This discussion paper suggests that the Australian mining industry is dominated by foreign corporate interests that are spending hundreds of millions of dollars influencing our political process.

Lobbying is a necessary component of representative democracy, yet poses one of its greatest threats, writes George Rennie.

Because their aims are educational and democratic, what think tanks do and why they do it is entirely transparent. Summary Because their aims are educational and democratic, what think tanks do and why they do it is entirely transparent: they ensure their research is publically available and seek to ensure it is disseminated via the...

Over the past 20 years, lobbying activities in Australia have expanded dramatically. Following the United States' lead, where a radical shift in ideology in the 1970s led to a re-evaluation of the way corporations view their role in society, the notion of corporate “civic duty” has been replaced by a belief that governments and the...

This paper examines the issue of stakeholders and interest groups during the planning policy-making process, with reference to recent planning reforms in the state of New South Wales (NSW).