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Separation Of Powers Doctrine In Australia

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Often seen as the cornerstone of Australian Government, the separation of powers doctrine is a fundamental principle of law. The law maintains that all three arms of the government remain separated and dictates the power each arm has. This doctrine requires that the judiciary, legislature and the executive all remain distinct from one an other, to ensure they do not interfere and encroach upon each other. This doctrine is essential in maintaining the rule of law. It upholds necessary and important principles that protect the rights of the Australians from an abuse of power by the government. The most important element of the separation of powers doctrine is that the judiciary must be entirely separate from legislature branch and the executive …show more content…

In likeliness to the British concept, the legislative limb and the executive limbs are linked together; though paralleling the American system, a strict distinction between the judiciary and the other two limbs is carefully maintained. This is a Westminster based system. Australia operates a system of responsible governing and law making, this upholds fundamentals that the executive be authoritative to the legislature, however the ministers are members of the legislature and the executive. The separation of the powers is exercised through the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act, it dictates that each arm of the government must operate and not obtain the powers or functions of the other branches. However Australian government does not exercise a rigid strict separation of power because the legislature and the executive are not completely separated. Like most modern Westminster systems, to a various degree, the doctrine of separation of powers is ignored. Australian government does not enforce a strict separation due to constraints placed through following a the more principle doctrine of responsible …show more content…

As stated in the Constitution, if a Chapter III court were to exercise non-judicial powers then it would be in violated of the doctrine, however over the late few years some exceptions have risen that will allow Chapter III courts to be entitled to this power, these exemptions include, when superior courts enacts rules of procedures, justice of a federal court exercises non judicial power in their person capacity and if the court exercises power that is incidental to the execution of judicial power. During Queen Victoria Memorial Hospital v Thornton, High court claimed that the non judicial powers that were administered not as independent actions, but as incidents in the application of judicial power, where previously if a court exercised non judicial powers then the separation of powers doctrine would be breached, was an appropriate and acceptable use of a non judicial power by a court. The High Court held that although it was a legislative function, that superior courts may use non judicial functions in order to govern conduct through rules of

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