The environment – few wins
25 years ago the groundbreaking EPBC came into force under the Liberal Government, backed by ~500 successful amendments in the Senate by the Australian Democrats. It was a first for …
Major party stitch-up
As anticipated, what was touted as political financing reform is just another mechanism for propping up major parties. It was a done deal with no justification, no public parliamentary scrutiny …
Reforming the Constitution
The issues The Australian people have not agreed to proposed changes to the Constitution in more than three decades. Only eight of the 44 referendum proposals have been successful since …
Time to give up on ‘solidarity’
Just as the States are passing legislation to stop coercive control, Labor is using it on Senator Payman, ‘for the good of the Labor Party’. The truth is that Labor …
SA’s political donation ban
We welcome the plan to ban all political donations announced by South Australian Premier, Peter Malinauskas, ahead of the next state election. The plan appears to balance the need for …
Robodebt Officers off the Hook
In an extraordinary move, the National Anti Corruption Commission has declined to pursue the Robodebt Royal Commission’s findings, saying ‘it was unlikely to obtain significant new evidence’ and was concerned …
Former PM in the deep end, cashing in on influence
Leaving parliament in late February, it seems Scott Morrison landed an adviser’s job for Seafloor Minerals Fund, a deep-sea mining venture capital business, set up to ‘support the strategic goals of AUKUS’. …
Let’s have truth in political advertising
The issues | We are now in an era of post-truth, an age of disinformation. Political advertising campaigns should be presented in an objective, fair and accessible manner and justified …
Political party financing
The issues Without spending caps, our election debates are dominated by those with the biggest bank balance, not those with the best ideas. Alice Drury, Human Rights Law Centre There …
Whistleblower and journalist protection
The issues “Australia is now 39th in Reporters Sans Frontiers’ World Press Freedom Index, a staggering decline of 20 places since 2018. This reflects a fact acknowledged by both the …