The Senate Order on Agency Contracts aims to ensure parliamentary scrutiny of government activities in the face of increased use of confidentiality as a ground to withhold information from the public and from parliament. This research note examines the Order and the government's response.

Should someone with a criminal record be able to stand for political office? What about someone actually in jail? Should it depend on their crime? This Current Issues Brief outlines the issues, and reviews some of the many examples of political figures who have had both crime and candidacy in their careers.

This Research Note discusses issues highlighted by a recent attempt by the Queensland government to require local councillors to vacate office if seeking election to federal Parliament.

A pattern is emerging in Western liberal democracies, in which centre-left and social democratic governments are losing power to centre-right governments. This paper outlines the extent of this pattern, and discusses factors that may be contributing to the process, such as a pendulum swing effect and the centre-right's greater success in capitalising on "value politics"...

This paper analyses the growth in numbers of ministerial staff and discusses the accountability of staffers, particularly their accountability to Parliament, in an historical perspective. It also looks at the regulation (or lack of regulation) of the people who work for the government of the day.