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Abstracts of Research Papers published 2003-04: |
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| Intellectual
property rights and the Australia—US Free Trade Agreement
[HTML][PDF 326KB] The Australia US Free Trade Agreement (AUSFTA) covers a number
of issues and this paper deals with Chapter 17 on Intellectual Property
Rights (IPRs). It first examines AUSFTA’s attempts to entrench
or enhance Australia’s already strong IPRs. The general economic
arguments are examined as well as the Australian and US interests
in stronger IPRs. Stronger IPRs protect rights holders from competition
and so sit awkwardly with the aims of free trade. Some specific
concerns have been expressed such as AUSFTA’s implications
when producers use copyright protection measures to practice price
discrimination around the world and against the interests of Australian
consumers. (26 pages) |
| Less
tax or more social spending: 20 years of opinion polling
[HTML][PDF 390KB] The debate over whether the Australian public wants tax cuts or
more spending on social services has been highlighted in the media
recently in the wake of new surveys on the tax-spend trade-off and
the tax cuts in the Budget. This Research Paper looks at the results
of major surveys on the issue of less tax or more social spending
over the past 20 years. It considers the factors that underpin support
for each option and examines the date on Australians’ willingness
to pay for specific items of public expenditure through higher tax.
The paper concludes with an assessment of survey results in light
of the political and public policy challenges facing Australia.
(35 pages) |
| Coastal
shipping: an overview [HTML][PDF 786KB] Coastal shipping is an important component of the national transport
task. This paper reviews the challenges and issues that the Australian
industry faces. (39 pages) |
| Postcodes
in electoral divisions (2003 electoral boundaries)
[HTML][PDF 1,071KB] This paper provides a concordance of postcodes to Commonwealth
electoral divisions, based on the results ofthe 2001 Census. It
is an update of Research Paper no. 12, 2000–01, and reflects
changes to electoral boundaries brought about by recent electoral
redistributions. The concordance will enable senators and members
to convert information published by postcode by organisations such
as Centrelink or the Australian Taxation Office into electoral division
totals. (30 pages) |
| A
new paradigm of international migration: implications for migration
policy and planning in Australia [HTML][PDF 2,347KB] This paper argues that the global drivers of international migration
have been transformed in the last decade and that this has greatly
changed the context in which migration to and from Australia occurs
and in which immigration policy is developed. The globalisation
of labour markets, the development of an immigration industry, the
proliferation of social networks, the information and transport
revolutions, expansion of trade and economic change have all lead
to international migration being within the calculus of choice of
an increasing proportion of the world’s inhabitants. As a
result, there has been a massive increase in global population movement
and an increase in the complexity of the types of movement—permanent
and temporary, legal and undocumented, forced and voluntary, work
and non-work related, etc. In Australia much thinking about international
migration remains anchored in a paradigm of movement that applied
in the four decades following the Second World War, which focused
almost entirely on permanent settlement. The contemporary situation
is that the international migration impinging on Australia is now
more complex especially with temporary residence becoming more important
and more Australians than ever before migrating to live and work
for extended periods in other countries. It is argued that much
of the thinking and research on immigration in Australia neglects
the new reality of international movements. International migration
has been, and remains a crucial component of Australia’s economic,
social and cultural development. It is important that Australia’s
international migration research and thinking take full cognizance
of these important changes. (83 pages) |
| Labour
hire: issues and responses [HTML][PDF 304KB] Labour hire is an alternative form of employment to the direct
employer-employee relationship. Labour hire involves relationships
between a principal, an employment agency and the person performing
the tasks. While labour hire arrangements have been a feature of
the Australian labour market for decades, the relatively recent
data now being compiled on this sector suggests it is a growth industry,
with many large employers increasing their use of labour hire arrangements
in preference to direct employment. This paper reviews the factors
behind the growth of labour hire and provides updates on responses
to the issue within the courts, by governments and by labour unions.
