9 December 2022 - Politics, Immigration, Policy, Race
Even stable democracies cannot prevent the rise of right-wing populist political figures and parties. Over the past decade we have witnessed how these political forces were elected into government across the world, from the United States to Brazil and India.
5 November 2022 - Economy/Jobs, Election, Policy, Infrastructure/Transport
Much is happening daily in the lead up to Victoria’s state election, with candidates and media afoot across the state from early morning to late evening.
23 October 2022 - Politics, Election, Policy
4 October 2022 - Politics, Election, Policy
A federal anti-corruption commission for Australia – a key pledge by the victorious Australian Labor Party at the 2022 election – is moving closer to becoming a reality, with the Albanese government introducing legislation to parliament last week.
13 July 2022 - Gender, Immigration, Policy, Race, LGBT+
In 1901, Australian Parliament passed one of its first laws: the Immigration Restriction Act. It banned non-white migration, marking the commencement of the White Australia policy.
1 October 2021 - Health, Politics, Election, Policy
In an election that quickly became about global crises, surprisingly the confirmed result is that little has changed in the existing political landscape of Canadian politics. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has won the right to lead the 44th Canadian Parliament with an almost identical result to the previous election in 2019.
29 September 2021 - Politics, Environment, Policy
Sunday’s Federal elections in Germany mark the end of Angela Merkel’s 16 year term and the beginning of a new era in German politics. Regardless of who forms the next government, the election is historic for several reasons.
28 September 2021 - Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security
Will the next President of France be Emmanuel Macron, Marine Le Pen or another of the candidates who will contest the first round of the elections on 10 April 2022? If no-one wins a majority (and that seems virtually impossible), the two front-runners will face off a fortnight later on the 24th.
15 September 2021 - Politics, Policy
Canada is heading to an election on 20 September. Called two years before necessary, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party had hoped to capitalise on the power of pandemic incumbency to upgrade its minority government to a majority.
15 April 2021 - Politics, Foreign Policy, Race
Last February, President Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), issued a decree-by-law, declaring that parliamentary elections will take place on 22 May, and presidential elections on 24 July of this year.
3 November 2020 - Foreign Policy, Election
It is hard to find in post-war American history a greater divide between two presidential candidates on foreign policy than in 2020.
22 October 2020 - Foreign Policy, Election
The American presidential election will be held while international perceptions of the US, particularly in Asia, are at historic lows.
14 October 2020 - Foreign Policy, Election
On the current balance of probabilities, Joe Biden will win the 3 November US presidential election. We need to address the implications of this for our foreign relations.
28 September 2020 - Foreign Policy, National Security, Election
To study transatlantic relations is to permanently have a sense of déjà vu. Since the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in 1949, the history of alliance has been a history of crises among allies.
5 June 2019 - Politics, Election, Policy
The Australian federal election result not only defied predictions by pollsters through to most commentators, it highlighted a number of emerging fault lines in Australian politics that have been fomenting for some time.
28 May 2019 - Politics, Election, Policy
India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi scored a surprisingly emphatic win in the national election.
24 May 2019 - Election, Policy
The re-election of the Modi government with an increased majority is good news for Australia.
24 May 2019 - Politics, Election, Policy
The violent protests against the official announcement ofJoko “Jokowi” Widodo’s re-election as Indonesian president this week mark the culmination of a months-long campaign by losing candidate Prabowo Subianto to discredit the poll.
20 May 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Environment, Policy
Labor was meant to waltz into national government, or least win a workable majority.
16 May 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Election, Policy
Following 68 days of public hearings, 134 witnesses and more than 10,000 public submissions, the Final Report of the Royal Commission into Misconduct in the Banking, Superannuation and Financial Services Industry in February released 76 recommendations to clean up the wide-ranging and shocking misconduct it had uncovered.
16 May 2019 - Election, Policy
The Coalition does not see access to sexual and reproductive services as either an election issue, or a priority for their next term; while the ALP is promising to wade into this currently disjointed, uneven and inequitable space.
