Australian politicians and the uses of history: from Federation to the present. While competing interpretations of Australian history occasionally attract controversy, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis, over time, of the significance of histories and history-making for Australian politicians. In taking the longer view of Australian political speech and thought since the Federation, this study will provide a stronger foundation for both political engagement with historical themes and p ....Australian politicians and the uses of history: from Federation to the present. While competing interpretations of Australian history occasionally attract controversy, there is a need for a comprehensive analysis, over time, of the significance of histories and history-making for Australian politicians. In taking the longer view of Australian political speech and thought since the Federation, this study will provide a stronger foundation for both political engagement with historical themes and public appreciation of the continuing role of history in contemporary policy debates. It will add depth to public understanding of political dialogue and how it is informed by national and international histories.Read moreRead less
Gough Whitlam: A Living Democracy. This project will contribute to knowledge of a significant public figure, the former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, his government and his life after politics. This second volume of the Whitlam biography will complete the definitive, contemporary, biographical study of him. It will create an original store of knowledge through its extensive interviews with key individuals including Gough Whitlam that will augment the Oral History collection held by the Na ....Gough Whitlam: A Living Democracy. This project will contribute to knowledge of a significant public figure, the former Labor Prime Minister, Gough Whitlam, his government and his life after politics. This second volume of the Whitlam biography will complete the definitive, contemporary, biographical study of him. It will create an original store of knowledge through its extensive interviews with key individuals including Gough Whitlam that will augment the Oral History collection held by the National Library of Australia. The project will also generate a unique multimedia platform for researchers to access digitized research materials repurposed through the Whitlam section of the Prime Ministers web-site with the National Archives of Australia.Read moreRead less
Reason in Revolt: The Role of Intellectuals in Australian Radicalism. The project aims to produce new ways of understanding and interpreting the role of intellectuals in the development of Australian political radicalism during the period 1872 to 2000. By digitizing a sizeable and representative data base of primary source materials produced by radical intellectuals, the Chief Investigators will be able to investigate these texts in innovative ways, producing a co-authored monograph and other re ....Reason in Revolt: The Role of Intellectuals in Australian Radicalism. The project aims to produce new ways of understanding and interpreting the role of intellectuals in the development of Australian political radicalism during the period 1872 to 2000. By digitizing a sizeable and representative data base of primary source materials produced by radical intellectuals, the Chief Investigators will be able to investigate these texts in innovative ways, producing a co-authored monograph and other research that will provide an improved understanding of Australia's past, present and possible futures. Secondary outcomes will include the establishment of a substantial on-line collection of radical political primary source material, with scholarly commentary and analysis, easily accessible to other researchers.Read moreRead less
Australian Public Policy Responses to Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Comparativist and Historical Perspectives. Furnishing the first comprehensive history of Australia's response to refugees and asylum seekers, the project will enhance our understanding of the genealogy of current Australian policy and inform debate in an area of intense concern to policy makers and the general public. The project will put the Australian response into context by comparing it with that of New Zealand and by analysi ....Australian Public Policy Responses to Refugees and Asylum Seekers: Comparativist and Historical Perspectives. Furnishing the first comprehensive history of Australia's response to refugees and asylum seekers, the project will enhance our understanding of the genealogy of current Australian policy and inform debate in an area of intense concern to policy makers and the general public. The project will put the Australian response into context by comparing it with that of New Zealand and by analysing it against the backdrop of the evolution of the international refugee regime.Read moreRead less
The pivot of government? Understanding the Australian prime minister: The office and its holders. This study offers the most comprehensive study of Australia's prime ministership to date and will greatly augment our understanding of the conduct of the office over time. Ideally, it will promote a more informed understanding of the exercise of leadership, feeding directly into public education about this key aspect of our political system (through the Prime Ministers' Centre/proposed Museum of Dem ....The pivot of government? Understanding the Australian prime minister: The office and its holders. This study offers the most comprehensive study of Australia's prime ministership to date and will greatly augment our understanding of the conduct of the office over time. Ideally, it will promote a more informed understanding of the exercise of leadership, feeding directly into public education about this key aspect of our political system (through the Prime Ministers' Centre/proposed Museum of Democracy in Canberra), leading to better citizen appreciation of the role, possibly to better leadership practices and, if our research shows it to be necessary, providing an evidence base for consideration as to whether there is a need for institutional reform.Read moreRead less
