Upcoming Lecture

Can the Senate initiate a constitutional referendum?

In 1914, when the Senate sought to initiate a constitutional referendum unilaterally, the Governor-General, having received ministerial advice, declined to put the referendum to the people. Since then, it has been assumed that the Senate cannot initiate a constitutional referendum, because the Governor-General would be bound by ministerial advice to refuse it. But new evidence about the 1914 precedent suggests that this is not the case. This talk will discuss what really happened in 1914, and its relevance today.

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Australian Study of Parliament Group

 

Issues and Insights 2026

Challenges for Australia

We are pleased to present Issues and Insights, a new Parliamentary Library publication for the 48th Parliament.

Produced by our policy specialists, Issues and Insights focuses on our complex and fast-changing world, situating national problems in a global context and identifying policy issues and tensions.

This year we take a thematic approach to some of the most pressing questions shaping Australia’s future. We explore the increasing threat of political violence, freedom of expression, manipulated information, future of money, the aged care workforce, four-day working week, approaches to funding research and development, the role of government in service delivery, and tobacco control. Whether you are a policy expert or simply trying to stay ahead of the curve, we hope you will find something in these pages that sparks ideas, challenges assumptions, and helps make sense of the noise.

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Latest edition of What's New from the Parliamentary Library

Available to Senators, Members and Parliamentary staff only.

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