Integrity Research and Study Organisations

	Recently Added
	Submission to Operation Halifax investigation into lobbying of public officials and public authorities in NSW and the related procedures and regulatory system. Political parties' responses to our two election 2010 questions on integrity and transparency Blagojevich and Legal Bribery - On the mess the USA campaign financing system has become Law Council of Australia's poll of Major Party's electoral positions on key legal issues Book Launch "Money and Politics: The Democracy We Can’t Afford Parliament of NSW Final Report: Public funding of Election Campaigns 23 March 2010 Government announces whistleblower protection scheme JOE LUDWIG 17 March 2010 Button Missen Parliamentary Integrity Awards Launch Speech - Tony Fizgerald QC No favourites in the pollie Oscars Engage, Getting on with Government 2.0: Report of the Government 2.0 taskforce LobbyLens

	ART About Us
	ACCOUNTABILITY ROUND TABLE - ABOUT US The Accountability Round Table is a non-partisan group of citizens with diverse backgrounds (academics, lawyers, politicians, journalists, authors) who are gravely concerned with the current erosion of honesty and integrity of our democratic parliamentary and governmental process. The Accountability Round Table is dedicated, in particular, to the resurrection and enlivening of the principle of ministerial accountability, that is the obligation of government ministers to be answerable and accountable the Parliament for the actions, inactions, defaults and carelessness, not only of the ministers themselves but also of all those in the minister’s office (such as advisers) and in the departments and agencies of which the ministers are head. It is an integral part of Australia’s democratic parliamentary structure that Ministers of State be members of the Parliament in which they are answerable - i.e. accountable, and accountable for performance of themselves and their subordinates. It is critical that this accountability be transparent, open and immune from hidden influences. The Accountability Round Table is mindful of the following observation of the 1976 Royal Commission (the Coombs Commission) on Australian Government administration; The evidence tends to suggest rather that while ministers continue to be held accountable to Parliament in the sense of being obligated to answer to it when Parliament so demands , and to indicate corrective action if that is for , they themselves are not held culpable – and in consequence bound to resign or suffer dismissal – unless the action which stands condemned was theirs, or taken on their direction, or was action which they ought obviously to have been concerned.

Democratic Audit of Australia

Since 2002 a team at the Australian National University has been conducting Audits to assess Australia’s strengths and weaknesses as a democratic society. From early 2008 the Audit has been based at the Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology, with continuing input from researchers at ANU and other universities.

Informative discussion papers are available here

Centre for Democratic Institutions

CDI was established by the Australian government to support the efforts of new democracies in the Asia-Pacific region to strengthen their political systems. Based in the Crawford School of Economics and Government in the College of Asia and the Pacific at The Australian National University in Canberra.

CDI’s mandate is to strengthen two key institutions of representative democracy -- parliamentary governance and political parties – in the emerging democracies of Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Target countries -- Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. A fundamental focus is the link between parliamentary and party structures and the broader development process.

They conduct high-level training courses, act as a networking hub, provide direct technical assistance and undertake applied research on parliamentary and political party development.

Australasian Study of Parliament Group (ASPG) (No central website but chapters below)

The Australasian Study of Parliament Group (ASPG) is a politically non-partisan body which was established in 1978 to encourage and stimulate research, writing, teaching and discussion about parliamentary institutions, particularly those in Australasia and the South Pacific. The ASPG has Chapters in all States and Territories of Australia and in New Zealand. Its membership consists of parliamentarians, parliamentary officers, academics, teachers, journalists, students and other interested individuals.

The National President of the ASPG is the Hon. Kevin Rozzoli, former Speaker of the NSW Legislative Assembly.

Victorian Chapter

The Victorian Chapter of the ASPG normally meets three or four times a year for presentations and panel discussions on issues relevant to Australasian parliaments and legislatures in general. Meetings occur at Parliament House, Spring Street, East Melbourne on parliamentary sitting days, usually during the dinner break between 7.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m

NSW Chapter

The NSW Chapter of ASPG runs regular seminars on topical issues relating to Parliament in NSW and Australia.

Queensland Chapter

The ASPG (Queensland Chapter) was established in May 1993 as a non-partisan body to encourage and stimulate research, writing and teaching about parliamentary institutions in Australia in order to generate a better understanding of their functions. The Queensland Chapter holds 3 seminars each year on topical issues relating to Parliament in Queensland and Australia.

Tasmanian Chapter

The Tasmanian Chapter runs the ASPG Prize.

The University of Tasmania and the Tasmanian Parliament jointly run the Parliamentary Internship Scheme. As part of the scheme university students undertake research projects for Members of the Tasmanian Parliament.
On completion the ASPG, in conjunction with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (Tasmania), award a prize for the best research project.

WA Chapter

This web page is out of date but includes a bibliography of interesting papers which can be purchased through Parliament House Canberra

Our Publications

CRUCIAL TO ENSURE OPEN GOVERNMENT

Submitted by admin on Fri, 26/11/2010 - 09:35

by Tim Smith.

The full version here, published as an edited opinion piece, The Age Friday November 26th 2010.

Tim Colebatch recently criticised the Brumby Government as having “refused to run an open government” (Ballot box overflowing with choice, The Age November 23, 2010). The editor of the Sunday Age (21 November), expressed a reluctance to choose between Labor or the Coalition and concluded "if we were put up against a wall, we would say, maybe Labor, but it will need to change its ways in a

CORRUPTION - Our Policy

Submitted by admin on Fri, 27/08/2010 - 12:10

August 2010

The Anticorruption reforms that ART would like to see

The risks of corruption have been increased by: the on going increase in government control of information; the ever-increasing need for funding of political campaigns; the methods employed to obtain it and the failure to enact legislation to impose controls; the commercialisation of government services and projects; the development of lobbying and the inadequacies of the attempt to control the activity and make it transparent in a timely manner; and failure to either stop or control the flow of Ministers and their staff to the lobbying industry on retirement from their positions.

DONATIONS - Our policy

Submitted by admin on Fri, 27/08/2010 - 11:06

August 2010

The reforms to political donations that ART would like to see

The Accountability Round Table’s starting premise is that the cost of election campaigns should be borne entirely by the State

THE STATE OF ACCOUNTABILITY As at September 2009

Submitted by admin on Mon, 19/10/2009 - 00:11

September 2009

How close are we to achieving reform?
This document checks the Rudd Government's actions on:

Anticorruption
Greater Accountability of the Executive and strengthening of the role of the Parliament
Electoral Reform
Citizen Engagement and Civil Society
Human Rights

1 attachment

RENEWING ACCOUNTABLE GOVERNMENT: Reforming Accountability in Victoria

Submitted by admin on Wed, 10/03/2010 - 10:26

November 2006
The Victorian Legislative Council, which will be reformed with effect from the
general elections on 25 November 2006, has the potential to be a major
instrument of accountability.
This discussion paper canvasses a range of reforms and revisions affecting the
accountability of ministers and governments to Parliament and citizens.

Be Honest Minister - Released July 07 by the Accountability Round Table

Submitted by admin on Sat, 17/10/2009 - 14:45

July 2007

"Be Honest Minister" A proposal to reform Parliamentary accountability

The following assumptions underlie the preparation of this document:

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