In its final report to government the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission outlined three options for reforming the structure of the Australian health system. The third option, discussed in this paper, proposed a fundamental restructure of the Australian health system. The proposal, called Medicare Select, was foreshadowed in the Commission’s interim report (where it...

Parliamentary salaries, allowances and entitlements generate public discussion and attract media opinion. This background note provides relevant data, hyperlinks and documents on the remuneration of Australian federal parliamentarians. It explains the legislative basis, fixing and linking mechanisms for salaries and allowances, and those entitlements that are reported such as travel and electorate allowances. Links to...

This background note will be updated to include any new developments on the formal negotiations are taking place within the meetings and working groups that have been established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol framework. The Rudd Government has emphasised that a major part of Australia’s efforts to control...

In September 2008, the international media started to report on the declining health of the North Korean leader, Kim Jong-Il. Since that date, North Korea has undertaken a series of measures to demonstrate the health of Kim Jong-Il, yet at the same time has demonstrated signs that succession plans may be underway. In the context...

The election of the Rudd Government on 24 November 2007 signalled a more multilaterally-oriented role for Australia, in particular in the country’s relations with the United Nations (UN) and other like-minded international organisations. This research paper examines Australia’s relationship with the European Union (EU) and the growing cooperation between Australia and the EU on security...