One thing that struck me recently when I was re-reading Fred Daly’s memoirs From Curtin to Kerr (1977) was his view that the Senate was essentially irrelevant to day to day Australian politics. … Continue reading
Are the Australian systems of government, at state and federal levels, “parliamentary”? Most scholars certainly think so, but there have long been disagreeing voices. A parliamentary system of government requires that the legislature… Continue reading
At the federal level, only 10- 15% of political donations are transparently declared by our political parties. This was the major finding of my research recently published in Australian Journal of Public Administration.… Continue reading
The creation of citizenship registers in Parliament appeared to be the end of the dual citizenship saga. But, the last few weeks, with a new case of dual citizenship in the Federal Parliament,… Continue reading
This symposium in the Australian Journal of Political Science highlights how scholars are engaging with cutting edge research questions on the transformative effects of online political participation and new forms of online collective… Continue reading
In 2018 questions of national belonging and cultural identity are shaking our political institutions. The resurgence of nativist nationalism forces us to ask where cultural recognition ends and xenophobic arrogance begins. Are fears… Continue reading
We care about public opinion and policy congruency for normative and practical reasons. For reasons of values, if nothing else, some form of policy representation is necessary for democratic government. However, this link… Continue reading
In 2006, four women senators from different parties made history when they worked together across party lines to overturn the ministerial veto on medical abortion drug RU486. What led these women to collaborate… Continue reading
Throughout Labor’s final term in office, the casual observer might easily have concluded that most of the government’s attention was taken up by leadership crises. Yet, despite the drama, parliament under Julia Gillard… Continue reading
Representative democracy is party democracy. Parties helped to create and continue to shape our democratic institutions, dominating the formation of governments and (most) executive offices around the world. The policies they adopt when… Continue reading
