This background note provides a snap-shot of significant developments in refugee law and policy during the period September 2010 to the end of December 2011. On 14 September 2010, Julia Gillard was re-sworn in as Australia’s 27th Prime Minister following the 21 August 2010 federal election. When the Australian Labor Party (ALP) commenced its second...

This background note provides an overview of the regulation of political financing at the Commonwealth level including election expenditure. It also gives an account of the various political financing reforms that have been implemented or proposed at the national level since the 1980s. The funding of political activity and structures—from holding elections to assisting political...

This paper provides information on the relationship between income management and the Racial Discrimination Act and the issues that are likely to arise if this question comes before the Australian Human Rights Commission for determination. Income management refers to a policy under which a percentage of the welfare payments of certain people are set aside...

This paper gives an overview of each state or territory political financing regime, followed by an account of the monitoring and disclosure provisions for political expenditure and donations. The funding of elections and other formally structured political activity is a crucial consideration for modern democracies. It is not simply a question of how to manage...

This paper provides an overview of the main features of the lead-up to the 2010 federal election, the issues that animated the election campaign itself, and the emergence of a hung parliament. Key findings: The 2010 Federal election occurred in the wake of the Federal Parliamentary Labor Party’s decision to remove Prime Minister Kevin Rudd...