Table of Contents

Introduction

Political history
Basic political data
Basic socio-economic data

Part I - Citizenship, law and rights

Nationhood and citizenship
The Rule of Law and access to justice
Civil and political rights
Economic and social rights

Part II - Representative and accountable government

Free and fair elections
Democratic role of political parties
Government effectiveness and accountability
Civilian control of the military and the police
Minimising corruption

Part III - Civil society and popular participation

The media in a democratic society
Political participation
Government responsiveness
Decentralisation

Part IV - Democracy beyond the state and federalism

International dimensions of democracy
FederalismAudit references
Index

Reviews

...I found Australia: The State of Democracy a succinct, highly readable and useful reference tool. It is an excellent contribution to the nation, particularly I imagine for students, journalists and politicians. For the overseas reader studying Australia it brings a wealth of material and a depth of perspective. It also adds to the global democratic picture - which is important considering that one of the aims of developing the international Audit framework in the first place was to assist newer democracies. It deserves to be widely read and discussed... - Senator the Hon Joe Ludwig, Cabinet Secretary, Special Minister of State, taken from the Launch Speech, Wednesday 14 October 2009.