The+Island+Goverment

 __**Government**__

__1. What is the role of government in representing the people??__

The government on the Island will be composed of a body of individuals who exercise control over political decision-making. Their role is to enforce laws, legislate new ones, and mediate conflicts. The purpose of our government is to form a governing authority that can be trusted by its citizens.

On the Island the government will be responsible for a wide range of duties to ensure the welfare of its people is protected. The government will act as a central authority for the large amount of people that form our country. Our government will also play a major role in the development of economic security in society, as well as being responsible for managing, regulating and stabilising our economy for the benefit of our people.

The Government will also provide assistance to its citizens to help them become self sufficient. Financial support will be given to the elderly, disabled, students and low income earners. Our government will also provide the public with the basic facilities of health, education, transport, infrastructure, defence forces and emergency services.

__How can we provide each settlement with equal access to revenue?__

To ensure that all 4 settlements on the Island have equal opportunities to create revenue, the planning of each of the settlements would need to be taken into consideration. The Island government would need to evaluate the needs of the communities residing in each of the settlements to make sure that the shops, leisure facilties and services were suitable to the demands of the population. The dynamics of the residents at each of the settlements would carefully be evaluated, i.e. whether the settlement is populated by a ageing generation or has a considerable younger population. The government will be assessing the different types of occupations that are held within each of the settlements.

Throughout the 4 settlements there will be common facilities/services offered such as education through formal schooling, healthcare through medical practices and hospitals, emergency Services (police, fire brigade service and ambulance), fresh food markets and transport facilities.

The three main priorities of the Government will be in the areas of Education, Health and Sustainability. There three areas are of specific focus as they all sigficantly contribute to the prosperity and longevity of the occupants/residents of the Island, the Wildlife/Nature living on the Island and the Island itself.

Education is providing guidance and opporunities for the Island's residents in particular the younger generation. It provides the younger citizens with greater opportunities as well as the chance to aquire new knowledge and have meaningful learning experiences. Education is considered a priority of the Government as it is a long term investment in the future of the Island.

Providing adequate health services and providing assistance and guidance where necessary for all of the population on the Island is essential for maintaining a functioning and prosperus Island. The Government on the Island aims to provide it's residents with efficient health services inlcuding emergency services as well as easily assessible basic medical facilties such as doctors, dentists, hosiptals and pharmacies. Extended health services throughout the Island will also be included such as : Nursing homes/Retirement facilties for ageing generation and Maternity and Early Child Health facilities providing support and care for soon to be mothers/ families with young children.

Sustainability is another major area of focus for the Government on the Island. Any plans for infrastructure, Development and Settlements throughout the Island have been designed and Implemented ensuring the meet the high standards of being Sustainable. The government believes that to ensure the Island Natural beauty and resources are maintained; not just for intermediate future but for the long term, strong emphasis on Sustainable practices must be enforced throughout the Island. The Goverment will highlight the specific importance of providing for the future generations of the Island and making sure they have the chance to experience all that the Island has to offer in its best state as a result of Sustainable practices protecting the Environment and Natural Resources that the Island has to offer.

__2. Are these questions based on an assumption that we have a democracy on The Island? Is this a reasonable conclusion?__ __What other forms of government might be considered??__ __What are the values of democracy, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship??__

Our island has decided to propose that we implement a Democratic Socialist Government. We feel this would be beneficial to our island and its people because it encourages all people to work together harmoniously for the common good. Democratic Socialists believe that both the economy and society should be run democratically, to meet the wants and needs of the public, not to make some people rich and ignore others. Democratic socialism discourages single person ownership and supports public control, where the people own a share of where they work, this provides a sense of entitlement and pride in ones work, and makes for a happy, harmonious Island.

By adapting to this style of government we can ensure that the money generated by businesses on our island is given back to the people. Therefore rather than individuals benefiting from our flourishing economy, everyone will! We do not want to create an all-powerful government bureaucracy, but simply do not want big corporate businesses to control our society and its people either. We believe that social and economic decisions should be made by the people as a whole, not individuals. While democracy certainly has its purpose, we feel that for this small island economy it would be best to adopt the Democratic Socialist approach. We feel that on such a small island democracy could lead to individual business owners controlling our society for personal gain.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">What are the values of our new Democratic Socialist government?
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Changes to our laws should be made by elected officials that are elected in democratic elections and should be open to all people on the island.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Free education for all citizens is a must within our economy. All citizens have the right to an education.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A universal healthcare system will be in place
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Natural resources will not be exploited or wasted by anyone.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A tax system agreed on by publicly elected officials to tax people an adequate sum of money to fund government projects.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A immigration and border protection policy.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Though we are an independent nation, we be involved with the nations surrounding us, creating cooperative commonwealths, a body of nations which will cooperate with each other for the common good
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The promotion of fair and just laws, that make our nation fair and safe for all inhabitants.
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Our government will support the principles of democratic collective ownership of production and support not only public ownership, but cooperative ownership of our economy.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__3. Does the Island need more than one level of government?__

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">The Island's power will be shared between three levels of government. These levels are: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Federal (parliament) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-State (parliaments) <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">-Local (councils)

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Each of these levels will be run by a democratically elected parliament or council. These parliaments and councils have the right to collect taxes to fund their own programs, however, money is also transferred from the nation to the states and governments. The states can also pay for local council activities.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">In order to ensure that the Island runs efficiently, it will have all three levels of government so laws are put into place to attend to all the basic needs of its citizens. The local Island government will be required to look after the public's health by making sure that waste is collected, shops and eateries are clean, pets are registered and pests are destroyed e.g. rats, and people are immunised against diseases. The local council will also be be in charge of street signs and traffic control. Some of the community services that the Island will be responsible for are running libraries, public halls, museums and swimming pools.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__4____. What are the key tasks of a member of parliament or councilor? How does parliament make laws? What laws does The Island need?__

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Key tasks of a member of parliament__: <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">A member will be elected to be a spokesperson for their locals interests; an ombudsman and facilitator who deals with the concerns about government matters. He/she will be a law maker; an examiner of the work of the Goverment and how the Goverment spends its money made from tax. He/she will also be a contributor to debates on national issues.

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__How does parliament make laws?__

<span style="display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; text-align: left;">Proposed laws, also known as Bills, need to be passed through both Houses and then be asseted to by the Governor-General. Any changes made to the Constitution will involve action by the Parliament and the people. Both Houses of Parliament must agree on a proposed change; however if an agreement cannot be reached, the Governor-General will present a proposal to the people. For this proposal to succeed, it must be favoured by a majority of voters overall. <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__What laws does The Island need?__

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 24px;">**Environmental Laws**: This law will operate to regulate the interaction of humanity and the natural environment working towards the purpose of reducing the impact of human activity. The environmental law is influenced by principles of environmentalism including ecology, conservation and sustainability.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 24px;">**Commercial Law:** Commercial Law is about the principle of carriage by land and sea, merchant shipping, marine life, fire, bills of exchange and partnership. This law will also include the manufacture and sales of consumer goods.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 24px;">**Constitutional Law**: Upholding the Human Rights. This is a law dealing with the distribution and exercise of government power. On the Island the community will be a crucial part to the government, and their opinions matter.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 24px;">**Criminal Law:** On the Island we will enforce security (police). Anyone doing harm to the settlements will face punishment or a heavy fine, depending on the damage.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 110%;">**Labour Law**: Legal rights of, and restrictions on working people and their organizations. There is a collective labour law which relates to the relationship between the employee, employer and union. Secondly,there is a individual labour law which concerns employee's rights at work and through their contract for work.

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