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.

An analysis of 25 power sharing parliaments in Australia outlines what crossbencher MPs might demand in exchange for their support and what can be expected of the power sharing parliament that results. It finds that typical areas of negotiation are parliamentary reform, policy reform, more staff and resources and ministerial or presiding officer positions for...

This research note quantifies the potential benefits of shifting from a three-year to a four-year term in the Commonwealth House of Representatives, analysing three categories of benefits: reduced direct election costs, indirect economic benefits and policy implementation benefits. It finds the total benefits over a 20-year period to be between $59-$71 billion.

An overview of key issues related to moving to four-year terms for the Australian House of Representatives. The paper covers the history of the proposal, arguments for and against, potential economic implications and key design choices if four-year terms are to be implemented. It finds potential for significant economic benefit, tempered by concerns around democratic...

In December 2020, the Standing Committee on Petitions resolved to inquire into and report on aspects of the House of Representatives’ petitioning system relating to security and accessibility. This report outlines the findings from this inquiry.