We also don't have the same type of deep distrust of government that some other Western countries have - which is not to say that Australians love their governm

We also don't have the same type of deep distrust of government that some other Western countries have - which is not to say that Australians love their governments, far from it, but we don't exactly have a strong anti-government streak. In many ways this is a good thing, but it does tend to mean we don't spend much time thinking about checks and balances.