How Government Works

The election

Elections for the New South Wales Government are held on the fourth Saturday in March every four years.

It is compulsory to vote in all Australian elections. Compulsory voting was introduced in 1924 and first used in the 1925 elections.

Voting is by secret ballot. It was introduced in 1858.

There are currently 93 separate electorates or seats in the State.

A Government is formed

If a candidate wins their seat they are now a Member of Parliament or MP for short.

The political party that wins the most seats is called the Government.

Up to 20 Ministers are selected from these Members of Parliament (MPs), including the leader of the State Government, the Premier. They form the Executive which is also called the Cabinet or Ministry.

Structure of Government

There are three main branches or elements of Government. The Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary. No one branch can control all power in a democratic system. This is referred to as the Separation of Powers.

The Executive makes all major government decisions on policy directions or spending needed to be approved by all of the Executive.

The Legislature is the law making body which is made up of the upper and lower house, together with the Governor. It also represents the people through elections.

The Judiciary is made up of independent judges appointed to ensure the law is applied fairly to all.

Ministers are given 'portfolios'

The Premier and Ministers are given 'portfolios' like the environment, policing, health, technology or education.

A portfolio includes government departments and agencies that are responsible to their Minister for funding and decisions that will affect the State.

The boss of a department is called a Director-General, also known as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A number of Directors-General could report to the one Minister.

Government departments and agencies

Government departments and agencies are also referred to as the public service or the public sector. People who work in the public sector are called public servants.

The NSW Government has streamlined the structure of the Public Sector by replacing over 130 agencies with 13 Super Departments. The NSW Public Sector employs over 300,000 people across the State.

Corporations such as Sydney Ports and Sydney Water operate as private businesses, but pay profits to the State, and are called Public Trading Enterprises.

Together, these agencies and the many public servants and other employees - such as doctors and engineers - working in them, serve the people of NSW and provide high quality services to the millions of citizens of this State.

All of these agencies are answerable to their CEO's, their Minister, the Cabinet, and eventually, through your elected representatives in Parliament, to you.