Meaningful citizen participation in policymaking is critical. This report identifies systemic challenges for citizen participation facing citizens, elected representatives, civil servants and civil society. It advocates for a strategic and targeted approach to citizen participation; lowering barriers to enable more inclusive participation; building capacity among both civil servants and citizens; and ensuring impact and accountability.

This report finds that the present design of Victoria’s upper house, the Legislative Council, reinforces urban domination of Victorian politics while also failing to act as an effective mechanism for scrutiny of government. It provides three recommendations to address the present accountability, democratic and regional representation deficits.

This report argues major reform to the Commonwealth Parliament and Government is needed to enable brave policymaking. Out of 34 potential reform ideas, the report identifies seven key reform areas that will improve government in Australia, including limiting political donations, fixing parliamentary terms and more rigorous processes for appointing and terminating Secretaries of Commonwealth Departments.

The report proposes 37 practical, feasible, impactful and evidence-based reform opportunities to improve trust and confidence in the Federal Parliament. It encourages parliamentarians to use available mechanisms to consider these reform opportunities further and build a consensus about the highest priority reforms.

This report shows that there are fewer women than men running in the 2025 federal election and they are more likely to be running in ‘glass cliff’ seats that are hard to win and precarious to hold. Labor has a higher number of women than men running, but men still have a better shot at...