Private secretary, chief of staff, enforcer? A look at the role of the prime minister’s most influential gatekeeper In the wall of prime minister Bob Hawke’s office in the old Parliament House there was a tiny hole, about the size of a thumbnail. It was not a design flaw or a listening device snuck in...

This audit assessed the appropriateness of the use and reporting of confidentiality provisions in a sample of Australian Government contracts. Audit objective, criteria and scope This audit is the seventeenth in a series of audits and fulfils the Senate’s request for the Auditor‐General to provide an annual report on agencies’ compliance with the Senate Procedural...

Introduction: This article presents statistical information about the High Court’s decision making for 2013 at both an institutional and individual level, with an emphasis on constitutional cases as a subset of the total. The results have been compiled using the same methodology employed in studies of earlier years. Likewise, we maintain our customary advice to...

This paper outlines key issues to consider for reforming Australia's Federation. Objectives The Commonwealth Government has committed to produce, working with the States and Territories, a White Paper on the Reform of the Federation. The White Paper will seek to clarify roles and responsibilities to ensure that, as far as possible, the States and Territories...

Professor Rob Fowler is one of the nation’s leading experts on environmental law. In this lunchtime address, he outlines the pitfalls of the ‘one stop shop’ initiative, in which the responsibility for the protection and preservation of Australia’s environment will fall under the purview of each state, rather than the Commonwealth. Designed to reduce ‘green...