Australia’s democracy is being stretched thin, with each federal parliamentarian MP now representing almost four times as many people as at Federation. This paper proposes that more MPs would increase the talent pool for ministries, reverse the growth in physical size of rural and regional electorates, and make MPs more responsive to local communities.

Within the early debates of the 48th Parliament in Australia, the longstanding method of allocating federal parliamentarians’ staffing resources has been a high-profile and contentious issue. This policy brief investigates the methods used in similar Westminster parliaments (the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand), to help inform future debate within the Australian context.

This report examines representation in Australia’s 48th Federal Parliament and analyses gender, Indigeneity, cultural background, education, age and employment. It provides a statistical snapshot of members at the opening of the 48th Parliament, outlines pathways into politics, and highlights where parliamentary composition reflects or diverges from broader society.

Australian federal Members of Parliament and Senators are entitled to over $3 million in pay, resources and benefits over a three-year election cycle. These resources can be used to boost re-election chances. Combined with changes to electoral laws coming into force, this paper finds that these threaten to make Australian elections less competitive than ever.

This paper considers the experiences of Victorian women during the war years. It looks at their experiences, and shares some of the memories of other female parliamentarians who lived during the war years. The paper also explores some of the changes to Victorian women’s lives as they entered the workforce in record numbers and navigated...