Questions tagged [australia]
For questions relating to the government and politics of Australia.
112
questions
3
votes
3answers
220 views
How normal is it to have a ministry for a specific disability?
Bernie Finn MP is Shadow Assistant Minister for Autism. There is no (Assistant) Minister for Autism in the Victorian Government, nor is there a (Shadow) Minister for Depression, Spina Bifida, Neurosis,...
2
votes
1answer
70 views
Who can call a Royal Commission in Australia?
The Museum of Australian Democracy explains:
A Royal Commission is formally established by the Governor-General on behalf of the Crown and on the advice of Government ministers. The government ...
0
votes
0answers
30 views
Which aspects of Australian refugee policy are under state government control?
Queensland is having a state election very soon, and while I normally don't pay too much attention to state politics, I've been wondering to what extent state governments do actually make an impact on ...
1
vote
0answers
54 views
Why is Fringe Benefits Tax the same as the highest tier as of Income Tax
In Australia FBT is currently 47%, which matches the income tax rate paid by anyone earning over $180,000 (45% income + 2% Medicare levy).
It seems like Fringe Benefits would cost more for anyone ...
23
votes
3answers
5k views
Why did China target Australia for economic sanctions?
China initiated an anti-dumping investigation against Australian wine. Previously, China had increased tariffs on Australian barley. Why did China do this? Is there merit to this claim?
0
votes
1answer
123 views
What is the Victorian government's long-term COVID-19 strategy for reopening borders?
The Victorian (Australia) government is enforcing strict quarantining rules to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases. The short-term strategy detailed in the daily press release, published on YouTube, ...
3
votes
2answers
231 views
What is China's objection to Australia's planned offer to HK residents?
While I understand that the United Kingdom and China have a treaty with each other regarding the handover of Hong Kong (related question), as far as I'm aware, Australia was not a signatory to such a ...
5
votes
1answer
261 views
How are residents of the Australian Capital Territory represented compared to other states and territories?
Every once in a while, the discussion of statehood for Washington D.C. flares up, with the argument made, that residents of Washington D.C. are less represented in Congress than residents of other US ...
5
votes
1answer
274 views
What were the reasons for creating special districts for a nations capital? And how many are there?
Both in Australia and the US, the capital is located in a special district, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and the Dictrict of Columbia, respectively. What were the reasons for creating a ...
1
vote
0answers
56 views
How does Australia's National Cabinet differ from COAG?
As a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Australia formed a National Cabinet on March 13th, consisting of the Prime Minister and the premiers and chief ministers of the Australian states and ...
2
votes
1answer
113 views
Why did Secretary Michael Pervan not appoint a CHO in 2018?
So, I was looking at the Australian Chief Health Officers (CHOs), and couldn't find one for Tasmania.
Upon further investigation, it looks like the Tasmanian Health Department was re-organized in ...
1
vote
1answer
60 views
Who is on the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee?
During this covid-19 event, Australians have been addressed by the Prime Minister Scott Morrison a number of times, where he has delivered speeches and informed the public of what actions are ...
5
votes
0answers
68 views
What are the (bidirectional) flows of skilled workers between Australia and the UK, presently?
In relation to an Australian statement that there would be "brain drain" from Australia to the UK should a visa-free worker system be adopted between the two countries...
Surely, both Australia and ...
11
votes
4answers
2k views
Why would low-skilled British workers go to Sydney and Melbourne (in large numbers)?
News from earlier this month
The Australian government has turned down the UK’s offer of a post-Brexit trade agreement that included visa-free work and travel between the two countries.
Trade ...
3
votes
1answer
347 views
What are Australian parliament's rules on the use of props?
NPR's recent news item and podcast Australians Debate What To Do About Climate Change contains the following from NPR's Jason Beaubien reporting from Sydney.
Question: What are Australian parliament's ...
2
votes
0answers
195 views
Why did Wang 'William' Liqiang identify himself?
Wang 'William' Liqiang claims to be a Chinese spy who's defecting to Australia.
In the world of spies, double agents, and triple agents, where intelligence agents go to great lengths to conceal what ...
4
votes
1answer
54 views
Are there some statistics on the political affiliation of NESBs?
