This background note is designed to answer some of those frequently asked questions about who was the first, youngest, oldest, most often, etc. in Australian federal politics. The focus is on records for the Federal Parliament although a few significant records relate to members of State parliaments. The information is current as at October 2010...

The Medically Supervised Injecting Centre (MSIC) opened in Kings Cross in May 2001. This paper examines whether there have been (a) increases in the volume of robbery, property crime and drug offences in Kings Cross Local Area Command, or (b) increases in the proportion of Kings Cross drug offences occurring in the immediate vicinity of...

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...

Examining Timor-Leste's current tangle of land ownership claims, this briefing recommends that the government and its partners act now to supplement titling with clear public information. Measures to resolve land disputes in Timor-Leste must go beyond a draft law on land titling if they are to comprehensively reduce the risks posed, otherwise the law could...

This research brief provides an overview of the main provisions of this Victorian legislation, background information on climate change, an overview of the state government's White Paper Action Plan, stakeholder responses, and legislation in other jurisdictions.