Australia has a federal parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy. The political system is based on British and North American models but has unique Australian aspects. The system consists of a Commonwealth Parliament made up of the Senate and House of Representatives, as well as an executive government. Queen Elizabeth II is Australia's head of state, while the Governor-General represents her and performs ceremonial duties. State and local governments handle areas like education, health, and infrastructure within their jurisdictions. Relations between the levels of government involve cooperation in shared policy areas.