Non-English speaking background (NESB) is a demographic category often encountered in Australian publications. Are there statistics on the political party affiliation of NESBs (membership or just whom ...
8
votes
1answer
194 views
How is the US-China trade war viewed in Australia?
A pretty good question on econ.SE has highlighted the close relationship between the Australian and Chinese economies.
So, I wonder, how is the US-China trade war viewed in Australia, at a political ...
1
vote
1answer
77 views
How can I determine how and who legislates drug laws?
I would like to know what process is involved in justifying the prohibition and or control of a substance and how this varies from country to country.
For example, opiate based pain killers are a ...
48
votes
6answers
6k views
Why should public servants be apolitical?
The High Court of Australia has recently ruled in Comcare v. Banerji which was a test case that revealed the limits of the implied freedom of speech in Australia.
A public servant, Michaela Banerji, ...
8
votes
1answer
421 views
In Australia, do Rupert Murdoch's publications deny anthropogenic climate change?
In Australia, do networks and publications owned by Rupert Murdoch, generally deny or down play the impacts of human actions on climate change?
If so, what are some major cases where they advocated ...
3
votes
1answer
399 views
Is it common practice for foreign warships to dock in Australian ports without being announced to the public?
This article describes how some Chinese military vessels docked in Australia without being pre-announced to the public.
It's getting attention because these are Chinese warships and it's close to ...
2
votes
1answer
181 views
Why does it take so long to count the last 30% of votes in an Australian federal election?
I've noticed over several federal elections in Australia that around 70% of the votes are counted on election night. However, it then takes days, sometimes weeks to count the remaining 30% of the ...
1
vote
1answer
124 views
Did the preferences from Clive Palmers United Australia Party allow the liberals to win the 2019 federal election
Clive Palmer did not win one seat for his 80m campaign but did the preferences deal with the liberals result in the liberals winning the overall election.
E.g. for the electorates where liberals won ...
7
votes
2answers
194 views
What caused the gap between the opinion polls and the election result in the Australian Federal 2019 election?
Leading up to the 2019 election, the polls suggested a Labor win, but they lost. What was the cause of the difference?
I realize it may take some time before a good answer is available.
-3
votes
2answers
169 views
The LNP won the election, but lost my district. Do they still follow through on what my local representative said they'd do if they won?
The LNP won the election, but lost my district.
The promises that my LNP representative made, are they still going to happen, even though he lost?
2
votes
1answer
95 views
How many extra votes does a party receive by being number 1 on the senate ticket in Australia
There is an understanding that if a party is number 1 on the senate ticket they will pick up extra votes from people who aren't serious and just number from the left. Has this been studied and if so ...
1
vote
0answers
77 views
What drawbacks are there in preferential voting? [duplicate]
I recently discovered that Australia uses the preferential voting system. It looks like a great system, so great that I do not see any immediate drawbacks.
What are they?
1
vote
1answer
86 views
What is the smallest margin an Australian Federal or State seat has ever been won by?
What's the smallest difference between the winner and the next party in any state or federal election in Australia. Interested in both percentage and absolute count.
1
vote
1answer
89 views
Why do Australian states have different rules for senate voting to the federal government?
There seems to be a difference in rules for voting for the states and the federal government in Australia. For example, in the state of Victoria, you only have to enter 1 preference in the top line on ...
0
votes
1answer
53 views
How does someone in Australia get access to a list of Politicians meetings?
In the report "Who is in the room? Access and influence in Australian Politics" the report talks about numbers of meetings with ministers which implies that the list of meetings is somehow accessible. ...
9
votes
2answers
368 views
How can an Australian Senator be removed from office?
There's currently a change.org petition calling for the removal of Fraser Anning from the Australian Senate.
Accepting that a change.org petition is merely indicative, and ignoring the specific ...
6
votes
1answer
157 views
How much of an influence did Port Arthur have on New Zealand?
New Zealand has announced it will change its gun laws in the wake of the massacre against attendees of two mosques.
As an Australian, I’m surprised that New Zealand didn’t change its laws after the ...
2
votes
1answer
239 views
What is motivating the Australian government to recognise West Jerusalem as Israel's capital? [closed]
In a speech, Scott Morrison Australia current serving prime minister has been indicating that Australia will recognise West Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and eventually move the embassy there.