15 May 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Election, Policy
The slow rate of wage growth is one of the most widely talked-about features of the Australian economy in the lead-up to the 2019 Federal election.
13 May 2019 - Election, Policy
In the lead up to the announcement of this Federal election, a white supremacist launched attacks on mosques in Christchurch, killing 51 people and injuring another 49.
13 May 2019 - Politics, Election, Environment, Policy
As the federal election approaches, debate over the climate policies of the major parties continues – along with a lot of misinformation over how to evaluate the relative merits and shortcomings of what each party is offering.
10 May 2019 - Election, Environment, Policy
With the Federal Election campaign now in full swing, the debate on the regulation of transport greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions has been light on detail and polarised.
9 May 2019 - Election, Policy
Personal income tax, the taxes levied on individuals’ income from wages and capital, collected $206 billion in 2017-18. This represents roughly a half of total Commonwealth tax revenue, and 11% of national income.
2 May 2019 - Politics, Foreign Policy, Election, Policy
In this election campaign, there are some very distinct trajectories for foreign aid: from continuing the policy of cutting and diminishing aid, to rebuilding aid as an asset in Australian diplomacy, trade and security.
30 April 2019 - Politics, Election, Policy
The first of what could be three campaign debates between the Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Labor Leader Bill Shorten last night was never going to have a big impact on the May 18 federal election.
23 April 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Social Policy
In an interview with India’s state-run Doordarshan television network on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “I can say this publicly that the BJP will perform better than last time in Uttar Pradesh.”
12 April 2019 - Election, Policy
Vote Compass is a civic engagement application developed by a team from Vox Pop Labs, in association with the University of Melbourne and the ABC.
10 April 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Election
Announcing the March 2016 reactivation of negotiations on the Indonesia-Australia Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IA-CEPA), Indonesia’s then-Trade Minister Tom Lembong called for the two governments to take bold steps and “rejuvenate the animal spirits that we know drive economies”.
20 March 2019 - Foreign Policy, Election
Australia’s ability to form a new and deeper relationship with India has long been marred by limited political and cultural understanding.
12 March 2019 - Immigration, Policy
Australia’s refugee policies are rarely outside the political and public discourse.
11 March 2019 - Election, Policy, Infrastructure/Transport, Energy
For Indian politicians looking to woo voters, promises to provide ‘bijli, sarak, pani’ (power, roads, water) have long been important.
1 March 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Election, Social Policy, Policy
Recently India’s Congress party, the chief rival to the ruling BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), proposed to introduce a minimum income guarantee (MIG) program should it win power in the April-May 2019 general elections.
25 February 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Social Policy, Policy
It's often said that in India, you don’t cast your vote, you vote your caste.
25 February 2019 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Policy
Indonesia’s presidential election – Joko “Jokowi” Widodo versus Prabowo Subianto II – is trundling toward its 17 April denouement, an event less exciting for its potential drama and more for its status as the end point of a long and, thus far, insipid contest.
20 February 2019 - Education, Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Policy, Population Growth
This article is part of the Indian Election Series – a partnership between the Australia India Institute and the Melbourne School of Government’s Election Watch project.
31 January 2019 - Politics, Election, Policy
This article is part of the Indian Election Series – a partnership between the Australia India Institute and the Melbourne School of Government’s Election Watch.
20 December 2018 - Election, Social Policy, Population Growth
Main points
23 November 2018 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Policy, Population Growth
The Victorian economy is performing well, with activities and jobs buoyed by strong population growth.
23 November 2018 - Politics, Election, Policy, Infrastructure/Transport
After decades of under investment in public transport, we welcome the attention that the major parties are giving to new rail projects.
23 November 2018 - Health, Election, Policy
Main points
22 November 2018 - Politics, Immigration, Policy, Population Growth
The pace of population growth in Melbourne is a significant theme in the 2018 Victorian election campaign, with the major parties promising various policies to ease pressure on services, reduce traffic congestion and radically increase public transport capacity.
