Reform of the Senate committee system

posted: 31/08/2006

Author(s): Lisa Young (Queensland Department of Premier and Cabinet) Category: - Audit paper; Accountability; Parliament download In a new Audit discussion paper, Liz Young reviews the government’s changes to the Senate committee system. Whilst the government maintains that the changes will make for a more efficient and effective committee system, opponents fear that the changes will merely strengthen executive dominance over parliament.

Does the South Australian Legislative Council have a future?    (published: 10/2006)

posted: 6/10/2006

Author(s): Jordan Bastoni (University of Adelaide) Category: - Audit paper; Parliament; Accountability download In a new paper for the Democratic Audit, Jordan Bastoni, University of Adelaide, considers moves to abolish the South Australian upper house. Not only do the changes risk damaging the quality of the political process and the accountability of government, they are also ill-thought out and, it is argued, may be defeated anyway.

Review of Limiting Democracy: the Erosion of Electoral Rights in Australia by Colin A. Hughes & Brian Costar    (published: 10/2006)	posted: 6/10/2006
Author(s): Marian Sawer (Australian National University) Category: Constitution/federalism; Political Finance/Govt Advertising; Electoral download

Rethinking Westminster: South Australia’s cabinet experiment    (published: 10/2006)

posted: 26/10/2006

Author(s): Norman Abjorensen (Australian National University) Category: - Audit paper; Accountability; Parties/Independents download In a new paper for the Democratic Audit of Australia, Norman Abjorensen, ANU, considers the South Australian experiment of including non-Labor members in the Labor cabinet. The move marks a significant break with the Australia’s Westminster tradition but has evidently paid dividends for the government.

Sunlight as the best disinfectant: Campaign finance in Australia    (published: 10/2006)

posted: 26/10/2006

Author(s): Kenneth R. Mayer (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Category: - Audit paper; Political Finance/Govt Advertising download Kenneth Mayer of the University of Wisconsin-Madison compares the systems of campaign finance in Australia and the United States. In spite of the huge sums involved in American campaigns, the disclosure requirements are far stricter than Australia’s, particularly since this year's changes.

New media laws and their impact on the bush    (published: 11/2006)

posted: 6/11/2006

Author(s): Peter Andren (Federal Independent Member for Calare) Category: - Audit paper; Accountability; Media download Peter Andren MP, the Independent member for Calare, considers the impact of the recent changes to media law on media diversity in rural areas. The laws, which will allow a single owner to control both television and newspapers in a particular market, will see, he says, an end to local content in rural areas.

China and Australia: Mutual assistance on criminal matters    (published: 11/2006)

posted: 6/11/2006

Author(s): Vic Adams (Civil Liberties Australia) Category: - Audit paper; Rights download Australia and China negotiated a treaty on mutual assistance in criminal matters in 2006. Vic Adams considers the treaty and its possible implications in the light of China’s record on the death penalty. The treaty lack safeguards to ensure Australia in not implicated in executions and could be in breach of a number of other treaties to which Australia is a signatory, aimed at ending the death penalty.

Australian industrial laws and freedom of political expression    (published: 11/2006)

posted: 17/11/2006

Author(s): Tom Roberts (Construction, Forestry, Mining & Energy Union & Energy Union) Category: - Audit paper; Rights download In a new paper for the Audit, Tom Roberts of the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union, discusses the implications of changes to industrial relations law for freedom of expression in the construction sector. Virtually all forms of industrial action are deemed unlawful in the sector and could result in deductions in pay, fines, and damages claims: the Australian Building and Construction Commissioner has been established to monitor and enforce this. This constitutes a direct attack on the right to peaceful political protest.

Political finance in Australia : a skewed and secret system    (published: 11/2006)	posted: 21/11/2006
Author(s): Joo-Cheong Tham (University of Melbourne), Sally Young (University of Melbourne) Category: Focussed Audits; Political Finance/Govt Advertising download Focussed Audit No. 7.

Fifty years of campaign finance study in Australia    (published: 12/2006)	posted: 18/12/2006
Author(s): Colin Hughes (University of Queensland) Category: - Audit paper; Political Finance/Govt Advertising download Colin A Hughes, Emeritus Professor of Political Science at the University of Queensland, looks at the history of the study of campaign finance in Australia and why it has been so under-developed.

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