The considerable debate since 1996 about Commonwealth expenditure on schools has been driven by policy changes that have significantly restructured Commonwealth funding and influenced the relative funding share between the government and non-government schools sectors. This Research Note briefly explains these policy changes and the trends in Commonwealth funding for schools since 1996.(2 pages)

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Recent events suggest that the US is moving towards military action against Iraq. This Research Note outlines the background to the current situation and possible US options. It concludes with a short analysis of the two courses of action most likely to be taken by the US: 'Smoke and Mirrors'; or unilateral military operations.(2 pages)

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This Research Note examines the use of electronic voting at the 2001 ACT election. It outlines the technology and process used for the poll and discusses issues arising from the eVACS trial.(2 pages)

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The Timor Sea Treaty: Are the Issues Resolved? [HTML] [PDF]
Research Note No. 45 2001–02
Dr Stephen Sherlock, Foreign Affairs Defence and Trade Group
18 June 2002

Examines the background to the agreement between Australia and East Timor allowing for the sharing of petroleum reserves in the Timor Sea. Discusses the reasons for East Timor's continued dissatisfaction over boundary issues and the implications for relations with Indonesia.(2 pages)

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Disappearing Middle Income Earners [HTML] [PDF]
Research Note No. 44 2001–02
Tony Kryger, Statistics Group
18 June 2002

The proportion of all wage and salary earners who are middle income earners has declined from about half in 1975 to just over a third today. This Research Note examines how occupational shifts have contributed to this phenomenon, sometimes referred to as the 'disappearing middle'. It also looks at how the dramatic increase in the proportion of highly paid workers in Australia, or 'growing top', has contributed to the disappearance of middle paid jobs.(2 pages)

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The Australian Loan Council, which coordinates borrowing by the Federal and State governments, is unique among federations. This Note describes how the Council has evolved and its current functions. (2 pages)

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This Research Note considers the international instruments dealing with free speech and notes the lack of an express legislative basis for freedom of speech either in the Constitution or in other legislation. Decisions of the High Court which have found an implied freedom of political expression are outlined. Attempts to legislate for freedom of speech within the context of a Bill of Rights are listed together with a summary of arguments for and against a Bill of Rights. Finally comparisons with similar overseas countries are provided.(2 pages)

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A summary & analysis of the existing empirical data relating to the social and psychological development of children of single woman and lesbian parents.(2 pages)

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Ministers hold positions of power and influence. Some of the knowledge they acquire might be of a confidential nature, or could confer on them advantages if subsequently, as private citizens, they were to work in an area related to their former responsibilities. This Research Note examines Australian and overseas examples of the regulation of post-separation employment of ministers.(2 pages)

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During the 2001 election campaign considerable attention was given to preference deals between the various parties and the effect that such deals might have on the election outcome. This Research Note examines the role of preferences in elections since 1984, provides details on the direction of preferences at the 2001 election and analyses the ability of the parties to control the flow of preferences. (2 pages)

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When may half-Senate elections be held? This Research Note suggests that Prime Ministers do not have as much freedom in this matter as public discussion would tend to suggest. (2 pages)

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While the calling of an election is partly a matter of political judgment and timing, a constitutional and legislative framework governs the electoral timetables and processes. The Constitution requires periodic
elections for both Houses of Parliament, with separate provisions reflecting the different constitutional status of each House. The Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 provides the detail. (2 pages)

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A major component of Australia's income support system is the provision of benefits for veterans (people who saw active service in wartime, usually overseas) and their dependants. This component is not administered by CentreLink but by the Department of Veterans' Affairs (DVA). It provides income support
and compensation payments and medical treatment. This note shows the numbers of pensioners and treatment cardholders in each Commonwealth Electoral Division. (2 pages)

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This Research Note looks at the increase in Senate casual vacancies since the 1977 Referendum.
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There are a number of avenues for the transmission of data to and from Australian households. The most common of these is the public switched telephone network (PSTN). Other mediums include cable (both coaxial and fibre-optic), satellite connections and microwave transmission. The term 'broadband' can be used to describe any of these mediums when they provide a high speed connection greater than 200 kilobits per second (kbps). (1)Broadband thus offers Australians the opportunity to access the Internet and to obtain high volume data, such as audio or video material, at faster speeds. (2 pages)