22 November 2018 - Election, Policy, Law and Order
22 November 2018 - Politics, Election, Policy
As Victorians vote in another state election, many will again wonder why they can’t vote online. If we bank, shop, and communicate in so many ways online, why can’t we vote online?
19 November 2018 - Election, Policy, Infrastructure/Transport
The systematic and serious underpayment of wages or other statutory entitlements is currently not a criminal offence in Victoria, or anywhere else in Australia.
15 November 2018 - Politics, National Security, Election, Policy
This article is part of the Indian Election Series – a partnership between the Australia India Institute and the Melbourne School of Government’s Election Watch project.
13 November 2018 - Education, Politics, Election, Policy
Main points
25 October 2018 - Gender, Politics, Election, Social Policy
“October surprise” is a an American political term used to describe something – perhaps a natural disaster or a strategically-timed data leak - that emerges in the run up to an election. It’s something that likely impacts polls and possibly even the vote count.
13 October 2018 - Gender, Politics, Election, Social Policy
“October surprise” is a an American political term used to describe something – perhaps a natural disaster or a strategically-timed data leak - that emerges in the run up to an election. It’s something that likely impacts polls and possibly even the vote count.
25 July 2018 - Politics, Policy
One of the criticisms that is often made about opposition parties is that they don’t represent an alternative government. Rather, they just criticise whatever it is that the government is trying to do, without actually providing a better alternative. This state-of-affairs has been expressed by the former Labor Government led by Julia Gillard, when it referred to the (then) Opposition as the ‘No-alition’.
27 May 2018 - Social Policy, Policy
Malaysia’s recent historic election has propelled Anwar Ibrahim – the long-standing political leader who has twice been jailed on sodomy charges – into the political limelight.
18 May 2018 - Election, Policy
On 7 May, 2018 the Melbourne School of Government and The Age co-hosted a Melbourne Lord Mayoral By-Election Youth Forum to discuss issues affecting young people studying, living and working in the City of Melbourne.
9 May 2018 - Foreign Policy, Election
The people of Timor-Leste are heading to the polls this week for the second time in ten months.
25 September 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Immigration, Election, Policy, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), Christian Social Union (CSU), The Left, Alliance ‘90/The Greens, Alternative for Germany, Free Democratic Party
Dr Angela Merkel will lead Germany as its Chancellor for an historic fourth consecutive term.
25 September 2017 - Politics, Election, Policy, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), Christian Social Union (CSU), The Left, Alliance ‘90/The Greens, Alternative for Germany, Free Democratic Party
As the dust settles on the German election, it seems the political instability seen throughout the West has now arrived in Germany
21 September 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Policy, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), Christian Social Union (CSU), The Left, Alliance ‘90/The Greens, Alternative for Germany, Free Democratic Party
Some have claimed that the German political scene this year is boring. But perhaps we need less excitement and greater predictability in an era of Brexit and Trump.
19 September 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Policy, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), Christian Social Union (CSU), The Left, Alliance ‘90/The Greens, Alternative for Germany, Free Democratic Party
Germany’s newly-elected Chancellor will face significant challenges that will require difficult and divisive choices after the election this Sunday.
5 September 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Environment, Policy, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), Alliance ‘90/The Greens, Alternative for Germany
All major parties in Germany – except the Euroskeptic, anti-refugee Alternative for Germany Party (AfD) – accept the reality of human-induced climate change.
3 September 2017 - Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Policy, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Social Democratic Party (SPD), Alliance ‘90/The Greens
Germany’s special relationship with Turkey - NATO allies, partners in a key refugee deal and major trade partners - is routinely referred to as being in crisis.
26 June 2017 - Politics, Foreign Policy, National Security, Election, Policy, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party, Unsubmissive France
The overwhelming win by the party of Emmanuel Macron in the French legislative elections has put a definite halt to the wave of populism in Europe and reinforced French commitment to the European Union.
19 June 2017 - Politics, Immigration, Election, Policy, Conservative Party, Labour Party, UK Independence Party (UKIP)
In the space of a few short weeks of a General Election campaign, the British Conservative Party led by Prime Minister Theresa May went from a 17 seat majority and a 21 point lead over Labour in opinion polls; to just scraping over the line to form a minority government.
