NOTE: This piece has been updated on July 2 to reflect the scheduled sittings of federal parliament. One of the most important decisions now for new prime minister Kevin Rudd is selecting the date for…
Western Australia remains the only state to have attempted to secede from the Australian federation, passing a referendum in favour in 1933.
AAP/Adam Gartrell
Gina Rinehart’s father Lang Hancock was a big proponent of Western Australia seceding from the Australian federation, and every time the latest figures on GST distributions are released, sympathetic sentiments…
Will the push for constitutional recognition of local government actually improve Australia’s system of government?
AAP/Alan Porritt
Is this the referendum we don’t need to hold? And how many Australians truly understand the potential impact of their actions when they vote in referendum of the constitutional recognition of local government…
Australians will vote on constitutional recognition for local government in September - but what are the reasons behind the referendum?
AAP/Sophie Marr
The federal government has announced that Australians will be voting in a referendum on September 14 - federal election day - to decide whether local government should be recognised in the Australian Constitution…
Governor-General Quentin Bryce’s term ends after the election. Is it in the purview of the Gillard government to announce her replacement?
AAP/Lukas Coch
Could the Gillard government appoint a successor to the Governor-General, Quentin Bryce, to take up office in March 2014 when Bryce’s appointment expires? The press has reported that opposition leader…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Health Minister Tanya Plibersek during Question Time at Parliament House in 2012.
Penny Bradfield/AAP
Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Health Minister Tanya Plibersek have announced they will return health payments to Victoria that had previously been cut from its allocation under the National Health Reform…
Attorney-General Nicola Roxon should amend the Anti-Discrimination Bill.
AAP/Alan Porrit
Australia lacks a national bill of rights and the many attempts over the years to adopt one have failed. But Australia already has a raft of human rights laws, including many anti-discrimination acts…
Changes to Murray Darling policy are a big win for SA, but NSW and Victoria aren’t impressed.
Feral Arts
On Friday, the Prime Minister announced that the Commonwealth will spend $1.7 billion to increase water return to the Murray-Darling River by a further 450 gigalitres. The announcement is a big win for…
Local Government minister Simon Crean is set to dump a promised referendum of constitutional recognition for councils.
AAP/Alan Porrit
Few oppose constitutional recognition of local government as a concept. Indeed, while the current debate concerns recognition in the federal constitution, local government has been readily accepted in…
Why did the government drop the ball on constitutional recognition?
AAP/David Crosling
The Gillard government has finally confirmed it will not be asking Australians to vote in a referendum for the constitutional recognition of Indigenous peoples in this term of parliament. Although agreeing…
The final pieces of the historical puzzle around the 1975 Whitlam dismissal are not as sensational as they first seem.
Image courtesy of National Archives of Australia. NAA: A6180, 13/11/75/33
Much hyperbole has been generated by the recent revelations concerning Sir Anthony Mason’s involvement in the 1975 dismissal, but for the most part it shows ignorance of the past. Earlier this week, The…
It’s not time to break out the confetti yet; Tasmania faces legal hurdles before it can allow same-sex marriage.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
Does the Tasmanian Parliament have the power to pass a law permitting same-sex marriage? The short answer is yes. But the more difficult question is whether that law will be effective or whether it will…
The government is trying to rush legislation through the parliament that could fundamentally change how it spends money.
AAP/Alan Porritt
In days of old, when Legislative Councils were appointed bodies, Labor Governments would try to swamp them with suicide squads of members who, once appointed, would vote to abolish the House. On Tuesday…
The military court system in Australia has gone through many ups and downs with more to come.
AAP Image/Australian Department of Defence
Last week, the Commonwealth Attorney-General Nicola Roxon introduced a bill establishing the Australian Military Court as a constitutional court. If the bill passes, it will bring Australia into line with…
If Australia is to set an example in the region, we need to clean up our constitution and abolish the race powers act.
AAP/Courtesy of Traditional Owners and Rio Tinto Alcan/Peter Eve
AUSTRALIA IN THE ASIAN CENTURY – A series examining Australia’s role in the rapidly transforming Asian region. Delivered in partnership with the Australian government. Here, Dr Matt Harvey argues that…
The High Court decision against Palm Island rioter, Lex Wotton highlights concerns about how little our constitution does to protect us.
AAP Image/Ian Hitchcock
When a prisoner has served their time, it’s difficult to understand why they would be stopped from engaging in public debate or communicating with the media. But a new precedent has been set by the High…
It’s essential that we get it right when it comes to changing our constitution to recognise Aboriginal Australians.
Flickr/Rusty Stewart
Earlier this year, the Expert Panel on Constitutional Recognition of Indigenous Australians gave its final recommendations to the government. Recognition would acknowledge the unique place of Aboriginal…
The Treaty of Waitangi reminds us that indigenous people must be treated honourably before the law.
Sids1
Much is made of the Treaty of Waitangi as the vehicle for the recognition of Maori in New Zealand’s legal system. Australia lacks a treaty, the argument goes, and therefore is constitutionally disabled…
We should take a closer look at the history of the Constitution before reforming it.
Flickr/Rusty Stewart
The one recommendation of the Expert Panel on Indigenous Constitutional Recognition that everyone appears to support is the repeal of section 25 of the Constitution. Section 25 says that if a State law…
Newly appointed Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon may be surprised to find the bill of rights she doesn’t want is already in place.
AAP Image/Julian Smith
The new Commonwealth Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon has said that in her new role she would not push for a bill of rights to be included in the constitution. But many would be surprised to learn she doesn’t…
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, and Professor of Political Science, Charles Sturt University