As there are more independent members with a party background, it could be argued that the influence of the major parties continues to be very strong, even when non-aligned candidates are successful. The dominance of the major parties in Australian politics has lead to the portrayal of independent Members of Parliament as marginal or even...

This paper examines the law and practice of parliamentary privilege both in Australia and in other jurisdictions.

The High Court has rejected the view that a state-appointed decision maker’s conduct can be immune from review, writes David Hume in this article for APO.

This report recommends that the Commonwealth adopts a system of automatic enrolment of voters similar to the proposed New South Wales system.

This background note details the approach taken in Australia and some overseas parliaments to codes of conduct for ministers and members of parliament, registers of interests, the post-separation employment of ministers and the use of ethics commissioners in providing advice on and/or conducting investigations into breaches of codes.