Ending felon disenfranchisement - What voting rights should prisoners have?    (published: 7/2005)

posted: 1/07/2005

Author(s): Sandey Fitzgerald (Macquarie University) Category: Felon disenfranchisement; Rights; - Audit paper download In this paper, Sandey Fitzgerald provides new evidence on when and how prisoners have been able to vote in the various Australian jurisdictions and the difficulty of regaining voting rights after sentences have been served. She also discusses the long-standing ideological divide on the issue.

What is happening to Australian democracy?    (published: 7/2005)

posted: 1/07/2005

Author(s): Fred Argy (Australian National University) Category: Incumbency benefits; Political Finance/Govt Advertising; - Audit paper      (pages: 5)   download In this discussion paper, Fred Argy addresse the issue of incumbency advantages in government by examining the use of taxpayers' money for political advertising campaigns. The paper has a particular focus on the federal government's current industrial relations campaign, and argues that public money should not be used for 'proposed and unlegislated' policy changes.

Beyond Australia’s First Bill of Rights: engendering public debate     (published: 7/2005)

posted: 1/07/2005

Author(s): Katharine Gelber (University of New South Wales) Category: Rights; - Audit paper; Public opinion      (pages: 9)   download So far in Australia only the ACT has a Bill of Rights. Katharine Gelber looks at current gaps in rights protection and at how to win support for rights-based legislation. She draws on recent surveys of civic knowledge and social attitudes to argue there is already a pool of public support for the ideals associated with rights protection.

The ACT Human Rights Act 2004: Impact on case law, legislation and policy    (published: 7/2005)	posted: 1/07/2005
Author(s): Gabrielle McKinnon (Australian National University) Category: Rights; - Audit paper; Parliament      (pages: 10)   download Following the first anniversary of the ACT Human Rights Act 2004 , Gabrielle McKinnon examines the impact of the legislation on rights protection in the ACT. Her review covers impact on the courts, on legislation and on policy development.

The Legacy of political corruption    (published: 7/2005)

posted: 1/07/2005

Author(s): Bob McMullan (Federal Member for Canberra) Category: Political Finance/Govt Advertising; Incumbency benefits; - Breaking news/external links download In a recent speech at an ALP regional conference, ALP Member for Canberra, Bob McMullan MP attacked four benefits of incumbency that are threatening the integrity of our democratic system. The issues addressed were - government advertising campaigns; printing and postage allowances; political donation disclosure and tax deductibility; and proposed changes to electoral enrolment regulations. A new challenge for Labor in opposition: to overcome the legacy of political corruption.

The Senate changeover - Implications for democracy    (published: 5/2005)	posted: 1/07/2005
Author(s): Marian Sawer (Australian National University) Category: Parliament; Accountability; - Audit paper download With the changeover of Senators on 1 July 2005, Marian Sawer looks at democratic issues posed by government control of both houses of the Australian Parliament, particularly in relation to legislative review and executive scrutiny.

Review of the first year of operation of the Human Rights Act 2004    (published: 6/2005)

posted: 30/06/2005

Author(s): Helen Watchirs (ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner) Category: Rights; - Audit paper; Parliament download The ACT is the first Australian jurisdiction to have a Bill of Rights. One year after its commencement, the ACT Human Rights and Discrimination Commissioner, Dr Helen Watchirs, finds that its biggest impact has been in influencing the formulation of government policy and legislation.

How democratic is parliament? A case study in auditing the performance of parliament    (published: 6/2005)

posted: 30/06/2005

Author(s): John Uhr (Political Science Program, Research School of Social Science, ANU.) Category: Parliament; Accountability; - Audit paper download John Uhr provides an Audit of Australian Parliament. He ranks the various components with a high, medium or low score against the four key values of the IDEA framework – political equality, popular control of government, civil liberties and human rights and public deliberation. Uhr considers the Senate in a positive light, with particular reference to proportional representation, scrutiny of legislation and the committee system. He rates negatively the low number of private members’ bills, questions surrounding ministerial responsibility, the nature of Question Time, particularly in the House of Representatives, and the government’s proposals relating to political donations. Uhr argues that, when the Howard government gains control of the Senate on 1 July 2005, a major concern is that it might use its majority in the Senate to reduce democracy within Parliament.

State upper houses    (published: 6/2005)	posted: 1/06/2005
Author(s): Bruce Stone (University of Western Australia) Category: Parliament; Electoral; - Audit paper download In this paper Bruce Stone audits State upper houses and finds electoral reform is the key to improved performance in legislative review and executive scrutiny but some houses are simply too small to be effective.

Increased political donations - Recipe for corruption    (published: 11/2005)

posted: 1/06/2005

Author(s): Peter Andren (Independent Federal Member for Calare) Category: Political Finance/Govt Advertising; Parties/Independents; - Audit paper download Peter Andren MP follows up on the proposal to increase the disclosure threshold for donations to political parties and to raise the tax deductibility limit. He argues the changes will further erode democracy. Andren’s comments can be viewed here.  See also Joo-Cheong Tham’s recent analysis below.

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