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As the election campaign gets under way, a visiting political scientist reflects on four sometimes-surprising months in the national capital
One of my first and strongest impressions of the differences between Canadian and Australian politics came, of all places, in the parliamentary gift shop in Canberra. As one of the small but hearty group of people with a professional interest in Westminster parliamentary institutions, I’ve had the good fortune to make short trips to Australia over the years to conduct comparative research. But during a recent four-month visiting fellowship at ANU’s School of Politics and International Relations, I had a chance not just to compare, but also to immerse myself in observing Australians and their political system.
As you might expect, Parliament House’s gift shop sells souvenir teaspoons, magnets, a collection of prime ministerial mugs, and so on. But what struck me was that it also has a remarkable selection of recent books on Australian politics, including many volumes quite critical of current occupants of the building. On sale, for example, were all of the recent books on the fall of Tony Abbott and his lieutenant Peta Credlin. A hemisphere away, Canada’s counterpart on Parliament Hill in Ottawa sticks to selling innocuous trinkets and picture books; it’s inconceivable that it would stock anything remotely vexing to either visitors or parliamentarians.
And the differences at Parliament House don’t stop there…
