Subject Area: Politics
This course can also be studied in the following specialisations: Australian Studies; International Relations

This is a third year seminar course within the Politics major. In particular, it builds on previous student learning in the Australian politics stream of the Politics major. It is designed to examine the complexities around key questions of governance in contemporary Australian politics, in greater depth and in a more concentrated way than previously in the students’ learning experience. A selection of the following key institutions and related debates will be taught – the selection will depend on the course convenor's areas of expertise. The key institutions and related debates are: the parliament and the ‘decline of parliament’ thesis, the Prime Minister and executive and the ‘presidentialisation’ thesis, the public sector and New Public Management, political parties and the ‘cartelisation’ thesis, and the judiciary and ‘judicial activism’.