A world-first study involving 4,000 Australian adults shows political parties shouldn’t assume Indigenous candidates will face voter rejection.
- Professor of Politics, Griffith University
With Gen Z and Millennials combined now outnumbering Baby Boomers as the dominant voter bloc, their votes will shape the election. But do they care?
In two remote electorates in WA and the NT, the major parties are being kept afloat due to the efforts of a handful of willing individuals.
New research shows fewer women are joining the Liberals and Labor youth wings – and fewer want to stand as future candidates, as well.
Italy will have its first woman prime minister. And both Italy and Western Europe will have their first far-right majority government since the fall of Mussolini and the end of the Second World War.
A record 11 Indigenous representatives are now in federal parliament, most of them women. But despite the improvement in representation, research tells us their road ahead won’t be an easy one.
Parties strive for gender equality in preselecting candidates. But if they select more women than men in marginal seats, this isn’t true equality — it’s ticking a box.
Populists leaders are supposed to use simpler language than their opponents. A comprehensive study shows this is not always the case.
Radical right populists are on the brink of power in Austria and making gains across the region. And the European leaders who once were willing to publicly condemn them are silent now.
Watch Anne Tiernan and Duncan McDonnell discuss the popularity of minor parties and independents in this election – including what the Nick Xenophon Team learnt from the Palmer United Party.
How did others in Europe cover the election and the surprising results?
It might actually be better for the Conservatives to work with Nigel Farage in government.
While Silvio Berlusconi has shown himself to be adept at transferring business organisational and marketing skills to politics, Clive Palmer has appeared completely out of his depth in this sense.
Those of us who study politics are fortunate, but also unfortunate, to work in an academic field whose terms are widely used and abused in public debate. “Populist”, which I’ve written about here, is one…
Politicians will do anything to get into power. They’ll promise the earth and make deals with whoever they need to if it means they can govern. This is the kind of line you hear the world over. While it…
Whatever the result on September 18, Scotland’s independence referendum will produce what supporters of direct democracy are likely to hail as a victory. Around 97% of the population have registered to…
“This time it’s different,” promised the European Parliament in an awareness campaign ahead of the May 2014 elections. And, judging by the headlines, it certainly has been different. Many in the media…
One month to go until the 2014 European Parliament (EP) elections. The candidates have been chosen, the posters printed and the media interpretation of the results (probably) decided. “A wake-up call for…
Three weeks can be an awfully long time in politics. Last Thursday, Matteo Renzi, the new leader of Italy’s Democratic Party (PD) – the largest member of the country’s ruling coalition – announced that…
Apart from a sensational winning goal, the main memory I have of the 1992 European Cup Final between Barcelona and Sampdoria is a moment in the second half when the camera panned to the man in the crowd…
For those who don’t know it, Godwin’s law says that the longer an online discussion continues, the greater the probability of someone making a comparison involving the Nazis or Hitler. Of course, how long…
I have a confession to make. In some ways, I admire Silvio Berlusconi. Sure, he has been disastrous for Italy’s economy and its democracy. But, as a political animal, he has qualities which I (grudgingly…
Sometimes, there’s just no escaping populism. Coming back from a conference on “Democracy and Populism” in Sofia last Sunday evening, I picked up a copy of The Economist. After three enjoyable but long…
Colpevole. Guilty. On a hot August Thursday evening in Rome, after two decades of investigations and trials - many of which he escaped due to laws passed by his own governments – Silvio Berlusconi was…
“You’re on the very edge of Europe right here,” I said. “What about Iceland, Dad?” “Never mind about Iceland and just enjoy the view, will you?” We were at Dún Aonghasa on the Aran Islands where we spent…
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