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.

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.

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.

Do Australians have equal protection against hate speech?    (published: 8/2005)

posted: 1/08/2005

Author(s): Simon Rice (Australian Lawyers for Human Rights) Category: Rights; Media; - Audit paper download Simon Rice examines the very different levels of protection against hate speech that exist in different Australian jurisdictions. He highlights Australia’s unfulfilled international obligation to legislate against religious vilification and the interesting stance adopted by the NSW government on the subject.

Police, civilians and democratic accountability     (published: 8/2005)	posted: 1/08/2005
Author(s): Colleen Lewis (Monash University) Category: Public service/statutory bodies; Accountability; - Audit paper download Colleen Lewis investigates the effectiveness of attempts around Australia to increase the public accountability of the police. Dr Lewis highlights the complex relationship between police and government and the reduction of judicial oversight under anti-terrorism laws.

Revising constituency boundaries in the United States and Australia: It couldn't be more different    (published: 8/2005)

posted: 1/08/2005

Author(s): Richard Engstrom (University of New Orleans) Category: Incumbency benefits; Electoral; - Audit paper download Richard Engstrom provides a comparative analysis of the methods used to determine electoral boundaries in the United States and Australia. This paper provides a useful insight into the largely partisan nature of redistribution (redistricting) in the US and highlights the benefits of the more independent nature of Australian electoral commissions.

Theories for understanding government advertising in Australia    (published: 8/2005)

posted: 1/08/2005

Author(s): Sally Young (University of Melbourne) Category: Political Finance/Govt Advertising; Incumbency benefits; - Audit paper download In this paper, Sally Young assesses propaganda theory in relation to the current debate on the use and possible misuse of government advertising by incumbent Coalition and Labor parties. In particular, Dr Young comments on the relationship between governments, as major advertisers, and the editorial content of media outlets.

How effective has the United Nations Human Rights system been in promoting human rights observance by Australian governments?    (published: 8/2005)

posted: 1/08/2005

Author(s): Elizabeth Evatt () Category: Rights; NGOs/participation; - Audit paper download Elizabeth Evatt provides a synoptic overview of the varying degrees to which Australian governments have signed up to and implemented international human rights treaties. Justice Evatt identifies a range of issues arising from failure to respect the views and findings of independent treaty bodies, turning the Executive and the Parliament into the sole arbiters of compliance with human rights standards.

Whistleblowing and the media - transparency the biggest casualty    (published: 9/2005)

posted: 1/09/2005

Author(s): Helen Ester (Central Queensland University) Category: Media; Accountability; - Audit paper download Expanding on the issue of protection of sources, Helen Ester looks at a range of factors affecting the Press Gallery's role in public accountability. These include not only government pursuit of whistle-blowers but also a weak FOI regime making journalists overly dependent on leaks and a hollowing out of the press gallery, meaning many gallery journalists are relatively inexperienced.

Up, up & away in my beautiful balloon … some questions of media policy    (published: 9/2005)	posted: 1/09/2005
Author(s): Frank Morgan () Category: Media; - Audit paper download Frank Morgan responds to a recent speech by Senator Helen Coonan, Federal Minister for Communications, on proposals to change Australia’s media ownership laws. He discusses how new technology has changed the way we receive and digest news and information.

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