The rapid passage of the Home Affairs Bill 2023 on 15 June 2023 attracted public attention both for its speed and national security motivations. The Bill’s passage demonstrated how quickly the Parliament can legislate in cases where parliamentarians agree that urgency is required. Readily searchable data on time taken for the passage of Bills is only available for the 44th Parliament onwards. Of all the bills captured by this data, the Home Affairs Bill 2023 appears to have progressed from introduction to commencement in the shortest time. This Flagpost describes the passage of the Home Affairs Bill 2023 and compares it with other recent Bills that have been introduced and passed ... 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...
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...
On 8 March 2023, a commemorative sculpture of Dame Enid Lyons and Dame Dorothy Tangney will be unveiled in the National Triangle (Parliamentary Triangle) near the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. It will be the first statue of Australian women in the Triangle; the only woman previously honoured was Queen Elizabeth II, whose statue is located on the Queen’s Terrace at Parliament House. Read more...
Following the 21 May 2022 federal election, the newly appointed Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, stated that the new Parliament would first meet on 26 July 2022—106 days after the previous Parliament was dissolved. The opening of a new Parliament proceeds according to constitutional requirements, House of Representatives and Senate standing orders and resolutions, and long-standing ceremonial practices. This Flagpost article outlines and contextualises these aspects prior to the new parliament opening later this month. Read more...
Being on mute, an interrupting pet, interesting camera angles, items in the background and technical issues are just a few examples of what parliamentarians have become accustomed to in order to continue business as usual during the coronavirus pandemic. This FlagPost uses a procedural lens to understand how remote participation was implemented and its lasting impact. Read more...
The newly elected crossbench has had their personal employee allocations reduced from 4 to 1, based on recent media reporting. The Government argues that the additional staffing for the crossbenchers is unfair to other backbenchers and a signal of budgetary restraint. This flagpost discusses the regulation and history of this staffing allocation. 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...
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...
How does the gender composition of the Australian parliament compare with parliaments around the world, and how has it changed over the past two decades? Read more...
Flagpost is a blog on current issues of interest to members of the Australian Parliament
Blog entries
Senate
House of Representatives
Get informed
Bills
Committees
Get involved
Visit Parliament
