This report considers explanations for why data show adult employees earning below the hourly Federal Minimum Wage (FMW), including whether identifiable categories of employees fall into this group, and the extent to which this phenomenon is due to data problems. The three main data sources used were the Survey of Employment Arrangements, Retirement and Superannuation...

The informal voting rate at the 2010 House of Representatives election was substantially higher than that recorded at the 2007 House of Representatives election and is the highest since the 1984. In every election, it is likely that a small proportion of the votes cast will not meet the specified voting requirements and will therefore...

This initial ACOSS briefing on the 2011-12 Federal Budget outlines key measures announced in the Budget in areas of interest to ACOSS members, to assist members in their work. This briefing does not offer extensive comment on the merit or otherwise of these measures. This paper outlines the measures firstly by providing a general background...

The issue of parliamentary salaries, allowances and entitlements generates public discussion and attracts media opinion. This background note provides relevant data, hyperlinks and documents on the remuneration of Australian federal parliamentarians. Please note that this background note is not a discussion of the history and development of entitlements policy. Nor does it argue the merits...

This report notes that the AFP's timeliness in resolving complaints across all categories, from the minor to the most serious, is deteriorating. Under Part V of the Australian Federal Police Act 1979 (the Act) the Ombudsman has oversight responsibilities in respect of the way that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) handles complaints about it and...