Editing Western Australia (section)

==Government==
{{Main|Government of Western Australia}}
[[File:AUS Perth, Central Business District, Parliament House 002.jpg|alt=|left|thumb|[[Parliament House, Perth|Parliament House]]]]
Western Australia was granted self-government in 1890<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Government of Western Australia|date=11 June 2015 |url=https://www.constitutionalcentre.wa.gov.au/ResearchAndSeminarPapers/LaunchingTheShip/Pages/ProclamationDay.aspx|title=Proclamation Day |access-date=21 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171029211952/https://www.constitutionalcentre.wa.gov.au/ResearchAndSeminarPapers/LaunchingTheShip/Pages/ProclamationDay.aspx|archive-date=29 October 2017}}</ref> with a bicameral [[Parliament of Western Australia|Parliament]] located in Perth, consisting of the [[Western Australian Legislative Assembly|Legislative Assembly]] (or ''lower house''), which has 59 members; and the [[Western Australian Legislative Council|Legislative Council]] (or ''upper house''), which has 36 members. Suffrage is universal and compulsory for citizens over 18 years of age.

With the federation of the Australian colonies in 1901, Western Australia became a state within Australia's [[Federation|federal]] structure; this involved ceding certain powers to the Commonwealth (or Federal) government in accordance with the Constitution; all powers not specifically granted to the Commonwealth remained solely with the State. However over time the Commonwealth has effectively expanded its powers through broad interpretation of its enumerated powers and increasing control of taxation and financial distribution (see [[Federalism in Australia]]).

Whilst the sovereign of Western Australia is [[monarchy of Australia|the monarch of Australia]] (currently [[Charles III]]) and executive power is nominally vested in his or her state representative, the [[Governor of Western Australia|Governor]] (currently [[Chris Dawson (governor)|Chris Dawson]]), executive power rests with the premier and ministers drawn from the party or coalition of parties holding a majority of seats in the Legislative Assembly. [[Roger Cook (politician)|Roger Cook]] is the premier, having succeeded [[Mark McGowan]] after his resignation in June 2023.

===Secession===
{{Main|Secessionism in Western Australia}}
[[File:Westralia secession movement meeting 1933.jpg|thumb|A 1933 meeting of the Dominion League in support of secession.]]
Secessionism has been a recurring feature of Western Australia's political landscape since shortly after European settlement in 1826. Western Australia was the most reluctant participant in the [[Federation of Australia|Commonwealth of Australia]].<ref>[http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/journals/MULR/2000/40.html Review Essay, New Federation History, Melbourne University Law Review] www.austlii.edu.au</ref> Western Australia did not participate in the earliest federation conference. Longer-term residents of Western Australia were generally opposed to federation; however, the discovery of gold brought many immigrants from other parts of Australia. It was these residents, primarily in Kalgoorlie but also in Albany who voted to join the Commonwealth, and the proposal of these areas being admitted separately under the name [[Auralia]] was considered.{{citation needed|date=July 2014}}

In a [[1933 Western Australian secession referendum|referendum in April 1933]], 68% of voters voted for the state to leave the Commonwealth of Australia with the aim of returning to the British Empire as an autonomous territory. The State Government sent a delegation to [[Parliament of the United Kingdom|Westminster]], but the British Government ruled that after the [[Statute of Westminster 1931]], it no longer had the authority to amend the constitution of Australia without the consent of its federal government; the British Government took no action.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article30087998|title=25 May 1935 – W. A. Secession Petition Disallowed Committee's ...|newspaper=Mercury |date=25 May 1935 |access-date=16 September 2015}}</ref>

===Local government===
Western Australia is divided into 139 [[Local Government Areas of Western Australia|Local Government Areas]], including [[Shire of Christmas Island|Christmas Island]] and the [[Shire of Cocos|Cocos (Keeling) Islands]]. Their mandate and operations are governed by the [[Local Government Act 1995]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/wa/consol_act/lga1995182/|title= Local Government Act 1995 |website=Australasian Legal Information Institute |access-date=26 July 2011}}</ref>