Book chapter by Sarah Moulds on the Australian House of Representatives
A new book published by LSE Press includes a chapter on the House of Representatives in the Australian Parliament by Dr Sarah Moulds (Associate Professor in Law, University of South Australia and IPEN Deputy Chair).
Edited by Patrick Dunleavy, Mark Evans and John Phillimore, Australia’s Evolving Democracy: A New Democratic Audit uses an audit approach to critically explore Australia’s government institutions, as well as state- and territory-level politics, and to examine how each has contributed to or held back Australian political life as it has changed and diversified.
Sarah’s chapter is one of 28 in the book which covers a range of different aspects of Australia’s democracy, including the protection of human rights, the 2023 Voice to Parliament Referendum, elections and voting, the role of interest groups and mainstream media, and the impact of federalism on lawmaking and policy.
Each chapter outlines recent developments along with an analysis of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, to fully evaluate the state of Australian democracy in the 21st century. In doing so, the authors draw key lessons for other democracies, showing in detail how robust major and micro-institutions can guard against democratic ‘backsliding’ and policy failures.
This comprehensive audit also highlights scope for potential democratic improvements. Australia continues to confront the challenges of partisan political barriers to addressing climate change and improving the situation of First Nations peoples, redressing modern social inequalities, and responding to popular mistrust of government and politicians.
‘Parliament – the House of Representatives’ by Dr Sarah Moulds was published by LSE Press in Australia’s Evolving Democracy: A New Democratic Audit (Evans, M et al (eds.) on 5 December 2024.
The book and Sarah’s chapter can be found here via open access.
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Book launch event for Australia’s Evolving Democracy: A New Democratic Audit.
Article published: 24 April 2025