In response to Peter Brent's analysis in Inside Story (14 July 2016) of state-based voting trends witnessed at the 2016 federal election, Swinburne University's Paul Rodan offers a longer view of how electoral behaviour at state and federal polls has intersected at different times. Rodan argues that Queensland and Western Australia stand out in his...

In this analysis, Emeritus Professor Roger Scott and Adjunct Professor Ann Scott revisit Queensland's political history, arguing that the state has a long-standing tradition of accommodating ultra-conservative views within the political process. At times this has taken place within the dominant Country/National Party and, at others, separate fringe parties like One Nation have gained direct...

A collection of articles on national education policy was posted to the TJ Ryan Foundation website during this year’s federal election campaign. Much of this commentary highlighted the failure of the campaign to confront the policy vacuum which faces administrators in tertiary institutions and those charged with the equitable distribution of public and private funds...

This paper provides a summary of some of the issues that arise from the operation of the Cape York Aboriginal Australian Academy (CYAAA), an initiative of controversial Aboriginal activist, Noel Pearson. The paper concludes that the recent turmoil in the Aurukun community tells us little one way or the other about the efficacy of the...

This study reviews the media discussion of tertiary education during and after the 2016 federal election. It identifies a series of key questions which went largely unanswered by politicians. Supported by comments from fellow Research Associates of the TJ Ryan Foundation, Scott argues that there is a role for a wide-ranging public inquiry as a...