A Guide to Open Source Software for Australian Government Agencies
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Government and Indigenous Australians Exclusionary Values
Government and Indigenous Australians Exclusionary values upheld in Australian Government continue to unjustly prohibit the participation of minority population groups. Indigenous people “are among the most socially excluded in Australia” with only 2.2% of Federal parliament comprised of Aboriginal’s. Additionally, Aboriginal culture and values, “can be hard for non-Indigenous people to understand” but are critical for creating socially inclusive policy. This exclusion from parliament is largely as a result of a “cultural and ethnic default in leadership” and exclusionary values held by Australian parliament. Furthermore, Indigenous values of autonomy, community and respect for elders is not supported by the current structure of government. The lack of cohesion between Western Parliamentary values and Indigenous cultural values has contributed to historically low voter participation and political representation in parliament. Additionally, the historical exclusion, restrictive Western cultural norms and the continuing lack of consideration for the cultural values and unique circumstances of Indigenous Australians, vital to promote equity and remedy problems that exist within Aboriginal communities, continue to be overlooked. Current political processes make it difficult for Indigenous people to have power over decisions made on their behalf to solve issues prevalent in Aboriginal communities. This is largely as “Aboriginal representatives are in a better position to represent Aboriginal people and that existing politicians do not or cannot perform this role.” Deeply “entrenched inequality in Australia” has led to the continuity of traditional Anglo- Australian Parliamentary values, which inherently exclude Indigenous Australians. Additionally, the communication between the White Australian population and the Aboriginal population remains damaged, due to “European contact tend[ing] to undermine Aboriginal laws, society, culture and religion”. -
South Australian State Public Sector Organisations
South Australian state public sector organisations The entities listed below are controlled by the government. The sectors to which these entities belong are based on the date of the release of the 2016–17 State Budget. The government’s interest in each of the public non-financial corporations and public financial corporations listed below is 100 per cent. Public Public General Non-Financial Financial Government Corporations Corporations Sector Sector Sector Adelaide Cemeteries Authority * Adelaide Festival Centre Trust * Adelaide Festival Corporation * Adelaide Film Festival * Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges Natural Resources * Management Board Adelaide Venue Management Corporation * Alinytjara Wilurara Natural Resources Management Board * Art Gallery Board, The * Attorney-General’s Department * Auditor-General’s Department * Australian Children’s Performing Arts Company * (trading as Windmill Performing Arts) Bio Innovation SA * Botanic Gardens State Herbarium, Board of * Carrick Hill Trust * Coast Protection Board * Communities and Social Inclusion, Department for * Correctional Services, Department for * Courts Administration Authority * CTP Regulator * Dairy Authority of South Australia * Defence SA * Distribution Lessor Corporation * Dog and Cat Management Board * Dog Fence Board * Education Adelaide * Education and Child Development, Department for * Electoral Commission of South Australia * Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Department of * Environment Protection Authority * Essential Services Commission of South Australia -
Tasmania (TAS)
Australian Red Cross 26.05.21 COVID-19 Information Sheet – Tasmania (TAS) Disclaimer: The information below should not be considered an exhaustive list and service delivery may change. Please contact organisations and services directly for the most up to date information and to enquire further about eligibility. Red Cross does not determine eligibility for the third party services listed. Government of Tasmania Updates • Tasmanian Government COVID-19 Updates o Tasmanian border restrictions and subsequent quarantine arrangements are classified as low, medium and high. To check the classification of a location visit the Tasmanian government’s coronavirus website. These classifications change depending on the COVID-19 situation in each state and territory. • COVID-19 vaccinations: The Tasmanian and the Australian Governments are working together to give safe COVID-19 vaccinations to the community. Vaccines are being delivered in phases. All Tasmanians aged 18 and over will be able to get vaccinated for free. More information is available on the Tasmanian government website. • Support for Temporary Visa Holders: • Pandemic Isolation Assistance Grants are available to support low-income persons, casual workers and self-employed persons who are required to self-isolate due to COVID-19 risk. To apply, please call the Public Health Hotline on 1800 671 738. • The Rapid Response Skills Initiative provides funding of up to $3,000 towards the cost of training for people who have lost their jobs because they have been made redundant, the place they -
Voting in AUSTRALIAAUSTRALIA Contents
