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 recent announcements of the first Albanese ministry and the first Dutton-Littleproud shadow ministry saw both the Prime Minister and the Leader of the Opposition emphasise the number of women on their frontbenches. How much has the gender composition of the ministry and shadow ministry changed, and how significant are those changes? 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...
Sunday 12 June 2022 marked 120 years since Australian women gained the right to vote in federal elections, following the passage of the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902 (Franchise Act). The Act extended the franchise to ‘persons not under twenty-one years of age whether male or female, married or unmarried’. The Act also gave women the right to stand as candidates in federal elections. With its passage, Australia became the first country in the world to give most women both the right to vote and the right to run for parliament. New Zealand women had gained the right to vote in 1893, but not the right to stand as candidates. 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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