The rapid passage of the Home Affairs Bill 2023 on 15 June 2023 attracted public attention both for its speed and national security motivations. The Bill’s passage demonstrated how quickly the Parliament can legislate in cases where parliamentarians agree that urgency is required. Readily searchable data on time taken for the passage of Bills is only available for the 44th Parliament onwards. Of all the bills captured by this data, the Home Affairs Bill 2023 appears to have progressed from introduction to commencement in the shortest time. This Flagpost describes the passage of the Home Affairs Bill 2023 and compares it with other recent Bills that have been introduced and passed ... Read more...
The report of the Robodebt Royal Commission (the RC) was handed to the Governor-General on 7 July 2023. The report contains 57 recommendations, most of which can be implemented by the Executive branch of Government through administrative actions. Recommendations expected to require legislative changes are listed below under the relevant Commonwealth Act (where possible). Read more...
Around Australia hundreds of young people spend their school holidays debating Bills in state youth parliaments. This experience may spark ‘an interest in politics’, as former federal MP (and current state MP) Chris Chewther attests, and potentially a career in politics—former Government Minister Kate Ellis is reportedly a program alumni. However, a young person’s path to becoming a parliamentarian is often challenging. This Flagpost article discusses life-cycle constraints young Australians face in entering politics and what federal parliament is doing to represent them. Read more...
July 2023 will see the commencement of significant changes to Child Care Subsidy (CCS) including payment rate increases and expanded eligibility. The CCS is an Australian Government payment which assists families with the costs of child care. The payment is complex, with rates based on the type of child care used, the number of children in care, whether fees exceed rate caps, an income test, and an activity test. This FlagPost explains the key changes and how they will affect families using child care. Read more...
This month focuses on the following topics: population statistics, deaths in custody and the Australian economy. Forthcoming releases If you are interested in any of the forthcoming releases or datasets, please contact the Parliamentary Library to discuss in more detail.
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One of the noticeable changes that occurred with the new 47th Parliament is the flying of the Aboriginal and the Torres Strait Islander flags alongside the Australian National Flag in the Senate and House chambers. This reform has been some time in the making. Following a request by the new Labor Government, the Aboriginal Flag, the Torres Strait Islander Flag and the Australian National Flag were positioned next to each other on the floor of the House of Representatives Chamber for the first time at the commencement of the 47th Parliament (26 July 2022). On 27 July 2022 the Senate agreed to a motion that the Aboriginal Flag and the Torres Strait Islander Flag be displaye... Read more...
The Department of Defence’s (Defence) plan to grow its military and civilian permanent workforce to over 101,000 by 2040 is an ambitious undertaking. Defence’s March 2023 submission to the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade (JSCFADT) states that the Australian Defence Force (ADF) is operating at 3,300 below its Average Funded Strength. The current planned ADF workforce in 2023–24 is 59,673. Additionally, planned recruiting levels and entrants into the permanent ADF are failing to offset outflows, which last year reached around 6,600 separations. The shortfall is greatest across the ADF’s middle ranks. Read more...
Every year, more than 100,000 school students visit Parliament House, with many accessing the Parliament and Civics Education Rebate (PACER). First established in 1989, PACER operates to financially incentivise onsite student learning about parliament and democratic processes. This Flagpost article provides an overview of PACER’s history and evolution, as an civics education tool for many of Australia's first-time referendum voters. Read more...
For most eligible voters who started primary school after 1986, the proposed referendum on the First Nations Voice to Parliament will be their first time participating in such an event. This Flagpost article explores the state of civics knowledge for first-time referendum voters. Read more...
For eligible voters born since 7 November 1981, the proposed referendum on the First Nations Voice to Parliament is shaping up to be their first time participating in such an event. As at 31 March 2023, these first-time referendum voters (AEC age groups 18 to 39) make up approximately 35% of the electoral roll. This Flagpost article focusses on the Government’s civics education and awareness program (the program), to be rolled out in the lead up to the proposed referendum and uses examples of similar previous initiatives that illustrate what we might expect. Read more...
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