Being on mute, an interrupting pet, interesting camera angles, items in the background and technical issues are just a few examples of what parliamentarians have become accustomed to in order to continue business as usual during the coronavirus pandemic. This FlagPost uses a procedural lens to understand how remote participation was implemented and its lasting impact. Read more...
The newly elected crossbench has had their personal employee allocations reduced from 4 to 1, based on recent media reporting. The Government argues that the additional staffing for the crossbenchers is unfair to other backbenchers and a signal of budgetary restraint. This flagpost discusses the regulation and history of this staffing allocation. Read more...
In 2021, the Australian Medical Association reported that according to doctors, access to public hospitals was the worst it had been in 30 years (p. 10). Recent media coverage of patients being treated in corridors, ambulance ramping occurring in every state and territory, and bed and staff shortages around the country indicate that access issues have continued. On 17 June 2022, the Prime Minister announced a review of health funding and health arrangements. This followed calls for months from state and territory leaders for the Commonwealth to increase its share of hospital funding, and concerns from peak bodies about the public hospital system being close to breaking-point. This article ... Read more...
On 8 June 2022, the majority of the High Court of Australia invalidated the ability of the Minister of Home Affairs under the Australian Citizenship Act 2007 to determine that a dual national who has engaged in terrorism-related conduct is no longer an Australian citizen. This decision will have significant implications for the Government’s ability to revoke the citizenship of dual nationals who are alleged to have engaged in terrorism-related conduct but have not actually been convicted of an offence. Cessation of citizenship on terrorism-related grounds Provisions allowing for the termination of citizenship on terrorism-related grounds were first introduced into the Australian Citi... Read more...
This month: Report on Government Services, size of new homes and insights into working hours. Releases in July If you are interested in any of the forthcoming releases or datasets, please contact the Parliamentary Library to discuss in more detail. Statistical reports Release date BITRE Motor Vehicle Census, 2022 1 July ABS Building Approvals, May 2022 4 July ABS Lending Indicators, May 2022 4 July ABS Retail Trade, May 20... Read more...
The Census of Population and Housing (the Census) paints a picture of who we are and how we live. Today’s release includes data by characteristics of individuals (age, sex, religion, birth country and language spoken at home, to name a few), a range of data by household, family and dwellings (eg income and housing costs), and data from 2 new Census questions, Selected long-term health conditions and Australian Defence Force (ADF) service. The Census is the main source of information on smaller regions such as suburbs, electorates and local government areas, with initial findings now available from Quickstats and Community profiles. Who we are – Australia’s population On C... Read more...
The majority of decisions by Members of the House of Representatives in the Australian parliament are usually made via an opaque but efficient voting process known as a vote on the voices. Read more...
In the lead-up to the 2022 federal election, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) committed to creating an Advanced Strategic Research Agency (ASRA) within the Department of Defence. Modelled on the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), ASRA would seek to ‘boost Australia’s involvement in technology sharing and research and development through the new AUKUS partnership’ by working with the US DARPA and UK Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA). Details about the proposed ASRA are limited, including its relationship with the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), whose role is to ‘deliver … valued scientific advice and innovative solutio... Read more...
The remuneration system for federal parliamentarians is highly complex and not readily transparent. One of its more obscure components is a resettlement allowance for parliamentarians who ‘involuntarily’ leave Parliament—either by losing an election or the endorsement of their political party. This FlagPost highlights some key issues regarding the resettlement allowance, including recent media interest and the history of its development. Read more...
The Australian Research Council (ARC) is one of the longest-established parts of the Australian Government’s funding system for universities. Recently, however, the independence of the ARC’s decision-making process has been questioned by some in the research community. The issue has been considered by a Senate committee, and concerns have been raised by the Group of Eight (Go8) universities (that received around two-thirds of ARC grant funding in 2020), and a leading international scientific journal, Nature. This FlagPost explores the role of the ARC and recent changes to its remit, as well as explaining the legislative basis for, and ... Read more...
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