This study finds that despite drawbacks, the Chinese messaging app, WeChat, plays a vital role in the democratic participation of Chinese-Australians. It argues that the greatest challenge with WeChat remains a lack of regulatory oversight from the Australian government and the platform’s niche role within broader Australian civil society.

This report to the Victorian Parliament into the matters referred to the Victorian Ombudsman by the Legislative Council in February 2022. It concerns those parts already investigated: the now infamous ‘Red Shirts’ scheme that operated before the 2014 State election, and allegations of branch stacking.

This open access book provides political, legal and public interest justifications for truth in election advertising legislation and examines the history and state of play of legal experiments with such legislation in Australia.

The research in this report reveals that political parties spent at least $12.5 million on Facebook and Instagram advertising in the final two months of the 2022 election campaign, with Labor and the Greens successfully engaging women voters to a far higher degree than the Coalition.

The 2022 federal election has reshaped Australia's political landscape. Labor will form government despite having an astonishingly low primary vote of around 32%. This paper summarises the election campaign, the results, the key themes, and the prospects for real, impactful reform in the new parliament.