April 2025
Six reforms to fix Australia’s new, deeply flawed political finance regime
The Australia Institute, The Centre for Public Integrity, the Australian Democracy Network and Transparency International Australia have come together to identify six key reforms to redress the unfairness created by the Commonwealth’s new political finance laws, and make real progress on combatting the influence of vested interests on the exercise of public power.
Election entrée: First preferences of different governments
It’s funny that we call single-party government “majority” government, because no one party or coalition has won a majority of the first-preference or primary vote since 1975.
Election entrée: Electorates are bigger than ever
In the 2025 Australian election there will be about 120,000 registered voters per elected MP.
Leaders’ debates can be useful, but no debate is better than a scrappy one
Robust debate is better than mealy-mouthed bipartisanship. Televised leaders’ debates can be a good thing if they illustrate the choices facing voters.
Election entrée: Not all party candidates make it to election day
Sometimes parties part ways with their candidates.
Now that there are no safe seats – the ‘bellwether seat’ is no more.
Media analysis shows that the decade from 2007 was the bellwether era, but that era has now passed
Australia’s paper tigers – the state of news competition
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
Labor repeats support for territory Senator increase – revisits missed opportunity from last term
Labor says it will push to double the number of senators for the ACT if re-elected. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher told ABC Canberra: “it’s certainly something we all support”.
Newspapers are dying. News diversity died years ago.
New research by The Australia Institute has found the slow death of newspapers in Australia has led to a plunge in media diversity and local storytelling.
Full preferential voting means you can’t waste your vote
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.
Liberal Party will miss its decade-long target for female representation
At the National Press Club today, Shadow Treasurer Angus Taylor was asked about how few women the Liberal Party is nominating as candidates.
Albanese Government policies popular, but not well known
Most Australians fail to recognise some of the key policy measures introduced by the Albanese government, new polling research shows.
March 2025
ANU’s latest scandal shows us why transparency is so important, and where to start
Governance at Australia’s universities is in a dire state.
Mythical shortages and a manufactured “crisis” – How the gas industry uses AEMO data to trick Australians
The Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) will this week release its annual Gas Statement of Opportunities.
Pay a fortune in premiums or risk losing everything – the brutal reality of Australia’s insurance crisis
Struggling families who ditch their home and contents insurance would lose three-quarters of their wealth if their home was destroyed, according to new research by The Australia Institute.
Making billions yet crying poor
Australia’s biggest private health insurers are making billions but, at the same time, crying poor so they’re allowed to hike premiums.
February 2025
Politics and property – how our leaders are among the privileged using legal loopholes to build their wealth
Not so long ago, former Liberal prime minister Malcolm Turnbull was branded “Mr Harbourside Mansion”, a moniker bestowed upon him by his own side of politics.
Cutting the public service saves nothing
Reducing the size of Australia’s public service is often characterised as a way to save the country money and make government departments more efficient.
Giving our consumer watchdog more teeth to tackle companies gouging shoppers
Australians know they’re being ripped off at the supermarket checkout.
Dutton’s divesture plan good for retail companies, but it’s climate change which is driving insurance costs up
The Coalition’s proposed divestiture powers to break up major hardware and grocery retailers could help keep inflation down and assist with cost-of-living pressures.
“Stitch up” Labor and Coalition Deal on Electoral Reform
Last night, Liberal Senator Jane Hume announced they’d done a deal with the Albanese Labor Government on electoral laws – and some twelve hours later, it became law, having been rushed through both houses of Parliament. Labor’s compromises with the Coalition have worsened the bill even further: Instead of a disclosure threshold of $1,000, which
Rushed, secretive and dismissive – the dirty deal which degrades our democracy
Last night the federal Liberal Party announced it had done a deal with the Albanese Labor Government on electoral laws – and, this morning, it became law, having been rushed through both houses of Parliament.
A Blueprint for Democratic Reform
Crossbench MPs have joined The Australia Institute to launch a new report outlining potential democratic reforms for the next Parliament.
The major parties, not the independents are the big spenders at election time
The government says the electoral laws changes are about limiting big spending by independents, but community independents spent less per seat than the major parties at the 2022 federal election.
.Integrity 2.0 – whatever happened to the fourth arm of government?
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came to office in 2022 promising a new era of integrity in government.
Trump’s Gaza Grab | Between the Lines
The Wrap with Amy Remeikis On September 30, 1938 British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain stood outside 10 Downing Street and declared the Munich Agreement had appeased German Chancellor Adolf Hitler’s territorial aims. “I believe it is peace for our time,” he said. “…Go home and get a nice quiet sleep.” Germany violated the agreement almost immediately.
Hands off our elections
Australia needs an electoral system that’s genuinely fair, not a two-tiered system that favours the major parties.
Manifest destiny
We discuss US tariffs against its three largest trading partners, the political battle over who gets to be American, and Trump’s imperial ambitions.
Legislation requiring real-time disclosure of political donations could pass this week
The Australia Institute is calling for transparency and real-time disclosure of political donations ahead of the Australian Electoral Commission’s annual release of political contributions data for 2023-24.
January 2025
The circular economy of bad ideas
Slashing public service jobs won’t make government more efficient.
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