 25 July 1969, is an Australian politician. She has been an Australian Labor Party member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since September 2006, representing the electorate of Inala....
Minister for Child Safety and Minister for Sport: Phil Reeves
Phil Reeves (politician)
Philip Gerard "Phil" Reeves is an Australian politician. Born in Brisbane, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Leisure Management from Griffith University and was a sports management and marketing consultant. He joined the Australian Labor Party in 1987 and was Vice-President of the Garden City Branch...
Minister for Community Services and Housing and Minister for Women: Karen Struthers
Karen Struthers
Karen Struthers is an Australian politician. She represents the electoral district of Algester in the Queensland Legislative Assembly, having held the seat since its inception at the 2001 state election. She first entered parliament after the 1998 election, winning the seat of Archerfield...
Minister for Tourism, Manufacturing and Small Business: Jan Jarratt
Jan Jarratt
Janice Heather "Jan" Jarratt is an Australian politician. She was a teacher specialising in children with learning difficulties before entering parliament. A member of the Australian Labor Party, she was elected to the Queensland Legislative Assembly for the seat of Whitsunday in 2001...
Minister for Government Services, Building Industry and Information and Communication Technology: Simon Finn
Simon Finn
Simon Finn is an English psych folk musician.Finn was born in 1951 in Surrey, moved to London in 1967, where his first performance was opening for Al Stewart at the Marquee Club in Soho. He released his Pass the Distance LP in 1970, which in later years attained legendary status as it was so hard...
Minister for Disability Services, Mental Health and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships: Curtis Pitt
Curtis Pitt
Curtis Warren Pitt is an Australian politician. He has been a Labor member of the Queensland Legislative Assembly since 2009, representing the district of Mulgrave.-Early life:...

Courts and Tribunals

Judicial power is exercised by the Supreme Court of Queensland

Supreme Court of Queensland

The Supreme Court of Queensland, which is based at the Law Courts Complex, is the superior court for the Australian State of Queensland and sits around the middle of the Australian court hierarchy...

and a system of subordinate courts, but the High Court of Australia

High Court of Australia

The High Court of Australia is the supreme court in the Australian court hierarchy and the final court of appeal in Australia. It has both original and appellate jurisdiction, has the power of judicial review over laws passed by the Parliament of Australia and the parliaments of the States, and...

is the final arbitrator of most legal questions, other federal courts have jurisdiction on matters which fall under the ambit of the Federal Government as defined by the Australian Constitution. Other Queensland courts include the Children's Court of Queensland

Children's Court of Queensland

The Children's Court of Queensland is a specialized court in Queensland, a state of Australia which deals with serious crimes committed by children under the age of seventeen years in the state. The court should not be confused with the Children's Court which is a magistrates court in the...

, Coroners Court of Queensland

Coroners Court of Queensland

The Coroners Court of Queensland is a court in Queensland, a state of Australia. The Court has exclusive jurisdiction over the remains of a person and to make findings about the cause of death of a person....

, District Court of Queensland

District Court of Queensland

The District Court of Queensland is a court in Queensland, a state of Australia. It has jurisdiction to hear:* appeals from decisions of the Magistrates' Court of Queensland;...

and the Magistrates' Court of Queensland

Magistrates' Court of Queensland

The Magistrates Court of Queensland is the lowest court for the Australian state of Queensland. The court is the first stop in many criminal and civil actions and deal with minor criminal and civil matters...

Departments

After the 2009 Queensland state election

Queensland state election, 2009

The Queensland state election was held to elect members to the unicameral Parliament of Queensland on 21 March 2009. The election saw the incumbent Labor government led by Premier Anna Bligh defeat the Liberal National Party of Queensland led by Opposition Leader Lawrence Springborg, and gain a...

a restructure of Queensland departments resulted in there being a total of 13 main departments. These include;

Department of Communities
Department of Community Safety including the Queensland Ambulance Service
Queensland Ambulance Service
The Queensland Ambulance Service is the chief provider of out-of-hospital emergency care and ambulance transport in the state of Queensland, Australia...