Hiding in Plain Sight: 'Associated Entities' and Australian Democracy. Associated Entities (AEs) are organisations that are formally linked to political parties. This project aims to examine how AEs interact with Australian democracy by investigating their impact on elections, the law, and party system dynamics. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the impact of these nearly 200 key political actors, with a particular focus on how they are able to elude significant scrutiny of th ....Hiding in Plain Sight: 'Associated Entities' and Australian Democracy. Associated Entities (AEs) are organisations that are formally linked to political parties. This project aims to examine how AEs interact with Australian democracy by investigating their impact on elections, the law, and party system dynamics. This project expects to generate new knowledge about the impact of these nearly 200 key political actors, with a particular focus on how they are able to elude significant scrutiny of their activities. Expected outcomes include a new typology of AEs, a new financial index to measure their impact, and proposals to improve their regulation. The key benefits generated include: a strengthened campaign finance regime, and enhanced transparency and integrity to Australia's democracy.Read moreRead less
An Empirical Study of Agenda Setting in the High Court of Australia. This project aims to undertake the first comprehensive study of institutional and individual factors that facilitate and constrain access to judicial power via the High Court’s agenda setting process, special leave. Using quantitative methods, the project expects to generate new and advanced knowledge about the High Court’s role as the gatekeeper of judicial power. Expected outcomes include foundational knowledge on the nature ....An Empirical Study of Agenda Setting in the High Court of Australia. This project aims to undertake the first comprehensive study of institutional and individual factors that facilitate and constrain access to judicial power via the High Court’s agenda setting process, special leave. Using quantitative methods, the project expects to generate new and advanced knowledge about the High Court’s role as the gatekeeper of judicial power. Expected outcomes include foundational knowledge on the nature and scope of access to judicial power in Australia via policy reports, scholarly articles and datasets. This should provide significant benefits such as important insights on the impact and influence of justices, litigants, lawyers, and governments on High Court’s decisions to grant or deny special leave to appeal.Read moreRead less
Policy agendas in the Australian Commonwealth Government. Who leads the agenda: the government; the public or the media? Is legislation 'normal business' or a response to crisis? Does changing the government really change much? By systematically analysing legislation, the media and public opinion over a forty year period this project can answer these questions more thoroughly than ever before.
The Politics of Rights: Australia in Comparative Perspective. Australia tends to be left out of comparative rights studies, and accounts of rights protection tend to be focused upon courts and legal rights. There is no comparative study available that shows how well Australia protects rights, nor does there exist a detailed national study that shows how rights are protected in Australia by parliamentary means and the political mediation of international rights norms. This project will deliver bo ....The Politics of Rights: Australia in Comparative Perspective. Australia tends to be left out of comparative rights studies, and accounts of rights protection tend to be focused upon courts and legal rights. There is no comparative study available that shows how well Australia protects rights, nor does there exist a detailed national study that shows how rights are protected in Australia by parliamentary means and the political mediation of international rights norms. This project will deliver both, enabling a fuller understanding of Australian rights protection. It will also boost comparative knowledge of rights protection via political means. Read moreRead less
A scholarly and comprehensive account of Australian politics: The Oxford Companion to Australian Politics. The project aims to deepen the understanding of Australian politics by producing the first scholarly and comprehensive account in a form that makes it readily accessible to experts and general readers. The collaborative process will engage leading scholars working in all sub-fields of Australian politics and include all approaches. It will entail critical reflection upon, and synthesis of , ....A scholarly and comprehensive account of Australian politics: The Oxford Companion to Australian Politics. The project aims to deepen the understanding of Australian politics by producing the first scholarly and comprehensive account in a form that makes it readily accessible to experts and general readers. The collaborative process will engage leading scholars working in all sub-fields of Australian politics and include all approaches. It will entail critical reflection upon, and synthesis of , past and present scholarship as well as new research on neglected areas and the application of new approaches to established bodies of work.Read moreRead less