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Articles on Australian Constitution

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Had Peter Dutton won the 2018 leadership ballot and become prime minister, the governor-general may have had some tricky legal arguments on his hands. AAP/Ellen Smith

If Dutton had defeated Turnbull, could the governor-general have stopped him becoming prime minister?

The Constitution says that the governor-general can only act to fill a vacancy in the prime ministership if there is one - but in this case, some complex questions would have arisen.
Many high school students are politically engaged. But how would they change the preamble to the Constitution? AAP/Lukas Coch

Young Australians champion ‘democracy’ and ‘freedom’ in designing constitutional change

At a recent constitutional convention, high school students from across the country designed a new preamble to the Constitution to bring it into line with their idea of how Australia should be.
Scott Morrison has been returned as prime minister, but we don’t yet know if the Coalition will get to the 77 seats it needs to form majority government (minus the speaker). AAP/Joel Carrett

Majority or minority Coalition government? Here’s what happens now

We now wait for the final count of seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate - and in the meantime, government continues.
The High Court has awarded the Ngaliwurru and Nungali peoples just over A$2.5 million for the loss of 1.27sqkm of non-exclusive native title at Timber Creek, Northern Territory. Shutterstock

Landmark High Court decision guides how compensation for native title losses will be determined

A decision to award A$2.5 million compensation for loss of native title marks an important shift in how such claims are handled.
With the Morrison government now in minority, it is possible a bill for the transfer of asylum seekers from Nauru could pass against the government’s wishes. AAP/Mick Tsikas

Why a government would be mad to advise the refusal of royal assent to a bill passed against its will

There has been recent speculation that governments could advise royal assent not be granted if bills are passed against their wishes. Here’s why this is very unlikely to happen.
There is enough in the Dutton case to raise questions about whether disqualification has occurred. AAP/Lukas Coch

Explainer: is Peter Dutton ineligible to sit in parliament?

It is possible the home affairs minister is in breach of Section 44(v) of the Constitution – and if the High Court were to find him so, it would cause yet another headache for the government.
The dual citizenship crisis claimed five more scalps today: Katy Gallagher, Susan Lamb, Rebekha Sharkie, Justine Keay and Josh Wilson. Emil Jeyaratnam/The Conversation using AAP images

Dual citizenship debacle claims five more MPs – and sounds a stern warning for future parliamentarians

Today’s High Court decision against Katy Gallagher has clarified how to interpret the constitution on this matter. But the problem of dual citizenship can only be properly fixed by a referendum.

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