Australian federal Members of Parliament and Senators are entitled to over $3 million in pay, resources and benefits over a three-year election cycle. These resources can be used to boost re-election chances. Combined with changes to electoral laws coming into force, this paper finds that these threaten to make Australian elections less competitive than ever.

This paper explores the declining influence of media endorsements and leaders' debates on election outcomes. It finds that the opinions and endorsements published by Australia’s major media outlets now have little influence over how Australians actually vote. The paper proposes that governments should no longer fear retribution from media organisations opposed to important reforms.

Almost 30 years after the Port Arthur massacre, there are more guns in Australia than ever before, and the National Firearms Agreement (NFA) is falling short of its stated aims. There is no National Firearms Register and minors can use firearms in every state. This paper outlines the status of the NFA and the number...

An analysis of 25 power sharing parliaments in Australia outlines what crossbencher MPs might demand in exchange for their support and what can be expected of the power sharing parliament that results. It finds that typical areas of negotiation are parliamentary reform, policy reform, more staff and resources and ministerial or presiding officer positions for...

Where journalists live has implications for the public and for the health of democracy. This paper identifies in which electorates Australia’s journalists live and whether these electorates are inner-metropolitan, outer-metropolitan, provincial or rural. It finds that more journalists live in electorates classified as inner-metropolitan than outer-metropolitan, provincial and rural electorates combined.