Voting IN AUSTRALIAAUSTRALIA Contents Your vote, your voice 1 Government in Australia: a brief history 2 The federal Parliament 5 Three levels of government in Australia 8 Federal elections 9 Electorates 10 Getting ready to vote 12 Election day 13 Completing a ballot paper 14 Election results 16 Changing the Australian Constitution 20 Active citizenship 22 Your vote, your voice In Australia, citizens have the right and responsibility to choose their representatives in the federal Parliament by voting at elections. The representatives elected to federal Parliament make decisions that affect many aspects of Australian life including tax, marriage, the environment, trade and immigration. This publication explains how Australia’s electoral system works. It will help you understand Australia’s system of government, and the important role you play in it. This information is provided by the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC), an independent statutory authority. The AEC provides Australians with an independent electoral service and educational resources to assist citizens to understand and participate in the electoral process. 1 Government in Australia: a brief history For tens of thousands of years, the heart of governance for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples was in their culture. While traditional systems of laws, customs, rules and codes of conduct have changed over time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples continue to share many common cultural values and traditions to organise themselves and connect with each other. Despite their great diversity, all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities value connection to ‘Country’. This includes spirituality, ceremony, art and dance, family connections, kin relationships, mutual responsibility, sharing resources, respecting law and the authority of elders, and, in particular, the role of Traditional Owners in making decisions. -
Australia's System of Government
61 Australia’s system of government Australia is a federation, a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary democracy. This means that Australia: Has a Queen, who resides in the United Kingdom and is represented in Australia by a Governor-General. Is governed by a ministry headed by the Prime Minister. Has a two-chamber Commonwealth Parliament to make laws. A government, led by the Prime Minister, which must have a majority of seats in the House of Representatives. Has eight State and Territory Parliaments. This model of government is often referred to as the Westminster System, because it derives from the United Kingdom parliament at Westminster. A Federation of States Australia is a federation of six states, each of which was until 1901 a separate British colony. The states – New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and Tasmania - each have their own governments, which in most respects are very similar to those of the federal government. Each state has a Governor, with a Premier as head of government. Each state also has a two-chambered Parliament, except Queensland which has had only one chamber since 1921. There are also two self-governing territories: the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory. The federal government has no power to override the decisions of state governments except in accordance with the federal Constitution, but it can and does exercise that power over territories. A Constitutional Monarchy Australia is an independent nation, but it shares a monarchy with the United Kingdom and many other countries, including Canada and New Zealand. The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth of Australia, but with her powers delegated to the Governor-General by the Constitution. -
Whole of Victorian Government Response to the Final Report of The
Whole of Victorian Government Response to the Final Report of the Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee’s Inquiry into Improving Access to Victorian Public Sector Information and Data _________________________________________________________ © Government of Victoria This report is protected by copyright. Apart from any use permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, and those explicitly granted below, all other rights are reserved. Except for the Victorian Government logo and except where otherwise stated the Whole of Victorian Government Response to the Final Report of the Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee’s Inquiry into Improving Access to Victorian Public Sector Information and Data by Victorian Government is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 Australia Licence (the Licence). Except where otherwise noted, any reference to, or reuse or distribution of all or part of this work must include the following attribution: Whole of Victorian Government Response to the Final Report of the Economic Development and Infrastructure Committee’s Inquiry into Improving Access to Victorian Public Sector Information and Data © Government of Victoria, 2009. http://www.diird.vic.gov.au/diird-projects/access-to-public-sector-information You must provide the following link in any further reuse or distribution of this work to make clear to others that the Licence (including this copyright notice) applies to this work: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.5/au/ Any of the above -
Tasmanian Government Submissions to Inquiries and Reviews PRINCIPLES
