Australian Constitution

E51811
constitutional law instrument foundational legal document written constitution

The Australian Constitution is the foundational legal document that establishes the structure, powers, and functions of Australia's federal system of government and its key institutions.

Jump to: Surface forms Statements Referenced by

Observed surface forms (7)

Surface form Occurrences
Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 8
Constitution of Australia 8
Australian Constitution (post-1967 referendum) 1

Statements (68)

Predicate Object
instanceOf constitutional law instrument ⓘ
foundational legal document ⓘ
written constitution ⓘ
allocatesPowersBetween Commonwealth ⓘ
States ⓘ
allowsFor admission or establishment of new States ⓘ
alteration of State boundaries with consent ⓘ
alsoKnownAs Australian Constitution ⓘ
surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK), covering clauses and Constitution
amendmentProcedure referendum under Section 128 ⓘ
assentedToOn 1900-07-09 ⓘ
bindingOn Commonwealth government ⓘ
State governments ⓘ
courts of Australia ⓘ
cameIntoForceWith Commonwealth of Australia ⓘ
surface form: Federation of Australia
commencedOn 1901-01-01 ⓘ
contains a small number of express rights ⓘ
containsSchedule covering clauses preceding the Constitution proper ⓘ
containsSection Section 109 ⓘ
Section 128 ⓘ
Section 51 ⓘ
Section 52 ⓘ
Section 61 ⓘ
Section 71 ⓘ
Section 92 ⓘ
Section 96 ⓘ
country Australia ⓘ
defines Commonwealth of Australia ⓘ
doesNotContain comprehensive bill of rights ⓘ
enactedBy British Parliament ⓘ
surface form: Parliament of the United Kingdom
establishes Parliament of Australia ⓘ
surface form: Commonwealth Parliament

Executive Government of the Commonwealth ⓘ
Governor-General of Australia ⓘ
surface form: Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia

High Court of Australia ⓘ
House of Representatives ⓘ
Senate ⓘ
federal judiciary ⓘ
federal system of government ⓘ
executivePowerVestedIn Queen and exercisable by Governor-General ⓘ
expressRight freedom of religion (Section 116) ⓘ
just terms compensation for acquisition of property (Section 51(xxxi)) ⓘ
non-discrimination against residents of other States (Section 117) ⓘ
right to trial by jury for certain Commonwealth offences (Section 80) ⓘ
federationDate 1901-01-01 ⓘ
headOfStateRoleDefinedBy provisions relating to the Crown and Governor-General ⓘ
impliedRight freedom of political communication (as interpreted by High Court) ⓘ
influencedBy Constitution Act, 1867 ⓘ
surface form: Canadian Constitution (British North America Act 1867)

United Kingdom constitutional conventions ⓘ
United States Constitution ⓘ
interpretedBy High Court of Australia ⓘ
judicialPowerVestedIn High Court of Australia ⓘ
language English ⓘ
legalSystem common law ⓘ
legislativePowerVestedIn Parliament of Australia ⓘ
surface form: Federal Parliament
originalJurisdictionOfHighCourt defined in Section 75 and Section 76 ⓘ
originallyAppliedTo six Australian colonies ⓘ
partOf Australian Constitution self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK)
providesFor bicameral federal parliament ⓘ
constitutional monarchy ⓘ
division of powers between Commonwealth and States ⓘ
referendum process for constitutional amendment ⓘ
responsible government ⓘ
requiresForAmendment majority of voters in a majority of States ⓘ
national majority of voters ⓘ
shortTitle Australian Constitution self-linksurface differs ⓘ
surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
status supreme law of Australia ⓘ
subjectTo constitutional conventions ⓘ
supremacyClause Section 109 gives Commonwealth law precedence over inconsistent State law ⓘ
tradeProvision Section 92 guarantees freedom of interstate trade and commerce ⓘ

Referenced by (31)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Australia Act 1986 → affects → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
Australian Constitution → alsoKnownAs → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK), covering clauses and Constitution
President of the Australian Senate → associatedWith → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
Governor-General of Australia → constitutingInstrument → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia
High Court of Australia → constitutionalBasis → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Chapter III of the Australian Constitution
King of Australia → constitutionalBasis → Australian Constitution ⓘ
Parliament of Australia → constitutionalBasis → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
Senate of Australia → constitutionalBasis → Australian Constitution ⓘ
Common law of New South Wales → constrainedBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia
House of Representatives of Australia → createdBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
Parliament of Australia → createdBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia
President of the Australian Senate → createdBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
Senate of Australia → createdBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
Dominion of Australia → establishedBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
the House → establishedBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
Australian government → foundationDocument → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia
Government of Western Australia → governingDocument → Australian Constitution ⓘ
High Court of Australia → interprets → Australian Constitution ⓘ
Governor-General of Australia → officeCreatedBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
Australian Constitution → partOf → Australian Constitution self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900 (UK)
Section 24 of the Australian Constitution → partOf → Australian Constitution ⓘ
Aboriginal Australians → recognizedBy → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Australian Constitution (post-1967 referendum)
Australian Constitution → shortTitle → Australian Constitution self-linksurface differs ⓘ
this entity surface form: Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900
Constitution of Queensland → subjectTo → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia
Government of New South Wales → subordinateTo → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia
Government of South Australia → subordinateTo → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Australian Constitution in federal matters
Government of Western Australia → subordinateTo → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia
Queensland Government → subordinateTo → Australian Constitution ⓘ
this entity surface form: Constitution of Australia