A little remarked upon feature of Chinese regional diplomacy has been on show recently. While China’s regular foreign ministry establishment, led by the Foreign Minister, maintains the country’s network of embassies and leads international negotiations, the Chinese Communist Party has its own parallel track to formal national diplomacy – the International Department. The Department has been active in both Australia and the region in its efforts to build relationships and this briefing provides a snapshot of the organisation and its work. Read more...
In this month’s release: homicides in Australia and an article about rental comparisons in regional and capital city areas. Read more...
Sydney’s Garden Island Defence Precinct has been an important naval base since 1856, and its significance seems likely to grow with Defence Minister Richard Marles’s announcement in February 2024 of a further $11.1 billion to more than double the Australian naval fleet. This follows the Albanese Government’s adoption of the Independent analysis of Navy’s surface combatant fleet recommendation to acquire 11 Tier 2 surface combatants, a number of which seem likely to be homeported in Sydney. Read more...
In early March 2024, the Opposition established a Shadow Minister for Western Sydney to ‘signal very clearly our intention to make great inroads’ into that area. While this is the first instance of Western Sydney being a specific portfolio, other examples of geographic portfolios have existed for over a hundred years, in both government and shadow ministries. This Flagpost provides an overview analysis of these, including the various motivations for their creation. Read more...
The Federal Court has called for better scrutiny of ‘convoluted’ child support laws, saying such complex legislation puts governance in jeopardy. Read more...
On 16 April 2024 the Minister for the Environment and Water Tanya Plibersek announced the ‘second stage’ of the Albanese Government’s Nature Positive reforms. The minister said the changes ‘will deliver stronger environment powers, faster environment approvals, and better environment information and transparency’. Read more...
In this month’s release: Inequality in Australia and consumption of selected foods. Read more...
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Opposition Leader Peter Dutton have recently expressed support for changing Australia’s 3-year parliamentary terms to 4 years, renewing public discussion on the merits of a longer electoral cycle. However, voters appear ambivalent on the proposal, with a recent Newspoll showing only 51% support for the idea with 37% against. This Flagpost article contextualises the current arrangements, identifies the arguments for and against longer terms, and summarises the processes for any change. Read more...
Earlier this year, Australia ranked 5th in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) 2023 Digital Government Index (DGI). This placed Australia ahead of the European Union’s digital government pioneer, Estonia, and just behind Denmark and Norway. Among the 38 countries listed in the DGI, Australia also scored 1st in the government services category ‘digital by design’ and received special mention for being one of only five OECD countries with an integrated approach to investments in digital technology and services. To explain Australia’s DGI success, this Flagpost brings attention to the Australian Government Architecture (AGA),... Read more...
In this month’s release: latest National Drug Strategy Household Survey, women’s experiences with the health system and the latest scam/fraud data. Read more...
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