This year has been both eventful and demanding, marked by the 2010 election, the extended caretaker period and significant new functions following the swearing in of the Gillard government. On the domestic front, 2010–11 has seen PM&C provide a diverse range of strategic policy advice to the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and our portfolio ministers...

The Australian Constitution, the nation’s founding political and legal document, was developed at a series of constitutional conventions in the 1890s and came into effect with the Federation of Australia in 1901. The Constitution sets the basic rules on how governments, and the different arms of government, operate in Australia. Due to historical circumstances, it...

This paper provides coverage of selected procedural changes during the first year of the operation of the House of Representatives in the 43rd Parliament, together with a range of statistics relating to the work of the House. The 2010 election, held on 21 August, was called early and under the unusual circumstance of a recent...

Exploring the question of community engagement and political participation by younger Australians, this project analyses fifteen years of Newspoll surveys.

Citizen participation in policymaking and service design has been debated or attempted, but too infrequently realised. The theory and practice of public administration is increasingly concerned with placing the citizen at the centre of policymakers’ considerations, not just as target, but also as agent. The aim is to develop policies and design services that respond...