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This note explains how each State's entitlement to GST revenue and budget balancing assistance is calculated and the way in which GST revenue is distributed among the States. (2 pages)

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The recent South Australian election saw the narrow defeat of the Liberal Government and the return of a minority Labor Government. Labor governs in controversial circumstances with the support of a former Liberal MHA, Peter Lewis. This Research Note discusses the campaign and its remarkable aftermath and is companion to a discussion on DPL Audio Brief, vol. 1, March 2002. (2 pages)

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The WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services or GATS is increasingly being perceived as a threat to public services, such as heath and education. At the heart of the debate about the GATS is the extent of the 'government authority exclusion' in the GATS agreement. This Research Note examines Australia's commitments under GATS and answers the question whether GATS really does pose a threat to basic public services or not. (2 pages)

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The passage of the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act in 1999 involved a fundamental revision of Commonwealth environmental law and has potentially wide ranging application to some areas of private land. This Research Note discusses the thresholds of operation of the Act in relation to listed threatened species and ecological communities. (2 pages)

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This Research Note trilogy (Research Notes 27 - 29 2001-02) attempts to summarise a large body of literature on conservation, liberalism and socialism. (2 pages each)

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This Research Note trilogy (Research Notes 27 - 29 2001-02) attempts to summarise a large body of literature on conservation, liberalism and socialism. (2 pages each)

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This Research Note trilogy (Research Notes 27 - 29 2001-02) attempts to summarise a large body of literature on conservation, liberalism and socialism. (2 pages each)

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Superannuation for People Primarily Over 65 Years of Age [HTML] [PDF]
Research Note No. 26 2001–02
David Kehl, Economics, Commerce and Industrial Relations Group
19 February 2002

This Research Note summarises when a superannuation fund may accept contributions for persons aged over 65 years. (2 pages)

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This Research Note briefly summarises existing and proposed anti-terrorist legislation in Australia, emphasising the inherent competition between safety and liberty. (2 pages)

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China was admitted to the World Trade Organization in December 2001. The entry of the world's most populous country to the body which regulates international trade will have major implications for the Asia-Pacific region and for China's domestic economy and society. This Research Note examines the implications for China and for countries in the region, including Australia. (2 pages)

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This Research Note gives a brief account of some interelationships of the mineral sector, the historic Mabo decision and the coming into force of the Native Title Act 1993. The note discusses the cyclical nature of mineral exploration expenditure data and some of the reasons for the cycles. (2 pages)

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This Research Note summarises when a person can cash-in their superannuation benefit (or a part thereof) from a superannuation fund. (2 pages)

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This Research Note examines the basis on which international comparisons are made of a number of important economic indicators. It does this with the aid of the Big Mac Index and the concept of purchasing power parities. (2 pages)

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On 18 January 2002 the Australian Electoral Commission announced the commencement of a redrawing of Commonwealth electoral boundaries in Victoria. (2 pages)

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On 4 December 2001 a 33 year old man died in Brisbane from a suspected heart attack after earlier being subdued by police using oleoresin capsicum (OC) spray. During the past decade OC sprays have become popular with law enforcement and corrections personnel as a less than lethal force option. This Research Note outlines what is OC spray, the physical effects of OC spray, the use of OC spray in Australia and restrictions applying to the importation of OC spray. (2 pages)

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The Corporations Act allows shareholders to influence corporate governance by requisitioning company meetings. This Research Note discusses claims that the law has been abused by 'vigilante' groups pursuing a political agenda and examines proposals for change. (2 pages)

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Over the past 25 years in Australia many laws affecting marriage have been instituted by the Commonwealth. However, there remains intact one major limitation, namely, that prohibiting marriage between persons of the same sex. This Research Note details the Hight Court of Australia's interpretation of the term 'marriage' in s. 51(xxi) of the Australian Constitution. (2 pages)

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It is a requirement of a valid ceremony of marriage under the Marriage Act 1961 that the parties be a male and a female at the date of their marriage. On 12 October 2001 the Family Court of Australia held in Re Kevin (validity of marriage of transsexual) that a post-operative female to male transsexual had validly married. This Research Note outlines the facts and key findings of that case. (2 pages)

