Arguing that politicians need to get paid is not the hot take you expected, but trust me I have an important point to make. Members of Parliament in Australia used to be paid nothing. 0 dollars (well at the time it was 0 pounds). This was terrible on multiple levels because it limited who could run, who could vote, limited accountability, limited choice of the public, and also encouraged corruption. While some people today complain about how much politicians get paid, the public in the 19th century complained they weren't paid anything. Join me on a quick history lesson about why it's actually ..read more

SPORTS! POLITICS! A numbered list that combines the two! Many Australian politicians have been former athletes with Olympic careers going all the way back to the 1908 Paris Olympics (at least). Here are ten that range from those who managed to go once and didn't win anything all the way to some of the most decorated and successful athletes Australia has ever sent to the Summer, Winter, and Paralympic games. Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388 Auspol Explained wo ..read more

The ACT Government is a combination of Labor and Greens - and has been for over a decade now. Majority governments are rare and so it has become a long standing agreement between the two political parties to share the cabinet positions, with Labor getting most of them and Greens getting a few depending on their numbers. But how does it work? How do the two parties resolve their disagreements? And how does it impact election campaigns in the ACT when the two parties have different goals yet may share the co-governing fate after the election? Well, I asked the longest serving Chief Minister of t ..read more

Not everyone understands the Constitution, but not all misunderstandings of the Constitution are equal. Over the years I've gotten a lot of very bizarre comments that make outlandishly wrong and even conspiracy theory level claims about what is actually in the Constitution, or what has become of it. Is the Australian Government actually a corporation registered in Washington DC? Are Australians secretly classified as cargo under maritime law? Is Western Australia non-existent? Did Gough Whitlam secretly replace the Constitution with a different colour? Of course not. None of these claims make ..read more

What is the annual budget? How does the government decide to spend money? What is an appropriation bill? In this episode I break down the basics of what the budget is as well as how it is introduced and the constitutional requirements and restrictions around it. The budget isn't just withdrawing money - it's a policy statement as well as an opportunity for massive amounts of government scrutiny and examination from members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Enjoy! Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: h ..read more

What is the role of a minister? A minister has a lot of responsibilities, both as an elected representative but also as part of the executive government their role involves managing government departments, formulating government policy, working alongside and taking on board the advice of the public sector, and introducing government legislation. I sat down with Linda Reynolds, Liberal Senator for Western Australia, and former Minister for Home Affairs (2018-2019), Minister for Defence (2019-2021), Minister for the NDIS (2021-2022) amongst other portfolios, to ask her about the role of the exec ..read more

What training do new MPs get? The standing orders of the chambers can be a complex set of rules to follow, and getting your head around the technical details of a bill may seem intimidating to those who've never had to do it - so what kind of job support and training is there for a Member of Parliament so they can do their job? I sat down with Stephen Bates, Member for Brisbane and Greens MP, to ask him what it's like going from being a retail worker to a Member of Parliament and what resources there are for new MPs to learn from. Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/Au ..read more

Here's a guide on how to vote in Tasmanian state elections! There's been a slight change since the last election in 2021 so here's a handy explainer of that, along with the unique ways Tasmania is different to other states. For the official source of information on voting go to: https://www.tec.tas.gov.au/ Hare-Clark equation: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare%E2%80%93Clark_electoral_system The system of counting is named after Thomas Hare: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Hare_(political_scientist) And Andrew Inglis Clark: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Inglis_Clark Support the cha ..read more

I sat down with the ACT's first Gen-Z Member of Parliament and one of the youngest MPs across Australia to ask her why young people in politics is important and how young people can be more confident expressing their voice when it comes to issues that affect them. At 24, she's also the 2nd youngest member of the ACT Legislative Assembly in its history. So what words of encouragement does she have for fellow young people when it comes to engaging with politics both inside and outside the chamber? Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Like Auspol Explained ..read more

Does AI understand Australian politics? Is ChatGPT a reliable source of information? Well, I asked it to explain elections, the Senate, and the House of Representatives and I was initially impressed by what it got right - followed by mortified by just how incredibly blatantly wrong it could be. So, enjoy! Come learn a thing or two about how parliament works and also the pitfalls of AI generated information. Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388 Auspol Explained wo ..read more