...
4
votes
2answers
357 views
Term for the trend where a political party does worse in State elections when holding power Federally
In Australia it's well-known (see, for example, here) that a party that holds power at Federal level will - all other things being equal - tend to hold a disadvantage in State elections.
Similarly, ...
4
votes
1answer
234 views
Why did John Bercow nominate an Australian senate official to be the Clerk of the House?
In 2014 why did John Bercow, Speaker of the House of Commons, nominate an Australian senate official to be the Clerk of the House?
The Clerk of the House of Commons is a constitutional advisor, it ...
-1
votes
2answers
186 views
Is Wentworth particularly pro-Israel, and why?
I’ve read speculation that the current Australian PM has made some pro-Israel statements recently because there’s a by-election in the seat of Wentworth, because the seat is about ten or fifteen ...
1
vote
2answers
416 views
Why was excluding Australian Aboriginal populations from the Race Power considered racist?
Section 51(xxvi) of the Australian Constitution originally read,
The people of any race, other than the aboriginal race in any State,
for whom it is deemed necessary to make special laws:
I hope ...
7
votes
1answer
4k views
What international relations is Australia missing out on by being a constitutional monarchy?
For my debate, I have to argue in favour of Australia being a republic. I'm planning on one of my points being that by still being a monarchy, Australia is missing out on multiple international ...
7
votes
1answer
182 views
Do aboriginal Australians value the acknowledgement of country speeches
Before many formal presentations often that have some connection with the government there is a formal acknowledgement of the traditional owners of the area and the tribe.
This is usually in the ...
10
votes
1answer
376 views
How does the Australian Electoral Commission avoid partisan bias?
I was watching a Vox video on gerrymandering in Pennsylvania, and thought how lucky I am that gerrymandering is not generally considered to be much of a problem here in Australia. Some states had ...
9
votes
2answers
416 views
Can foreign countries disqualify Australian candidates at will?
Could a country get their preferred candidates to win an Australian election by declaring all other candidates for that office citizens of that country, thereby making all those other candidates ...
-1
votes
1answer
254 views
Is it practical to protest the same sex plebiscite with a ballot? [closed]
Is it practical to protest the same sex plebiscite, being held in Australia, using the ballot itself?
I've heard people advocate glitter bombing, but I assume it'll mainly result in the people ...
7
votes
3answers
361 views
How did so many Australian politicans recently win Parliamentary seats while unaware of or denying their second nationality?
Half a dozen Australian members of Parliament have resigned or are threatened with the need to do so after "discovering" that they are dual citizens, forbidden from serving (how surprising this truly ...
3
votes
3answers
301 views
Why did Australia grant refugee visas to Syrians despite their extremely harsh immigration policies?
I've been recently surprised to find out that Australia apparently granted 12,000 visas to refugees from Syria:
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced it has fulfilled it's 2015 pledge to ...
8
votes
1answer
305 views
Why did Australian Labor MP Khalil Eideh get denied entry to the USA?
Khalil Eideh is an Australian State (Victoria) Member of Parliament who was on an official trip studying drug policy and injecting rooms. When the group was to travel from Canada to the USA he was ...
8
votes
1answer
243 views
Would Australia leaving ANZUS affect its Five Eyes benefits?
I'm preparing an oral presentation on whether or not Australia should leave ANZUS, but can't find much information regarding the effect the separation would have on the Five Eyes agreement.
On the ...
6
votes
1answer
344 views
Why is there a gun amnesty in Australia? (2017)
There is currently a gun amnesty run by the federal government.
What motivated the gun amnesty?
Who motivated it?
What is the objective?
Is it likely to achieve the objective?
How much is it likely ...
5
votes
1answer
277 views
Statistics on Australian non-voters who are actually sanctioned (fined or otherwise punished)
Voting is compulsory in Australia (source).
Non-voters receive a letter, asking that they provide a valid and sufficient reason, or pay a A$20 penalty (source).
Voter turnout in Australia is high, ...
4
votes
2answers
146 views
How did the introduction of the GST affect state budgets in Australia
I've often wondered if the fact that the states are more willing to sell off infrastructure to raise funds is connected to the introduction of the GST in 2000.
Now, as I understand it, the GST ...