and the Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
Queensland Fire and Rescue Service
The Queensland Fire and Rescue Service is the primary provider of fire suppression and life rescue services to the residents and visitors to the state of Queensland, Australia....
Department of Education and Training
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation
Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation is the Queensland Government department for employment, economic development and innovation for the state of Queensland...

including the former Department of Mines and Energy
Department of Mines and Energy, Queensland
The Department of Mines and Energy is a Queensland Government department dealing with Queensland's energy sector. The head office of the department is at 61 Mary Street in Brisbane.-Origin:...

which is now known as Mines and Energy and the former Queensland Department of Primary Industries which became Queensland Primary Industries and Fisheries which included Biosecurity Queensland
Department of Environment and Resource Management which includes Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Protection Agency (Queensland)
Queensland's Environmental Protection Agency was for some time a separate department of the Queensland Government, and, following 2009 State elections, became a part of the Government's larger Department of Environment and Resource Management.This part of the Department of Environment and...

, Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service
The Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service, or QPWS, is a sub-section of the Environmental Protection Agency within the Queensland government. Its primary concern is with the development and maintenance of national parks within Queensland.-External links:*...

and the former Department of Natural Resources and Water
Department of Natural Resources and Water
The Department of Natural Resources and Water is a defunct Queensland Government department. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander matters, Climate Change Policy and Science, Commercial Forestry, Commercial Water Services, Land , Native Title, Natural Resource Management , Catchment Management,...
Queensland Health
Queensland Health
Queensland Health is the department of the Government of Queensland responsible for operating and administering the public health system of the Australian State of Queensland. It is responsible to the State's Health Minister Geoff Wilson and its Director-General is Tony O'Connell.Queensland Health...
Department of Infrastructure and Planning
Department of Justice and Attorney-General
Queensland Police
Queensland Police
The Queensland Police Service is the law enforcement agency responsible for policing the Australian state of Queensland. In 1990, the Queensland Police Force was officially renamed the Queensland Police Service and the old motto of "Firmness with Courtesy" was changed to "With Honour We Serve"...
Department of Premier and Cabinet
Department of Public Works
Department of Transport and Main Roads
Department of Transport and Main Roads
The Department of Transport and Main Roads is a department of the Queensland Government. The department manages Queensland's approximately 33,000 km state-controlled road network, which includes more than 6,500 bridges and major culverts...

which now includes the former Department of Main Roads
Department of Main Roads (Queensland)
The Queensland Government Department of Transport and Main Roads plans, designs, builds and maintains the 34,000km of Queensland state-controlled roads, under the Minister for Local Government and Main Roads. Warren Pitt is the current Minister for Local Government and Main Roads.The department is...

and Queensland Transport
Queensland Treasury

Restructures

The Department of Tourism, Fair Trading and Wine Industry Development was abolished on 13 September 2007. The Office of Fair Trading and the Wine Industry Development Division became part of the Department of Employment, Economic Development and Innovation. The Tourism Division became Tourism Queensland.

The Department of Natural Resources and Water has had a number of former titles and responsibilities including Department of Natural Resources and Mines

Department of Natural Resources and Mines

The Department of Natural Resources and Mines is the former name of the Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water. The name change was implement to recognise the Government's policy focus on water supply in the current drought...

and the Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water

Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water

The Department of Natural Resources, Mines and Water is the former name of the Queensland Government Department of Natural Resources and Water. The department changed its name after the 9 September 2006 State election when responsibility for the Mines administrative unit was transferred to the new...

