This report is based mainly on based on the Australian Election Study surveys, comprehensive post-election surveys of political opinion that have asked the same questions and used the same methodology. It shows that voters are less attracted by the symbols and methods of traditional politics, but that they remain interested in the contest and the...

In the wake of the High Court’s decision on prisoner enfranchisement, Graeme Orr describes the issue of prisoner disenfranchisement as a continuing ‘political football’ in this new paper.

Australia is at the forefront of professional and independent electoral administration, especially when assessed in international comparative studies. However, while there is often debate about the levels of fairness provided by the various electoral systems in use throughout Australia, less scrutiny has been applied to the electoral management bodies charged with administering these systems. Although...

As Australians prepare to vote in 2007, they face important choices over the future fairness of their country. Australia’s headline figures of economic growth and low official unemployment stand in stark contrast to the daily reality of two million Australians who live in poverty. Despite economic prosperity, one in ten Australians struggle to pay for...

In this monograph, Anne Tiernan and Jennifer Menzies capably chart the often hazardous terrain of the 'caretaker period' that ensues from the time an election is called until a new government is formed. This is a landscape fraught with political and administrative dangers - particularly for public servants who are required to 'mind the shop'...