One of the noticeable changes that occurred with the new 47th Parliament is the flying of the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian National Flag in the Senate and House chambers. This reform has been some time in the making. Following a request by the new Labor Government, the Aboriginal Flag, the Torres Strait Islander Flag and the Australian National Flag were positioned next to each other on the floor of the House of Representatives Chamber for the first time at the commencement of the 47th Parliament (26 July 2022). On 27 July 2022 the Senate agreed to a motion that the Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag be displaye... Read more...
The Department of Defence’s (Defence) plan to grow its military and civilian permanent workforce to over 101,000 by 2040 is an ambitious undertaking. Defence’s March 2023 submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) states that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is operating at 3,300 below its Average Funded Strength. The current planned ADF workforce in 2023–24 is 59,673. Additionally, planned recruiting levels and entrants into the permanent ADF are failing to offset outflows, which last year reached around 6,600 separations. The shortfall is greatest across the ADF’s middle ranks. Read more...
Every year, more than 100,000 school students visit Parliament House, with many accessing the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER). First established in 1989, PACER operates to financially incentivise onsite student learning about parliament and democratic processes. This Flagpost article provides an overview of PACER’s history and evolution, as an civics education tool for many of Australia's first-time referendum voters. Read more...
For most eligible voters who started primary school after 1986, the proposed referendum on the First Nations Voice to Parliament will be their first time participating in such an event. This Flagpost article explores the state of civics knowledge for first-time referendum voters. Read more...
For eligible voters born since 7 November 1981, the proposed referendum on the First Nations Voice to Parliament is shaping up to be their first time participating in such an event. As at 31 March 2023, these first-time referendum voters (AEC age groups 18 to 39) make up approximately 35% of the electoral roll. This Flagpost article focusses on the Government’s civics education and awareness program (the program), to be rolled out in the lead up to the proposed referendum and uses examples of similar previous initiatives that illustrate what we might expect. Read more...
On 1 June 2023 some 3 million Australians, owing over $74 billion, had their outstanding student loan debt increased by 7.1%. It comes as average loan debts have increased over the decade to 2021–22 from $15,200 to $24,800 (derived from Table 6). The high rate of indexation this year has led to calls for change by the Greens and the crossbench, while the Opposition has called for ‘urgent action’ to address the issue. So how did we get here? Read more...
Federal redistribution processes provide an opportunity to introduce new electorate names, either by renaming existing electorates or naming new ones. Recent redistribution processes, including those in Victoria and Western Australia in 2021, have included calls for more diverse electorate names to honour more women and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This Flagpost article examines the electorate naming processes, current levels of diversity, and commentary advocating for change. Read more...
This month focuses on the following topics: sources of income, cost of living and child maltreatment. Forthcoming releases If you are interested in any of the forthcoming releases or datasets, please contact the Parliamentary Library to discuss in more detail.
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On 9 May 1988, 35 years ago, Australia’s Parliament House was opened by Queen Elizabeth II. The opening echoed the date of both the inaugural opening of the Commonwealth Parliament at the Exhibition Building in Melbourne and the opening of the Provisional Parliament House in Canberra, on 9 May in 1901 and 1927 respectively. This Flagpost article revisits the construction of new Parliament House. Read more...
This month focuses on the following topics: mothers and babies, poverty, housing and gambling statistics. Forthcoming releases 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 JSA (a) Nowcast of Employment by Region and Occupation, April 2023 3 May ANZ ANZ Job Advertisement 2 May ABS Microdata: ... Read more...
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