Agencies

Tourism Queensland
Tourism Queensland
Tourism Queensland is the state government agency responsible for the marketing of Queensland tourism destinations and the development of the tourist industry in the state. The agency was established in 1979 as the Queensland Tourist and Travel Corporation. Tourism Queensland was once part of the...
Queensland Housing Commission
Queensland Housing Commission
The Queensland Housing Commission is a Queensland Government agency, established in 1945. The agency aims to improve the lives of individuals and families by providing access to secure, affordable and appropriate housing....
Queensland Water Commission
Queensland Water Commission
The Queensland Water Commission is a Queensland Government agency established to develop long term water supply strategies. The Commission is chaired by Mary Boydell and the current chief executive officer is John Bradley....
Residential Tenancies Authority
Residential Tenancies Authority
The Residential Tenancies Authority is a self funded statutory authority providing targeted and dedicated services to meet the diverse needs of the Queensland residential rental sector...
Queensland Heritage Council
Queensland Heritage Council
The Queensland Heritage Council is an independent statuory authority created by the Queensland Parliament under the Queensland Heritage Act 1992. The Council advises and reports to the Minister for Climate Change and Sustainability and is supported by a secretariat provided by the Department of...
Queensland Competition Authority

Government owned corporations

The government is responsible for a number of corporations, of which the responsible minister typically holds a 100% ownership stake in. These include Queensland Rail

Queensland Rail

Queensland Rail, also known as QR, is a government-owned railway operator in the state of Queensland. Under the control of the Queensland Government, Queensland Rail operates the inner-city and long-distance passenger services, as well as some freight operations and gives railway access to other...

, SunWater

SunWater

SunWater is a company located in Queensland, Australia. The company supplies bulk water to over 6000 customers and water consultancy to a range of clients....

, Golden Casket

Golden Casket

Golden Casket is the public limited lottery corporation in Queensland trading on ASX, Australia. It sells lottery tickets and Instant Scratch-Its tickets through newsagents and other convenience stores. Lottery draws are televised on Channel Seven four nights a week.Golden Casket makes a net...

, Stanwell Corporation

Stanwell Corporation

Stanwell Corporation is an electricity generation company in Australia. It is fully owned by the Queensland Government, and has a portfolio of generating sites using thermal coal, wind, and hydroelectric power in Queensland....

, Tarong Energy

Tarong Energy

Tarong Energy is an electricity generation company in Australia. It was fully owned by the Queensland Government, and had a portfolio of generating sites using thermal coal and hydroelectric power in Queensland. Following a review by the Treasurer of Queensland of the state’s electricity sector in...

, Powerlink Queensland, Energex

Energex

Energex is an Australian energy company owned by the Queensland Government. It is based in Brisbane and was founded in 1922 as the City Electric Light Co....

, CS Energy

CS Energy

CS Energy is an Australia based electricity generating company owned by the Government of Queensland with it's head office located in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane...

, Ergon

Ergon (Australia)

Ergon is a corporation owned by the Government of Queensland, Australia. It supplies electricity to Queenslanders outside the metropolitan southeast through a distribution network and retail activities....

, South Bank Corporation, Mackay Port Authority, Cairns Port Authority

Cairns Port Authority

Cairns Port Authority is a Queensland Government statutory Corporation responsible for the operation of the Cairns Seaport. The Authority is also responsible for the Cairns Marlin Marina and the Cityport project. The Seaport and Cityport comprise the authority’s business units.- Cairns Seaport...

, Port of Brisbane

Port of Brisbane

Port of Brisbane is the shipping port of Brisbane, on the east coast of Australia. It is located in the lower reaches of the Brisbane River on reclaimed land that was once called Fisherman Islands at the mouth of the river. It currently is the third busiest port in Australia and the nation's...

, Port of Townsville

Port of Townsville

Port of Townsville is a seaport in Townsville, Queensland. It is the third largest seaport in Queensland after Port of Brisbane and the Central Queensland Port in Gladstone. Port of Townsville handles numerous imports and exports mainly, Mineral Ores, Fertiliser, Concentrates, Sugar and Motor...

, Office of Government Owned Corporations, Ports Corporation of Queensland and QIC.

On June 2, 2009 the government announced the 'Renewing Queensland Plan' that would sell state-owned railway, port and forestry assets to raise $15 billion, and avoid a further $12 billion required in future capital investment.

External links

Queensland Government web site
List of Queensland Government non-departmental bodies
Get involved — Queensland Government community engagement website.
Queensland Parliament
The Premier of Queensland

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.