Compulsory Voting in Australia: Effects, Public Acceptance and Democratic Justification

Compulsory Voting in Australia: Effects, Public Acceptance and Democratic Justification

Compulsory voting has been a major feature of Australian electoral arrangements for almost a century and it has proved to be a very effective and well-tolerated mechanism for maintaining high voter turnout. What explains the relatively high public acceptance of the practice in this country? And what conditions need to...

Think Global: International climate movements

This talk highlights key differences in the start, evolution and focus of climate movements in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. In particular, the conceptions of climate justice adopted and expressed in the climate movement in each country is markedly different. It is argued that these different conceptions...

Think Global: Queer Rights and Southeast Asia

While now recognised by the UN and leading democratic states (if still incompletely and often haphazardly), LGBTQ rights are denied in many other quarters. In Southeast Asia, ASEAN has implemented a regional human rights regime, albeit one which declined to incorporate standard global protections around discrimination in relation to sexuality...

#AskACurator Day 2018

On Wednesday 12 September we participated in #AskACurator Day via our social media channels, and in particular our Twitter. #AskACurator in an international initiative to, as the Twitter page says, “Ask questions to passionate experts”. It was started, and continues to be led by the extremely passionate @MarDixon. We had...

Image of Eloise Duncis standing in the House of Assembly in South Australian Palriament wearing a black suit and white shirt with her right hand raised in the middle of making a statement.

Thoughts of a Youth Parliamentarian

I’ve never been overly outward with any of my thoughts and opinions before. Who am I to decide what’s right and what’s wrong? What if I make the wrong choice? What if others don’t see eye to eye with my beliefs? Perhaps it is my people-pleasing core that has left...

Think Global: The Catalan push for independence from Spain: tragedy and/or farce?

The political crisis in Spain over the push for the independence of Catalonia has become as a high stakes game of ‘chicken’ –one where whoever takes a back or side step becomes the loser. On the one hand, this has increased political and social tensions dramatically, with profound and deepening...

Poet in Residence David Chapple

The Centre of Democracy was opened in May 2017 through a partnership led by the History Trust of South Australia with the State Library of South Australia. Its remit is to share the story of democracy in South Australian. We do this through a permanent exhibition in the Institute Building...

Think Global: The Jokowi Presidency in Indonesia: Critical Reflections

Who is President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)? How has he survived and managed his presidency through the political, economic, and social upheavals that have occurred in Indonesia over past 3 years? Has he himself changed with his presidency or, has Indonesia changed under his presidency? As an outsider, President Jokowi...

Think Global: The Coup & Struggle for Democratization in Zimbabwe – Challenges, Prospects and Lessons

Robert Mugabe dramatically left office in what was essentially a military coup albeit couched in popular protests. The unique political ‘transition’ that happened in Zimbabwe offers a great opportunity to re-look into the democratisation debate in Africa. This talk discusses the challenges, prospects and lessons for Zimbabwe’s democratisation in...

Parading Proud: The Builders’ Laborers’ Union of South Australia banner

Workers organised themselves from the early days of the colony. It is alleged that the first industrial dispute occurred as early as October 1836 on one of the first ships to dock. South Australia company manager Charles Hare was strong armed into paying additional wages to seamen threatening to Strike....