The Australia Institute welcomes the modernising of Australia’s referendum machinery ahead of the referendum to enshrine an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Voice in the Australian Constitution. To limit the impact of misinformation on the referendum debate, we recommend that the Parliament legislate truth in political advertising laws and stronger political contribution disclosures. The existing

The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 616 South Australians about the opening of State Parliament.

Australia is a thriving, inventive democracy – but in the face of global democratic decline we should strengthen and protect our political institutions with measured reforms.

Key results The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,003 Australians about the circumstances under which the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) should be allowed to hold public hearings. The results show that most Australians say the NACC should be allowed to hold public hearings under more circumstances than the tabled legislation. More than

Received wisdom suggests that one-term governments are rare in Australia. New governments benefit from incumbency, the “sophomore surge” and perhaps a reluctance among voters to change directions twice in a short period of time. The Napthine Government entered the 2014 Victorian election the underdog, argued election analyst Antony Green, “a unusual situation for a first

The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 616 South Australians about their political priorities and their satisfaction with the Premier, Peter Malinauskas, and with the Leader of the Opposition, David Speirs.

The Australia Institute surveyed 616 adults living in South Australia between the 11th and 20th of September 2022, online through Dynata’s panel, with representative samples by gender and age.

The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 1,005 people across Australia about their views on Territory rights and voluntary assisted dying (VAD), also known as voluntary euthanasia.

Women were 7-10 percentage points less likely to vote for the Coalition compared to men, according to Australia Institute research conducted from the evening of the May 21 federal election, and a subsequent poll taken in June 2022. Analysis of exit-polls also shows that Australians viewed the ‘treatment of women in politics’ as the second

The Australia Institute studied paid political ads published on Facebook and Instagram over a two-month period between 21 March 2022 and 20 May 2022. The analysis includes political ads published on pages administrated by candidates and parties contesting the 2022 federal election. A total of $12.5 million was spent to run 26,945 political ads on

The Australia Institute conducted a special exit poll, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,404 Australians from 6pm Saturday May 21, about strengths and weaknesses of Liberal-National Coalition in the 2022 federal election. The results show that Australians think that the state of aged care, the treatment of women in politics and the government failing

The Australia Institute conducted a special exit poll, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,424 Australians from 6pm Saturday May 21, which asked whether the Prime Minister should live in The Lodge. Key findings: • Over half of Australians (57%) agree that the Prime Minister should live in The Lodge in Canberra, compared to 20%

The electoral pendulum performs no better than an alternative method, the cube law, in predicting the overall result of an election. In its common, alternative use as tool to predict individual seat changes, it is successful less than half of the time. Note: An earlier version of this report said that the electoral pendulum had

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their Senate voting intentions and their understanding of how Senate voting works. The results show: A significant proportion of Australians remain uncertain about important aspects of Senate preferential voting: More than four in ten (43%) respondents thought that putting a 6 beside a

In April and May, The Australia Institute surveyed nationally representative samples of Australians about who they intend to vote for in the Senate.

uComms conducted a survey of 855 residents in the federal seat of Goldstein on behalf of The Australia Institute during the evening of 27 April 2022 using self-completed automated voice polling methodologies. The poll was conducted with a sample size of 855 people via telephone, with a margin of error of 3.34%. The poll is

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,002 Australians about their attitudes towards six political messages, three from the Labor Party and three from the Liberal Party. The two messages with highest total agreement were Labor messages: that “Scott Morrison is all announcement, no delivery” (53% agree, 31% disagree) and “Labor will put

uComms conducted a survey of 801 residents in the SA Federal seat of Boothby on behalf of The Australia Institute during the evening of 30 March 2022 using self-completed automated voice polling methodologies.

uComms conducted a survey of 809 residents in the SA Federal seat of Sturt on behalf of The Australia Institute during the evening of 30 March 2022 using self-completed automated voice polling methodologies.

Last year, the Morrison Government spent $145.3 million on campaign advertising, a sum that exceeds the normal annual advertising spend of companies like Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Amazon, Pepsi and Qantas.

The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 602 South Australians, asking them which State Government Ministers and shadow (Opposition) Ministers they had heard of.

The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 602 South Australians about their level of satisfaction regarding the job being done by the Premier, Steven Marshall, and the Leader of the Opposition, Pater Malinauskas. The results show that, while the Premier’s total satisfaction is slightly higher than the Opposition Leaders, dissatisfaction rates were also higher

The Australia Institute surveyed a representative sample of 602 South Australians about the State Government’s handling of COVID-19 and the opening of the state borders on November 23, 2021. The results show that: One in two South Australians (51%) disagree with the State Government’s decision to open the borders in November. Two in five (42%)

The Australia Institute surveyed 602 adults living in South Australia, asking about state election voting intention, between the 1st and 14th of February 2022, online through Dynata’s panel, with representative samples by gender and age.

The Australia Institute welcomes the opportunity to make a submission to the Justice and Community Safety Committee’s inquiry into the Electoral Amendment Bill 2021. The Australia Institute’s Democracy & Accountability Program was founded in 2021 to improve the quality of Australian governance and heighten public trust in politics and democracy. Although the program is new,

In the last parliamentary sitting weeks of 2021, the Morrison Government and Labor Opposition negotiated a deal to pass “political campaigner” legislation, although the legislation now refers to “significant third parties” instead. Charities, including the Australia Institute, have expressed serious concerns that the legislation is ill-considered, rushed and designed to quell legitimate charity advocacy ahead

The Government’s proposed voter ID laws risk discouraging Australians from voting, in defiance of the country’s proud history of ensuring everyone can and does vote. There is no evidence that voter fraud is a problem or that voter ID would address it. The Government’s priority should be the 2.7 million Australians whose votes were not

The Tasmanian Government’s proposals to make political donations and election spending more transparent are a step in the right direction, but the new laws do not go far enough. The legislation still leaves Tasmania with the weakest regulation of third-party campaigners, such as industry lobby groups, of any state or territory in Australia.

The Australia Institute surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,004 Australians about their views on various restrictions on the rights and representation of the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

uComms conducted a survey of 1057 residents across the ACT on behalf of the The Australia Institute during the nights of the 3rd of August 2021 using self-completed automated voice methodology. The poll was conducted with a sample size of 1057 people via telephone, with a margin of error of 3.2%. The poll is Australian