Yr 9 Legal Formative Test – Intro to Australian Legal System

Who interprets the law in courts?

• Police officers

• Judges and magistrates

• Lawyers

• Politicians

What is the purpose of the separation of powers?

• To ensure the government can do whatever it wants

• To prevent one branch of government from becoming too powerful

• To make laws confusing

• To keep lawyers busy

What is the role of the legislature in the legal system?

• To make laws

• To enforce laws

• To interpret laws

• To arrest criminals

What is the main source of law in Australia?

• The Prime Minister

• The Constitution

• The police

• The media

What is the power of the executive branch in the legal system?

• To make laws

• To enforce laws

• To interpret laws

• To resolve disputes

When did federation occur in Australia?

• 1906

• 1901

• 1899

• 1903

How many seats are there in the House of Representatives?

• 150

• 76

• 151

• 145

How can a change be made to the Constitution of Australia?

• By a majority vote in Parliament

• By a referendum where a double majority is required (majority of voters in a majority of states and territories, and a national majority)

• By the Prime Ministers decision

• By the Governor-General’s decree

List 3 purposes of the law

• Is a system of rules created and enforces to regulate behaviours.

• To protect our rights and freedoms, helps resolve disputes between individuals, organisations and the government, and sets standards for acceptable behaviour.

• to keep us safe, to punish people and to protect our rights

• Helps resolve disputes between individuals, organisations and the government, sets standards for acceptable behaviour, to maintain peace and order within society.

List the three (3) features that differentiate a law from a rule.

• Laws are enforced by the government, rules are not, Laws apply to everyone, rules may not.

• Authority, consequence and regulation.

• Laws have legal consequences, rules do not.