An analysis of 25 power sharing parliaments in Australia shows that there is great variety in what crossbenchers negotiate in exchange for confidence and supply. Typical areas of negotiation are parliamentary reform, policy reform, more staff and resources and ministerial or presiding officer  positions for crossbenchers.

Universities spend vast sums on consultants, advertising, and travel. Reducing these expenses could have prevented the deep cuts that some of these same universities have made to their staff and courses in recent years.

The decades-long push to make Australia’s universities more ‘business like’ has had scandalous consequences. The remedy is to make university governance more transparent, democratic, and accountable. The most effective way to enact this change would be to amend the establishing Acts that give universities their public mandate.

The annual release of AEMO’s Gas Statement of Opportunities invariably triggers coverage suggesting that Australia, one of the world’s biggest gas producers, is about to run short of gas.

Late last year, the Albanese Government introduced the Electoral Reform Bill, with plans to pass it into law less than two weeks after it became public. Negotiations with the Coalition collapsed, causing the bill to be delayed until the February 2025 sitting. The bill would increase public funding of political parties and candidates, introduce new