This Research Note provides a brief overview of the British General election. The Labour Party retained office with a record second term majority although the win was tarnished by the record low turnout of electors. The reasons for the low turnout and the aftermath of the results for the other parties are explored. (2 pages)

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The teenage youth labour market contrasts strongly with the labour market for persons aged 20 and over. Unemployment rates have traditionally been much higher for youth than for the general population. A high proportion of teenage youth are also involved in full-time education which can preclude them from the full-time labour market. This Research Note examines the impact that participation in full-time education can have on the full-time unemployment rate for teenage youth and analyses trends in the labour market for youth over the last 15 to 20 years. (2 pages)

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Older Australians have received considerable attention with the 2001 Budget’s focus on self-funded retirees and other aged pensioners. These voters are often portrayed as traditional supporters of the Coalition. This Research Note reviews the voting patterns of those Australians aged 55 years and over between 1987 and 1998. (2 pages)

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All Commonwealth service delivery organisations are required to have a service charter, setting out the standard of service that clients can expect and advising of avenues for taking up complaints. This Research Note outlines the purpose and operation of service charters and canvasses some possible issues (the need for greater client awareness of charters, the unequal relationship between the client and the Commonwealth agency, and the importance of maintaining a broad and robust range of accountability mechanisms). (2 pages)

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This Research Note provides information on legislation recently passed by the Upper House of the Netherlands Parliament whereby the termination of life on request and assistance with suicide will not be treated as a criminal offence if carried out by a physician and certain criteria of due care are met. (2 pages)

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It has been argued that China's reaction to the US missile defence proposals would evoke an adverse response from India which in turn would have a reaction from Pakistan. This Research Note details the response from India and Pakistan to the US proposals. (2 pages)

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The rise in fuel prices has stimulated interest in how crude oil produced in Australia is taxed. This Research Note outlines the Commonwealth's crude oil excise and royalties regimes, complementing an earlier Note on the Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (Research Note No. 20 2000–01). (2 pages)

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Venture capital investment in Australia has topped the $2.6 billion mark, with a further $2.3 billion committed for future projects. However, the contribution of superannuation funds to venture capital funding continues to decline while Australian institutions are less enthused about investing in home-grown innovative enterprises. This Research Note looks at two recent surveys of venture capital activity in Australia by the Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Australian Venture Capital Journal. (2 pages)

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This Research Note outlines the history of military instability in Papua New Guinea, particularly the recent mutiny, and considers future prospects for stability. (2 pages)

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Since 1945, the zone rebate, and its predecessor the zone allowance, have provided a tax concession to taxpayers living in remote areas of Australia. There is special interest in the rebate at this time as part of a broader review of policies for rural Australia. This Note traces the history of the zone rebate, including changes to eligibility criteria and value of the rebate.
(2 pages)

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Anti-dumping actions can assist Australian industry in being better able to cope with import competition from Asian manufacturers. This Research Note examines two recent applications by the local industry to have measures imposed against lower priced imports of A4 copy paper and continuous computer paper from Indonesia. (2 pages)

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The Commonwealth has three schemes that subsidise the price of petrol and diesel to certain users. While the rise in fuel prices has focused public comment on the role of taxes in prices, attention to the subsidy schemes has also increased, particularly with respect to eligibility and subsidy amounts. To assist Parliamentarians improve their understanding of the schemes, this Note describes their main features and effects. (2 pages)

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At the time of Federation, Australia was a young nation enjoying a period of growth and prosperity. This Research Note provides a profile of Australia in 1901, with emphasis on a range of demographic and economic statistics. (2 pages)

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This Note provides an estimate of the present average value of home loan mortgages and indicates the strong growth in new mortgage values over the second half of the 1990s to the year 2000. It also examines the variation between States in mortgage values and the link between interest rate changes and home loan repayments. (2 pages)

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This Research Note uses Public Service Merit Protection Commission (PSMPC) data to illustrate how employment composition of the APS has changed in the last ten years following the re-structuring made necessary by the narrowing down of service delivery to core functions and contracting out of other services. (2 pages)

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The rise in petrol prices has raised the issue of how fuels are taxed. The Library recently published a paper dealing with petrol and diesel excises, the most sizeable taxes. This Note complements this paper by dealing with the second largest impost, the petroleum resource rent tax. (2 pages)

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This Research Note reviews trends in how women have voted in recent federal elections, compared to men. In particular it looks how women in rural and regional Australia have expressed their voting preference since 1993. Evidence suggests that while the Coalition continues to fare better than the ALP amongst women, women's support for the National Party is important for this outcome. (2 pages)

