The trick to holding politicians and the public service accountable
Parliament is not able to properly hold its own members to account.
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George Williams
George Williams AO is one of Australia’s leading constitutional lawyers, having worked for many years as an academic and as a barrister. He is the Dean, the Anthony Mason Professor and a Scientia Professor at the Faculty of Law, University of New South Wales.
Same-sex marriage bill may hit a High Court hitch
The poor fit between the plebiscite question and legal change could be a significant problem.
Sam Dastyari is the canary in the coal mine for donations reform
Australia sets a double standard when it comes to foreign influence.
Parliament fails us by not listening to us
With public confidence in Australia's democracy now at a low ebb, the federal Parliament should follow the British example of reforming the petitioning system.
Time for a treaty and constitutional recognition for Indigenous people
Aboriginal people are calling for a broader resolution to their grievances, including by way of a treaty.
Long walk to the altar for same-sex marriage plebiscite
The re-elected Turnbull government is determined to get moving on a same-sex marriage plebiscite. The greatest challenge is to gain Parliament's support to hold the vote.
What if no one wins the election
With polls showing the major parties running neck and neck, attention has turned to whether this weekend's election will produce a hung parliament. What would happen then has been the subject of confusion, in part because hung parliaments are rare at the national level. The last occurred in 2013, with the one before that in 1940.
The crime where NSW lags way behind
The NSW Parliament's notice paper for next week's sittings of the Legislative Council foreshadows a debate to decriminalise abortion, as well as to counter measures by Fred Nile. It says a lot about the state of NSW law that these proposals will be debated, but it's unlikely that the law on abortion will change soon.
The soft corruption at the heart of our political system
Companies and unions do not donate funds out of a sense of altruism. They do so based on a hard-nosed calculation that giving money to politicians produces results.
Why the major parties can't ignore the Greens
There is an air of unreality about this debate. While Labor and the Liberals express their disdain for the Greens, their tone will change if Australians vote for a hung parliament and the Greens hold the keys to the Lodge.
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