Tasmanian Government Submissions to Inquiries and Reviews PRINCIPLES Preparing a Tasmanian Government submission to an Inquiry or Review can require significant resources. It may present an important opportunity to influence policies or strategies in areas significant to the State. These principles provide a common framework for departments to consider when assessing whether to prepare a Tasmanian Government submission. This should be read in conjunction with the associated ‘Process’ document. The two documents are designed to assist departments to work together and apply a consistent approach to Inquiries and Reviews. Definition and coverage These principles should be used to assess all Inquiries, Reviews and calls for submissions undertaken by: Tasmanian statutory or Parliamentary committees; Australian Government departments and statutory bodies, the Commonwealth Parliament, various Commissions or special Inquiries; and non-government organisations or international bodies. Exclusions: Matters related to international treaties entered into by the Australian Government, and Commonwealth-State Agreements – these have their own processes (available at www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/policy/intergovernmental_relations). Although the principles should always be applied, the associated process will not apply in all cases. See the ‘Process’ document for relevant exemptions. How to use these principles The principles must be weighed against each other to assess whether a submission is justified. Sometimes only one principle will be satisfied but it will be significant enough to justify making a submission. In other cases, multiple principles may be satisfied, but to an insufficient degree to justify the diversion of resources to prepare a submission. Senior departmental officials are expected to use professional judgment in applying these Principles, and to consult central agency officials where there are queries or concerns about the application of the Principles. -
Submission by the Human Rights Council of Australia Inc. to The
Submission by the Human Rights Council of Australia Inc. to the Senate Legal and Constitutional Affairs References Committee Inquiry into Nationhood, National Identity and Democracy Abstract This submission argues that it is critical for community cohesion and in respect of observance of international human rights to recognise and address the racist elements present in the movements described as “populist, conservative nationalist and nativist” which the inquiry addresses. These elements include the promotion of concepts of "white nationalism" which are largely imported from North America and Europe. Racist movements adopt sophisticated recruitment and radicalisation techniques similar to those seen among jihadists. Hate speech requires a strengthened national response and we recommend that its most extreme forms be criminalised in federal law, taking into account relevant human rights principles. A comprehensive annual report is required to ensure that key decision makers including parliamentarians are well-informed about the characteristics and methods of extremist actors. Further, noting the openly racist call for a return of the “White Australia” policy by a former parliamentarian, a Parliamentary Code of Ethics, which previous inquiries have recommended, is now essential. The immigration discourse is particularly burdened with implicit (and sometimes explicit) racist messaging. It is essential that an evidence base be developed to remove racist effects from immigration and other national debates. International human rights are a purpose-designed response to racism and racist nationalism. They embody the learned experience of the postwar generation. Human rights need to be drawn on more systematically to promote community cohesion and counter hate. Community cohesion and many Australians would be significantly harmed by any return to concepts of an ethnically or racially defined “nation”. -
Parliament's Power of the Purse Has Traditionally Been Based On
MODERN BUDGET REFORM AND THE IMPACT ON PARLIAMENTS THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE Christine McDonald Secretary Senate Finance and Public Administration Committee 27 February 2009 Modern Budget Reform and the Impact on Parliaments The Australian Experience The transparency and accountability of Commonwealth public funding and expenditure is right at the heart of parliamentary life. Those who understand the history of parliaments know that this is the battlefield on which hundreds and thousands of people have lost their lives. It is about the right of people to determine how they are to be taxed and how that taxation is to be spent by those who govern them. The fact that the history of striving for good government goes back centuries and is steeped in blood should remind us that, as dull as this may seem to those who seek other pastures of interest, this is material which goes right to the very heart of our parliamentary function. Senator Andrew Murray, 2007.1 The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of budget reform in Australia on the accountability of the executive government to the Parliament and to identify the measures by which the Australian Senate seeks to improve its oversight of budgetary processes. The Australian Parliament The Australian Parliament has two elected houses: the Senate and the House of Representatives. The majority party in the House of Representatives forms the government. The Senate consists of 76 Senators elected to represent the six States and two Territories. The government of the day does not always hold the majority in the Senate: currently, the Senate is composed of 32 government Senators and 44 non-government Senators (37 Liberal/National Party Coalition, five Australian Greens, one Family First Party and one independent). -
