Married couples enjoy the precedence of the spouse with the higher precedence. When a person is acting in any of the positions listed, he/she enjoys the same precedence but appears behind anyone at that level attending in their own right. South Australia and Western Australia do not issue tables of precedence - the Commonwealth table should be used as a guide. Tables of precedence differ between the Commonwealth and the various states. The Commonwealth table of precedence provides the necessary information to allow seatings and introductions to be made in the correct order. Information on Australian national flag protocols can be found on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website. It is played at all official and ceremonial occasions where the anthem is required. 1.2 National anthem and flag protocolsĪustralia's national anthem is Advance Australia Fair. The Prime Minister is Head of Government.Ī biography for the Governor-General can be found on the Governor-General's website.Įach state has a governor, who is appointed by the King on the advice of the Premier (head of government) of that state. The Governor-General is appointed by the King on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia. Under the Australian Constitution, executive power is exercised by the Governor‑General as the King's representative.

1.8.2 Media and publicity materials issued by missionsĪustralia's Head of State is the King of Australia, His Majesty King Charles III.

1.8.1 Communication with Australian Government authorities.1.8 Other departments and government agencies.1.7 The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).

Following is some practical information about interacting with parliament and the federal government. The states and territories thus have a significant degree of autonomy the Australian Government does not have the legal power to influence many of their decisions.įurther information about Australia's system of government can be found on the Parliament of Australia website. The constitution gives certain powers to the federal government, some powers are shared with the states and territories, while other powers remain with the states and territories. The national government is the Australian Government, also referred to as the federal government or Commonwealth government. The Commonwealth of Australia is a federation of six states and two self-governing territories.

What states are commonwealth states