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This Research Note examines the way Indigenous Australians have been defined over the last 200 years - from colonial categorisations by place and late 19th century and early 20th century classifications by blood-quotum to recent legislative expressions, judicial observations and the three-part administrative definition. (2 pages)

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On 22 October Liberal Prime Minister Jean Chrtien called an election for 27 November, three years and five months into a five year term. The Liberals had a comfortable parliamentary majority, the economy was healthy, the surplus was large, and the opinion polls looked good. The loss of only 11 seats would push the Government into a minority position, but this seemed unlikely. The election results bore out the Prime Minister's judgment. With an increased majority, new gains in Quebec, and opposing parties in disarray, Jean Chrtien follows Sir John Macdonald and Sir Wilfred Laurier, as the third Prime Minister to win three majority governments in a row. This Research Note discusses the main features of the election. (2 pages)

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The Commonwealth Auditor-General provides an important link in the chain of accountability from the Executive to the Parliament. Consequently, the independence of this office is critical. This Research Note provides a brief introduction to the work of the Auditor-General, and outlines some key issues of independence. (2 pages)

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This Research Note tracks the trends in social security numbers and outlays in Australia over the past 30 years. It shows how the proportions of the population, the total Commonwealth Budget and GDP have changed and which new groups have come to be included within the social security 'safety net'. (2 pages)

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Policy initiatives in the areas of social, economic and industrial relations have had a profound effect on the supply and demand for labour over the last 25 years. This Research Note examines changes in the labour force over this period with particular attention given to the participation of women in the labour force, the shift to part–time work and unemployment rates. (2 pages)

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Between February 1995 and October 2000 the Australian Capital Territory was governed by a minority Liberal government, led by Kate Carnell. Despite ongoing vulnerability this government gave the ACT its longest period of political stability since the achievement of self-government in 1989.

All of this ended for Chief Minister Carnell when she resigned on 17 October 2000. This paper discusses the background to the change of leadership. (2 pages)

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This Research Note examines the issue of farm fuel costs and shows that they are a significant but small part of average farm costs. In support, the Note provides some relevant statistical background. (2 pages)

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There is a very real risk to parts of the Australian cropping regions from plague locusts this Spring. It is estimated that this could be one of the worst locust plagues for many decades. Control measures are underway but there seems little doubt that it will not be possible to totally counter the locust threat. (2 pages)

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On 11 August 2000, Karen Ehrmann pleaded guilty in the District Court of Townsville to 24 counts of forging and 23 counts of uttering Commonwealth Electoral Enrolment forms and was given a 3 year sentence, with a period of actual imprisonment of 9 months. She is apparently the first Australian to be gaoled for electoral fraud. This Research Note looks at the case and its ramifications for party politics in Australia. (2 pages)

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Throughout September 2000 the value of the Australian dollar declined dramatically and unexpectedly against the United States dollar. This Research Note shows details of that decline and provides some of the relevant statistical background. (2 pages)

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The Northern Territory and the Australian Capital Territory were formed after federation and it was many years before they obtained full political representation in the Commonwealth Parliament. Initially representation was in a very limited form. This Research Note sets out the history of the Territories, the steps by which they obtained Members in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and raises some present issues of electoral equity. (2 pages)

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Using tables and graphs this Research Note looks at the numbers behind petrol prices. With a mix of historical and current statistics, the information provided includes world oil prices, exchange rates, excise rates and petrol prices (2 pages)

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The rise in petrol prices has led to debate over the causes. This Research Note concludes that the rise in the international price of crude oil is the main culprit with tax increases playing a relatively minor role (2 pages)

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This Research Note shows the notional two–party preferred swing for each division to change hands at the next election based on the redistribution of Commonwealth electoral boundaries in 1999 and 2000. The pendulum shows that the Labor Party needs a uniform swing of 0.8% to win the necessary seven seats from the Coalition for a majority in the House of Representatives. (2 pages)

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This Research Note discusses the implications of the decision in McBain v State of Victoria for adoption laws, Medicare funding, and Australia's international obligations. (2 pages)

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This Research Note discusses the recent Victorian case about access to IVF services and the position in other states. (2 pages)

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Although it has a familiar appearance, government in the ACT has many different features from elsewhere in Australia. Most obviously, minority governments have been the norm since self-government began in 1989. This Note explains the constitutional and political factors that underlie a system of government that can be seen as an important variation on the 'Westminster' model. It is possible that the ACT model will come to be seen as unique in Australia. (2 pages)

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Arrangements for Federal–State financial relations have changed considerably since 1 July 2000 with the advent of the GST. This Research Note provides an overview of the main features of the new arrangements and how they will affect the States. (2 pages)

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