Who decides what: Australia.

A take-home sheet for people at the session. Other countries: United States · United Kingdom · Canada.

Moraph for Good · Voice

Who decides what: Australia

Handout · moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/who-decides-what

Government comes in layers, and each one handles different things. This sheet helps you work out who decides an issue where you live, and how to check.

The layers

National government handles matters for the whole country.
Many countries also have states, provinces or regions.
Local councils run the services you see every day, sometimes in more than one tier.
Special bodies may run schools, water, transport or libraries.

Who does what

Elected members set policy and approve budgets.
Staff run services and can explain how things work now.
To change something, contact elected members. To understand something, start with staff.

Finding out who decides

Start with your local government’s website.
Ask: who decides this, and when will it next be discussed?
Ask in writing and keep the reply.

Voting

For registration, deadlines and polling places, use only your official election office.
Don’t rely on messages, posts or calls for voting information.

In Australia

Three levels. Australia has the federal government, state and territory governments, and local councils, also called shires or municipalities. The ACT has no local councils: its Legislative Assembly handles both state and local responsibilities.
Federal. Responsible for national issues, such as post, telephones and the internet, money, immigration and defence.
State and territory. Responsible for issues in that state or territory, such as public transport, schools, hospitals and policing.
Local councils. Responsible for local issues, such as rubbish collection and recycling, parks, sports fields and swimming pools, pet control, parking, town planning and local roads.
Shared areas. Some responsibilities overlap. Education, health and water management are shared between the federal and state levels.
Find your representatives and enrol. The Parliament of Australia website lists senators and members. The Australian Electoral Commission handles enrolment and federal elections; state and territory electoral commissions run their own elections.

Official places to check:

Parliamentary Education Office: peo.gov.au/understand-our-parliament/how-parliament-works/three-levels-of-government/the-responsibilities-of-the-three-levels-of-government
Parliament of Australia: www.aph.gov.au/Senators_and_Members
Australian Electoral Commission: www.aec.gov.au/enrol

General information, not advice about your own situation. Checked 19 October 2026. If an official source says something different, it is right. Free to copy and adapt. moraph.org/commons/sessions/voice/who-decides-what