Interim Report: Inquiry Into the Queensland Government's Health
Interim Report: Inquiry into the Queensland Government’s health response to COVID‐19 Report No. 43, 56th Parliament Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee September 2020 Health, Communities, Disability Services and Domestic and Family Violence Prevention Committee Chair Mr Aaron Harper MP, Member for Thuringowa Deputy Chair Mr Mark McArdle MP, Member for Caloundra Members Mr Michael Berkman MP, Member for Maiwar Mr Martin Hunt MP, Member for Nicklin Mr Barry O’Rourke MP, Member for Rockhampton Ms Joan Pease MP, Member for Lytton Committee Secretariat Telephone +61 7 3553 6626 Fax +61 7 3553 6699 Email [email protected] Committee Web Page www.parliament.qld.gov.au/Health Acknowledgements The committee acknowledges the inquiry assistance provided by departments and agencies of the Queensland Government and by the Queensland Parliamentary Library and Research Service, together with the contributions of the various organisations and other stakeholders who submitted or provided evidence to the committee’s inquiry. Interim Report: Inquiry into the Queensland Government’s health response to COVID-19 Contents Abbreviations iii Chair’s foreword vi Recommendations viii 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Role of the committee 1 1.2 Inquiry referral 1 1.3 Inquiry process 2 1.4 Interim report 2 2 Novel coronavirus with pandemic potential 3 2.1 Identification and emergence of COVID-19 3 2.1.1 Symptoms and spread of COVID-19 4 2.1.2 Initial modelling of COVID-19 6 2.2 Preparedness planning: Protecting -
Outcomes for Indigenous Australians — the Current Situation
2 Outcomes for Indigenous Australians — the current situation Robert Fitzgerald1 Abstract While the majority of Indigenous Australians lead productive, successful and rewarding lives, on average, Indigenous Australians remain significantly disadvantaged compared with other Australians across a wide range of socio-economic indicators. Some outcomes for Indigenous Australians are improving, particularly in education and economic participation, but other outcomes are stagnating or even deteriorating. Governments in Australia spend $25 billion annually on services for Indigenous Australians. While much of this expenditure is on mainstream services used by all Australians, some specifically addresses Indigenous disadvantage. Ensuring that expenditure aimed at ‘closing the gap’ for Indigenous Australians is effective and efficient requires good evaluation. There are lessons to be learnt about the success factors that underpin effective programs from the ‘things that work’ case studies identified in the Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage reports, but the value of these is often limited by a lack of rigorous evaluation. 2.1 Introduction This paper draws on results from four streams of performance reporting work by the Productivity Commission, in its role as secretariat to the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision: • Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage: Key Indicators (OID report) (SCRGSP 2011b) • Indigenous Expenditure Report (SCRGSP 2012a) • Report on Government Services: Indigenous Compendium (SCRGSP 2012b) 1 Commissioner, -
Australian Government Response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Report
AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT RESPONSE TO THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES STANDING COMMITTEE ON ABORIGINAL AND TORRES STRAIT ISLANDER AFFAIRS REPORT: OUR LAND OUR LANGUAGES - LANGUAGE LEARNING IN INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES June 2013 1 Australian Government response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs report: Our Land Our Languages: Language Learning in Indigenous Communities This is the Australian Government’s response to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Affairs Inquiry into language learning in Indigenous communities, the Our Land Our Languages report, as tabled on 17 September 2012. The Government acknowledges the importance of the committee’s research into language learning in Indigenous communities, and the value of its findings on contributing to the maintenance, transmission and revitalisation of Indigenous languages into the future. The report highlights that languages are the foundation upon which the capacity to learn and interact productively with other people is built and that the use of Indigenous languages can assist in improving educational, vocational and economic outcomes for Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders. As stated in the report, greater recognition of Indigenous languages will have a positive impact on slowing their rapid decline in active usage, as well as improving self-esteem and identity of Indigenous Australians, assisting in all areas of closing the gap on Indigenous disadvantage and improving reconciliation outcomes. The recently released National Cultural Policy - Creative Australia recognises the central role Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures have in our national life. The Government has demonstrated its commitment to preserving this culture through providing an additional $13.983 million over four years as an extension of the Indigenous Languages Support program.