(27 pages) |
| The
Commonwealth Government’s Role in Infrastructure Provision
[HTML][PDF 271KB] This paper examines the rationale for Commonwealth government
involvement in infrastructure provision, how it influences the provision
of infrastructure, and trends in that influence. In particular,
it seeks to delineate the role that the Commonwealth plays as distinct
from that of State governments. (33 pages) |
| Commonwealth
Road Funding Since 1990 (Updated 1 March 2004) [HTML][PDF 457KB] This paper reviews developments in Commonwealth road funding in
the 1990s and examines associated majorissues. The paper also contains
the most recent data. (33 pages) |
| The
Australian Senate [HTML][PDF 372KB] The Senate is one of the most-analysed parts of the Australian
political system. In 2003 Prime Minister Howard's proposals about
the deadlocks procedure began another round of debate about its
place in our Parliament. Debates about the Senate have therefore
been always with us and will not end in the foreseeable future.
This paper is designed to provide a concise background document
to these debates, enabling Members of Parliament to understand the
place of Australia's national upper house in the Australian political
system. (29 pages) |
| The
Australian and American Senates: A Comparison [HTML][PDF 237KB] For more than 30 years Dr Stan Bach worked with, and provided
advice to, Senators and Representatives on the operations of the
US Congress. From 1988 to 2002 he held the office of Senior Specialist
in the Legislative Process for the Congressional Research Service
of the Library of Congress.In 2002 Dr Bach was awarded a Fulbright
Senior Scholar Award to study bicameralism in Australia. In 2003
he published Platypus and Parliament, a well-received study on the
Australian Senate. This paper is Dr Bach's analysis of the major
differences between the Australian and US upper houses. (24 pages) |
| Corporate Citizenship
and the Role of Government: the Public Policy Case [HTML][PDF 423KB] Research Paper No.4 2003–04 Dr Gianni Zappalà, Politics and Public Administration Group 1 December 2003 Corporate citizenship means understanding and managing a company's
influence on society and all its stakeholders. Good corporate citizenship
integrates social, ethical, environmental, economic and philanthropic
values in the core decision-making processes of a business. Until
recently, the focus of the corporate citizenship debate has been
on the business case—on why being good is good for business.
Today, however, the focus is on the relationship between public
policy and corporate citizenship, and the increasing pressure on
governments to regulate corporate social behaviour. This Research
Paper, which has an accompanying Research Note summarising the main
arguments, explores the various potential policy options. It argues
that, while there is a role for public policy in the area of corporate
citizenship, that role is not necessarily a regulatory one. (32
pages) |
| We are Australian–The
Constitution and Deportation of Australian-born Children
[HTML][PDF 550KB] Research Paper No. 3 2003–04 Peter Prince, Law and Bills Digest Group 24 November 2003 Does birth in Australia protect a child against deportation? Is
a child born in this country an 'Australian national' even if legislation
says he or she is not a 'citizen'? Can children be denied citizenship
because their parents are 'illegal' immigrants or temporary visa
holders? The High Court must decide these questions in a forthcoming
case in which a five year old girl born in Sydney—whose Sikh
refugee parents face expulsion from Australia—will challenge
1986 laws restricting the automatic right to citzenship at birth.
(56 pages) |
| Four-Year Terms
for the House of Representatives? (September 2003) [HTML]
[PDF 601KB] Research Paper No. 2 2003–04 Scott Bennett, Politics and Public Administration Group 8 September 2003 During 2000–01 the DPL published 'Four-year terms for the
House of Representatives?', a paper that was well-received by readers
inside and outside the Parliament. This paper is now being re-issued
with changes made as a consequence of events that have occurred
since publication. (34 pages) |
| Commonwealth
General Purpose Financial Assistance to Local Government (August 2003)
[HTML] [PDF 501KB] Research Paper No. 1 2003–04 Richard Webb, Economics, Commerce and Industrial Relations Group 11 August 2003 This paper explains how the Commonwealth determines the level
and distribution of financial assistance it provides to local government
and examines some key issues in the provision of assistance. (26 pages) |