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The fifth election for the fixed term Australian Capital Territory was held on 20 October 2001. It saw the defeat of the Liberal minority Government that had been in power since 1995 and the return of a minority Labor Government. The election was also notable for the first use in Australia of facilities for electronic voting. This Research Note discusses the main features of the election. (2 pages)

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Walking Away: The US Withdrawal from the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty [HTML] [PDF]
Research Note No. 14 2001–02
Gary Brown, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Group
12 February 2002

In December last year the US took formal action to terminate the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. This was done because the treaty stands in the way of its desire to develop and deploy systems to defend against attacks by ballistic missile delivered weapons of mass destruction. The American decision is controversial, both inside Australia and internationally. This Research Note briefly covers the major issues involved, including those directly relevant to Australia. (2 pages)

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The Federal Government levies excises on aviation turbine fuel and gasoline. This Note explains why the excises are levied and provides a history of changes to the excises. (2 pages)

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The Research Note examines the relation between political trust and social capital, and briefly surveys some indicators of their respective levels in Australia. It examines reported declines in political trust and whether this trend reflects a diminution in stocks of social capital in this country. (2 pages)

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The terms 'governance' and 'good governance' are being used with increasing frequency. This Research Note explains their meaning and outlines their relevance for parliamentarians. It discusses Australia's relatively strong international standing in good governance and suggests some possible measures to enhance it. (2 pages)

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The purpose of this Research Note is to provide information about the provisions of the Charter of Budget Honesty Act 1998 that relate to the preparation of the pre-election economic and fiscal outlook report and the costing of election commitments. (2 pages)

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Australia and other nations appear to be gearing for a 'war' on terrorism. But this will not be a war in the conventional sense. In some instances, for civilian communities it may be worse than war. In general, the long-term success of the campaign will depend more on the work of police and other civilian law enforcement and intelligence agencies than it will on conventional military battles. This note looks at the policy consequences of this and other judgements and warns that the public has not yet been given sufficient indication of how government will deal with them. (2 pages)

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Recent events have highlighted the role of foreign interests in corporate Australia. This Research Note presents the available data on levels of foreign ownership in Australia. (2 pages)

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This Research Note summarises recent changes in the application of two bank account transaction taxes levied by State and Territory governments, namely, bank account debits (BAD) tax and financial institutions duty (FID). (2 pages)

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On 3 September, the RAN began an operation to prevent boats carrying suspected illegal immigrants making landfall on Australian territory. This paper discusses changes in policy leading to this action and the stresses upon the RAN in maintaining it. It concludes that in the medium term the policy is sustainable only over short, intermittent periods and that solutions to the problem of illegal entry by boat must be found elsewhere. (2 pages)

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The Research Note discusses recent developments in Australia-India and Indo-US relations as well as prospects for future Australia-India security cooperation in the wider Asia-Pacific region. (2 pages)

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Despite the Government's choice of Badgerys Creek as the possible site for a future airport, one alternative site appears to have been overlooked in the push to settle this contentious ongoing matter. (2 pages)

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Northern Territory Election 2001 [HTML] [PDF]
Research Note No. 3 2001–02
Glenn Worthington, Politics and Public Administration Group
28 August 2001

The 2001 Northern Territory election delivered a completely unexpected upset with the Country Liberal Party (CLP) losing its majority for the first time in the Assembly's history. The Australian Labor Party's win was commonly attributed to the CLP's decision to place Pauline Hanson's One Nation party above Labor on its how-to vote card. However, the election result confirmed a trend of voters deserting the major parties as Labor picked up only 2.1 of the 9.3 per cent decline in CLP first preferences. (2 pages)

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This Research Note provides an overview of the Commonwealth's role in road funding and updates an earlier paper to take account of changes to programs and funding. (2 pages)

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This Research Note examines the impact of the GST and the First Home Owners' Scheme on the housing industry by analysing trends in new dwelling approvals, housing finance commitments for dwellings and actual work done in the building industry in the 12 months to June 2001.

The Note also examines the eligibility criteria for the grant provided under the First Home Owners' Scheme, the level of usage of the grant by new home buyers in individual states and territories, the cost to taxpayers of the grant and its influence on levels of building activity. (2 pages)

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