Notwithstanding the differences, the Australian and American Senates are comparable in being among the very strongest upper houses in the world, and in demonstrating the value of bicameralism in democratic governance. US political scientist Stanley Bach analyses the major differences between the Australian and US upper houses.

Opinion polls have become an accepted component of political life. Poll results are perceived to be an accurate gauge of the public's mood and arguably influence all aspects of politics, from party leadership to policy proposals. Two new research notes form the basis for a new regular series compiling and comparing results from two major...

In mid-October 2003, the Attorney-General announced the creation of a new National Threat Assessment Centre (NTAC), to be housed within ASIO and staffed by secondees from police, security and other relevant agencies. As a 24-hour unit dedicated to analysing threats to the security of Australian interests here and overseas, the establishment of the NTAC is...

In July 2003, the federal government released an exposure draft of legislation (Charities Bill 2003) which seeks to redefine what constitutes a charitable organisation. It also asked the Board of Taxation to conduct a public enquiry to determine the criteria for organisations to be given charitable status. This Current Issues Brief explains the background to...

Tony Kryger provides an analysis of certain labour force characteristics of families from the 2001 Census of Population and Housing for Commonwealth Electoral Divisions. It seeks to measure the extent of labour market disadvantage experienced by families by providing a basis on which to make comparisons between electorates. Data for each labour force characteristic are...