19 June 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Election, Policy, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party
Emmanuel Macron launched his political party En Marche! – now La République en Marche! (The Republic on the Move!) – less than 18 months ago.
9 June 2017 - Politics, Foreign Policy, National Security, Election, Policy, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Scottish National Party (SNP)
No matter how Tory partisans try to spin it, the UK election results are a disaster for Prime Minister Theresa May and the incumbent Conservative government.
1 June 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Scottish National Party (SNP)
Britain’s next leader will have the difficult task of deciding on concrete outcomes for populist platitudes in relation to ‘Brexit’.
18 May 2017 - Politics, Election, Policy
The international political landscape in 2017 is coloured by Brexit, the advent of the Trump administration in the United States, and several elections in Europe.
8 May 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Environment, Social Policy, Policy, National Front, En Marche
Democracy has won.
5 May 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Immigration, National Security, Election, Environment, Social Policy, Policy, National Front, En Marche
If Emmanuel Macron becomes France’s new President on Sunday, his victory will give the European Union a reprieve, a chance to reset its priorities after the battering from Brexit and the apparently inexorable surge of xenophobia and economic nationalism.
3 May 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Environment, Social Policy, Policy, Race, National Front, En Marche
Political newcomer Emmanuel Macron and far-right leader Marine Le Pen will go head-to-head in the final vote of the presidential election on Sunday 7 May.
27 April 2017 - Politics, Foreign Policy, Election, Policy, Conservative Party, Labour Party, Scottish National Party (SNP), UK Independence Party (UKIP)
Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Theresa May announced that voters in the UK would be going to the polls again for the third time in three years.
24 April 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Social Policy, Policy, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party, Unsubmissive France
It was a divisive and unpredictable campaign, but the first round results are now clear.
20 April 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, National Security, Election, Social Policy, Policy, Race, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party, Unsubmissive France
After the shock Brexit result in Britain in June 2016 and Donald Trump’s unexpected triumph a few months later, in November, what are the chances of the right-wing Front National’s Marine Le Pen completing a populist trifecta in the French presidential elections?
20 April 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Foreign Policy, Election, Policy
The Brexit process ending the UK’s membership in the European Union has officially started.
19 April 2017 - Politics, Foreign Policy, National Security, Election, Policy, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party, Unsubmissive France
With the recent terrorist attacks in Stockholm and London, and with Syria and North Korea dominating national and international news in France, the forthcoming French elections are bound to take place in a very particular context.
7 April 2017 - Politics, Election, Policy, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party
What a strange election campaign it has been so far.
24 March 2017 - Politics, Foreign Policy, National Security, Election, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party
The French people will soon elect their next president. It could be the National Front’s Marine Le Pen, the candidate Russia may actively be trying to get elected.
13 March 2017 - Politics, Foreign Policy, Immigration, Election, Policy, Race, Party for Freedom, People's Party for Freedom and Democracy
This week, on March 15, Dutch voters will be the first in Europe to go to the polls this year.
10 March 2017 - Politics, Social Policy, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party
The future of democracy in Western Europe is rapidly approaching a crossroads.
10 March 2017 - Politics, Immigration, Election, Policy, National Front, Republicans, En Marche, Socialist Party
In the aftermath of the election of US President Donald Trump and the UK’s Brexit referendum, many observers are keeping a watchful eye on how presidential elections play out in France in late April and early May.
10 March 2017 - Politics, Immigration, Election, Policy
When Germany goes to the polls in the second half of 2017, there is a chance that the status quo will prevail.
10 March 2017 - Politics, Election, Policy
Is the election of Donald Trump simply the way democracy works, or is the whole liberal democratic system under threat from a wave of citizen disenchantment?
10 March 2017 - Economy/Jobs, Politics, Foreign Policy, National Security, Policy
In 1973 the United Kingdom joined the European Economic Community, now the European Union.