This discussion paper, to prepare for the Reform of the Federation Green Paper, was published online after several chapters were leaked to the media. The Green Paper is yet to be finalised and is intended to be released later in 2015 after further discussions with the States and Territories. Introduction Australia’s Federation has worked well...

This paper argues that the driving motivation for federalism reform in Australia should be to enhance Australian federal democracy, and sets out ten principles to guide federal democratic reform.

The Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste of 2002 contains over 40 human rights provisions in its Bill of Rights. In addition to providing an overview of the process leading up to the adoption of the Constitution, this book brings together information relating to each section of the Bill of Rights, presenting: progressive texts...

This article explores the dynamic by which once exceptional measures become normalised and then extended to new extremes. Abstract Since September 11, Australia’s federal Parliament has enacted a range of exceptional measures aimed at preventing terrorism. These measures include control orders, which were not designed or intended for use outside of the terrorism context. What...

Constitutional recognition and change for the benefit of Australia’s First Peoples has recently emerged as the focus of Indigenous politics. This article critiques the ‘top-down’ nature of the constitutional recognition movement, specifically the Recognise campaign. It highlights the campaign’s contribution to the‘politics of distraction’ which dominate the mainstream discussion of Indigenous issues, detracting from ongoing...