Current multiparty support has created a historic opportunity to recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the first peoples of Australia, to affirm their full and equal citizenship, and to remove the last vestiges of racial discrimination from the Constitution. The Expert Panel was tasked to report to the Government on possible options for...

The independent Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Local Government was appointed in August 2011 by the Australian Government. The Panel was tasked with consulting the community on whether Australia's Constitution should be changed to include local government. The Panel consulted nationally and considered feedback it received from Australians before handing its report to Government...

The political project for European Union is defined by its inherent dialectic as both part of and a distinct response to globalisation. Like other regionalisms, the EU is broadly committed to openness or ‘open regionalism’. But the project for European Union has also been defined by its pursuit of a social capitalism and the promotion...

This research paper addresses the question of whether the Commonwealth has the constitutional power to take over and regulate the administration of public hospitals (with or without the agreement of state governments). Summary • The funding and administration of public hospitals is an enduring area of controversy in Australian politics. • In recent years, the...

The question how Australia should be governed has often revolved around the role of federalism. Yet the same arguments made in favour of federalism (greater choice and diversity, and government that is closer to the people) could also be applied to local government. But whether recognition of local government in the Australian Constitution would actually...