The Albanese government’s attempt to rush through major changes to Australian elections has been delayed in the Senate – at least until February, perhaps forever. As Australia Institute research identified serious flaws, risks and loopholes in the legislation, delay is welcome – but bittersweet, because electoral reform is needed to increase confidence in politics and democracy. Good

‘Tis the season for poor process, rushed law-making and railroaded parliaments. With the end of the year rapidly approaching, governments have lost patience for democratic niceties like consultation, parliamentary reviews and public hearings.

And eight ideas to improve it

As dramatic changes to South Australian electoral law pass the house of review (Legislative Council), voters could be forgiven for wondering “what just happened?”

A week ago, no one had seen the government’s revised Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Bill 2024. Now, it’s set to become law.

Amy Remeikis and the Director of The Australia Institute’s Democracy and Accountability Program, Bill Browne, unpack how we got here … and what should happen next.

While voters in the United States of America await the results of the 2024 Presidential election race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump, researchers from The Australia Institute will appear before a parliamentary committee to recommend improvements to Tasmania’s electoral system.

Since the 2022 election, commentators and reporters have debated whether the wave of new independents was part of a broader movement or just the reflection of a moment.

Excessive secrecy in government decision-making makes Australia less safe, not more.

Next month, the Albanese government is due to announce its proposed changes to Australian electoral laws. It has been a long road. The minister responsible, Senator Don Farrell, had planned to introduce the laws by the end of last year.

Replacing political donations may sound good in theory, but in practice what matters is who gets the money – and how much they get.

Australia was never exclusively a “two-party system”, a reality that is getting harder to ignore as minor party and independent representation grows, according to new research from the Australia Institute. While power sharing has always been a feature of Australian parliaments, the declining major party vote demands a more mature and nuanced analysis of electoral

Careless political finance reforms could shift the balance in Australian democracy in favour of special interests.

Today, the name of Niccolò Machiavelli is a byword for cynicism and hunger for power, but there was one profession so parasitic and selfish even he could not stomach it.

In 2019 the Australia Institute identified ambitious, progressive policies from the Australian Capital Territory, most of which are overwhelmingly popular among all Australians. Five years on, we have an update on how these policies have progressed in Canberra and around Australia.

New research from the Australia Institute has identified 16 key reforms that are required to strengthen and safeguard democracy in Tasmania, which now lags behind many mainland jurisdictions in accountability and transparency.

Research from the Australia Institute demonstrates that the NSW electoral system’s donation caps, spending caps and public funding benefit established parties and incumbent MPs at the expense of new parties and independent candidates.

For three years, Meta and Google have paid hundreds of millions of dollars to Australian publishers in exchange for using news content.

The Australia Institute has crunched the data on women’s representation in Australian parliaments.

Independent MP Helen Haines has introduced a bill to Parliament designed to prevent pork-barreling, where taxpayer money is allocated according to where it is needed to win votes, not where the public needs it most. This was recorded on Tuesday 27th February 2024 and things may have changed since recording. australiainstitute.org.au // @theausinstitute Guest: Bill Browne,

No modern democracy has shown greater readiness to experiment with various electoral methods than Australia.

Following the Voice Referendum, new Australia Institute research shows that almost nine in ten (87%) Australians want Parliament to pass truth in political advertising laws before the next federal election. This was recorded on Tuesday 17th October 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute Guest: Bill Browne, Director, Democracy &

As the Senate Inquiry into the management and assurance of integrity by consulting services continues, Labor senator Deb O’Neill and Greens senator Barbara Pocock have been applying the pressure to consulting firms in the hotseat. This was recorded on Wednesday 4th October 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The Australia Institute // @theausinstitute

Last week, Education Minister Jason Clare announced that he was going to remove political interference from the Australian Research Council grants process (except for national security concerns). It is a victory for academic freedom, and a testament to the work of Senator Mehreen Faruqi – who proposed the Ensuring Research Independence Bill back in 2018.

Sitting parliamentarians rarely lose elections. While incumbents have a publicly funded head-start, challengers rely on donations to fund their election campaigns, which is why political donation reform needs to ensure everyone should be able to afford a ticket to run in an election. This was recorded on Friday 23rd June 2023 and things may have

The Australian government spends a billion dollars or more each year on consulting firms to complete necessary work, often involving confidential information. But a recent scandal at PricewaterhouseCooper has racked the consulting industry, undermining public trust in the system. This was recorded on Tuesday 16th May 2023 and things may have changed since recording. The