June 2025

Gender parity closer after federal election but “sufficiently assertive” Liberal women are still outnumbered two to one

by Skye Predavec and Bill Browne

Now that the dust has settled on the 2025 federal election, what does it mean for the representation of women in Australian parliaments? In short, there has been a significant improvement at the national level. When we last wrote on this topic, the Australian Senate was majority female but only 40% of House of Representatives

May 2025

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

by Rod Campbell and Skye Predavec

Updated 30/05/2025 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

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

Election entrée: Things that are only milestones in the post-war era

by Joshua Black

For many journalists, the past – specifically the past before 1945 – is a foreign country. Election coverage is replete with references to “firsts” or “milestones” that assume that Australian history began in the post-war period. But a longer view would help us better understand the political processes around us. Journalists described the 2010 federal

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