This annual poll reveals that in 2022, Australians report feeling unsafe, and as the potential for conflict in our region feels more possible. Support for Australia’s alliance with the United States has returned to a record high, with the majority of Australians now supporting increased defence spending and Australia’s plans to acquire nuclear-powered submarines.

This summary report represents a sample of the rich insights and views of Canada’s senior public servants on their work and their institutions. Readers and researchers are well advised to take the time and review the detailed reports more closely, to draw additional lessons and insights.

In this paper, the authors argue democratic reforms to enhance the influence of ordinary and underpowered citizens over public policy are a necessary component of any strategy to recapture lost electorates and reinforce the foundations of democracy.

This paper outlines reforms for consideration by parliamentarians and the Australian government. Some are well developed and long promised, and require only the political will to implement. Others still require careful consideration and development. Many would have accumulative effects, with reforms in one area making reforms in other areas more viable.

This research highlights how the powers of detention in the Victorian government’s pandemic management legislation could be struck down for being incompatible with the Australian Constitution.