It is often assumed that elections in nations with long-standing democratic processes, such as Australia, Canada, Britain and the US, are 'free and fair'. Bryan Mercurio and George Williams examine whether the Australian electoral system fits this description, with the primary focus on the federal aspect of that system. While for many there would be...

When people talk of a treaty between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, the debate is often about high-level principles. Issues like sovereignty, self-determination and constitutional guarantees are undeniably important. People hold different views about them and these are debates we need to have if Australia is to move forward. For many people, however, a key question...

Selected papers from the centre's National Forum on Indigenous Health and the Treaty Debate are now available online. Speakers included Olga Havnen, NSW Aboriginal Land Council; Ria Earp, Deputy Director General, Maori Health, Ministry of Health (NZ); Dea Delaney Thiele, National Aboriginal Community Controlled Health; and Fred Chaney AO, Co-Chair, Reconciliation Australia.

While the recent WTO agreement allowing developing countries to import life-saving drugs by bypassing patent laws is beneficial, a majority of the drugs used to combat epidemics are off-patent or not patented in many developing countries. Consequently, according to Bryan Mercurio, the agreement will do very little to assist those nations in preventing and treating...

If Australia does choose to go down the path of modern treaty-making then inevitably it will be influenced by the opportunities created and the limitations imposed by the native title system, argues Sean Brennan.