Stanhope argues for Bill of Rights	posted: 31/03/2006
Author(s): Jon Stanhope (ACT Chief Minister) Category: Rights; - Breaking news/external links http link In an article for the New Matilda, ACT premier Jon Stanhope puts the case for a national Bill of Rights in Australia.

Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2005    (published: 3/2006)

posted: 31/03/2006

Author(s): Norm Kelly (Australian National University) Category: Electoral; - Breaking news/external links download The Howard government’s electoral reform legislation – the Electoral and Referendum Amendment (Electoral Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2005 – is set to be debated in the House of Representatives in the final week of March 2006. The Bill contains amendments to the Commonwealth Electoral Act 1918 and other related Acts on a variety of electoral issues. This commentary provides a brief guide to various aspects of the legislation, the government’s arguments in support of the reforms and Norm's own comments.

Political Donations WA    (published: 4/2006)	posted: 6/04/2006
Author(s): Andrew Murray (Australian Democrats Senator) Category: Political Finance/Govt Advertising http link A project undertaken by Senator Andrew Murray that forms part of the Australian Democrats campaign to reform political funding and disclosure legislation. It concerns political donations made in Western Australia.

The South Australian election: Implications for democracy in the festival state    (published: 4/2006)

posted: 11/04/2006

Author(s): Geoff Anderson (Flinders University), Haydon Manning (Flinders University) Category: Electoral download In this paper for the Audit, Geoff Anderson and Haydon Manning of Flinders University review the election and analyse the Rann government's commitment to abolishing the upper house and inclusion of non-Labor members in Cabinet. They also examine South Australia's unique electoral redistribution formula.

Question time - A failing institution?    (published: 4/2006)

posted: 24/04/2006

Author(s): Parameswary Rasiah (University of Western Australia) Category: Parliament; Accountability; - Audit paper download Parameswary Rasiah, University of Western Australia, provides a damning critique of parliamentary question time. Analysing ministers' responses to questions on the Iraq conflict, she highlights how they evade answering properly unless questions come from their own side, concluding that question time fails as a means to hold government to account.

Enforcing party democracy    (published: 4/2006)	posted: 24/04/2006
Author(s): Anika Gauja (University of Sydney) Category: Parties/Independents; Accountability; - Audit paper download Anika Gauja, University of Sydney, considers the need for regulations requiring political parties to adopt internal democracy. Drawing on examples from abroad, she concludes that, in spite of objections, the arguments for requiring greater intra-party democracy are compelling.

Political 'hitmen'    (published: 4/2006)

posted: 24/04/2006

Author(s): James Walter (Monash University) Category: Accountability; - Audit paper; Public service/statutory bodies download James Walter, Monash University, reviews how the role of ministerial advisors in Australia has evolved to their current status as 'political hitmen'. The lack of adequate accountability measures for ministerial advisers has contributed to the concentration of power in the government, the narrowing of the scope of policy advice, and the risk of a 'descent into groupthink and policy fiasco'.

UK Freedom of Information Act    (published: 1/2005)

posted: 1/05/2006

Author(s): Category: Accountability; Rights http link The United Kingdom's Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into force at the beginning of 2005 and introduced a statutory right to official information for the first time. But access to government-held information is restricted by the FOI Act’s numerous exemptions. Twenty-three sections of the FOI Act specify 36 individual exceptions to the disclosure rule, some more stringent (or “absolute”) than others.

Watchdog independence compromised?    (published: 5/2006)

posted: 16/05/2006

Author(s): Peter van Onselen (Edith Cowan University) Category: Accountability; Public service/statutory bodies; - Audit paper download In this new Audit discussion paper, Peter Van Onselen (Edith Cowan University) considers the implications of the WA government's decision to downgrade several independent watchdog posts. The decision, affecting the Electoral Commissioner, the Commissioner for Public Sector Standards, and the Information Commissioner, has obvious implications for the standing of these posts within the public service and for the ability to recruit candidates of the highest calibre to them in the future. But the role of the WA government in the decision also raises serious questions about the independence of these watchdog bodies, responsible to parliament, from the government departments that they are supposed to scrutinise.

The failure of Australian anti-corruption measures    (published: 5/2006)

posted: 26/05/2006

Author(s): Jürgen Kurtz (University of Melbourne Law School) Category: - Audit paper; Accountability download In the wake of the AWB bribery scandal, Jürgen Kurtz reviews Australia’s commitment to combating bribery of foreign officials. Despite ratifying the OECD’s anti-bribery convention in 1999 and passing its own anti-bribery legislation in 1999, Australia has yet to establish proper implementation machinery or to charge any companies or individuals.

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