List of Australian Monarchs - Constitutional Role

Constitutional Role

Australia's constitution is a written one, based on the Westminster model of government, with federal elements modelled on the United States Constitution and a distinct separation of powers. It gives Australia a parliamentary system of government similar to the other Commonwealth realms, wherein the role of the Queen and the Governor-General is both legal and practical. The Crown is regarded as a corporation, in which several parts share the authority of the whole, with the Queen as the person at the centre of the constitutional construct, The 1993 Republic Advisory Committee concluded that "the Queen" in the constitution means "the Australian Government". The sovereign is represented in the federal sphere by the Governor-General – appointed by the monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister of Australia – and in the states by governors – appointed by the monarch upon the advice of the relevant state premier.

There is some debate over whether the sovereign or the governor-general is Australia's head of state.