Politics with Michelle Grattan
News:Politics
When the government didn’t get the numbers to pass legislation for a same-sex marriage plebiscite they put the wheels in motion for their second best plan: a postal survey.
Since announcing that the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) would be responsible for carrying out the same-sex marriage postal survey, acting special minister of state Mathias Cormann has had no shortage of questions from journalists and on social media.
In the absence of normal protections offered by the Australian Electoral Commission, Cormann says the government is developing legislation to ensure the respective ‘yes’ and ‘no’ campaigns are respectful.
Similarly, issues around accessibility to the postal vote are being worked out by the ABS, with a paperless option being created for certain circumstances.
On the High Court challenges tabled for August 24 he says that while no forms will be sent out until September 12 - after the issue is resolved - any money spent preparing the postal survey will have been spent. “We believe the course of action we have chosen is constitutional and legal but this is now a matter for the High Court”.
Clive Hamilton and Richard McGregor on Australia-China relations
Trust, democracy and COVID-19: A British perspective
Pat Turner on Closing the Justice Gap
Statistician David Gruen and the race for real-time pandemic data
Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on saving Australia’s tourism and construction industries
Jim Chalmers on JobKeeper’s flaws and the Eden-Monaro byelection
Democracy 2025 - The role of the APS in a post COVID-19 world with Michelle Grattan, Mark Evans, Peter Shergold, and Renée Leon
Paul Kelly on the risk of a COVID-19 second-wave
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Nev Power on the role of business in a post-coronavirus world
Katy Gallagher on the senate's coronavirus watchdog
Former Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on his autobiography, ‘A Bigger Picture
MPs Tim Watts, Fiona Martin, Clare O'Neil and Helen Haines discuss serving their electorates during the coronavirus crisis
Democracy 2025 - How does Australia compare: what makes a leading democracy? With Michelle Grattan, Mark Evans and Ian Chubb
Nobel Laureate Professor Peter Doherty on the coronavirus crisis and the timeline for a vaccine
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy on COVID-19
Keith Pitt on the Murray-Darling Basin, the Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility, and Nuclear Power
Mark Butler on Labor’s 2050 carbon neutral target
Phil Honeywood on the coronavirus challenge for universities
Adam Bandt on Greens' hopes for future power sharing
Michael McCormack moves on from his near-death experience
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free