Why the election’s closest seat went unnoticed: Too close to Calwell

by Rod Campbell and Skye Predavec

The outer-Melbourne electorate of Calwell was named “Australia’s most unpredictable seat” by The Age after the election and was – aside from those going to a recount – the last seat to be called. The AEC labelled the counting process for the seat “likely the most complex in Australia’s history”. The count is complicated because,

The election exposed weaknesses in Australian democracy – but the next parliament can fix them

by Bill Browne

Australia has some very strong democratic institutions – like an independent electoral commission, Saturday voting, full preferential voting and compulsory voting. These ensure that elections are free from corruption; that electorate boundaries are not based on partisan bias; and that most Australians turn out to vote. They are evidence of Australia’s proud history as an

April 2025

Letter to the UN to assess Tasmanian salmon farm environmental damage

On Sunday in Hobart over 6,000 people protested against the harmful practices of foreign owned salmon industry in Tasmania. The Australia Institute’s Tasmanian director, Eloise Carr, spoke to rally participants about recent changes to national nature laws and how the Institute has raised this issue with the UN. Seventeen civil society organisations have written to

Melbourne houses

The four things (mostly) missing from the major parties housing platforms

by Jack Thrower

The housing crisis continues to grip Australia and it’s a central part of this election campaign. Unfortunately, while both major parties have made housing policies key parts of their election platforms their policies mostly tinker around the edges and fail in four key ways. They do not address Australia’s distortionary, expensive, and regressive tax concessions

An Australian news agency advertises a variety of the country's newspapers in 2011.

Australia’s paper tigers – the state of news competition

by Skye Predavec

A competitive and diverse news industry is key to a democratic society, keeping institutions accountable and transparent. But the ability of Australia’s Fourth Estate to perform that role is increasingly in doubt. Australia was once labelled the “land of the newspaper” by British visitors, with a flourishing and diverse news industry, but for over a

Ballot papers are seen at a counting centre in Melbourne, Saturday, October 14, 2023. Australians will vote in a referendum on October 14 on whether to enshrine an Indigenous voice in the country's constitution.

Full preferential voting means you can’t waste your vote

by Bill Browne, Skye Predavec and Joshua Black

Full preferential voting is a proud Coalition reform – one that benefits every political persuasion Compulsory voting and full preferential voting make up the backbone of Australian democracy, and protect us from voter suppression and disengagement seen in other countries. We owe both to the parties of the centre-right, what would become the Liberal–National Coalition.

March 2025

Commonwealth Budget 2025-2026: Our analysis

by Fiona Macdonald

The Centre for Future Work’s research team has analysed the Commonwealth Government’s budget, focusing on key areas for workers, working lives, and labour markets. As expected with a Federal election looming, the budget is not a horror one of austerity. However, the 2025-2026 budget is characterised by the absence of any significant initiatives. There is

Analysis: Will 2025 be a good or bad year for women workers in Australia?

by Fiona Macdonald and Lisa Heap

In 2024 we saw some welcome developments for working women, led by government reforms. Benefits from these changes will continue in 2025. However, this year, technological, social and political changes may challenge working women’s economic security and threaten progress towards gender equality at work Here’s our list of five areas we think will impact on

February 2025

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