Socialist Alliance has managed to remain a registered political party, able to run in the federal elections with its party name and logo. Alex Bainbridge reports.
Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)
According to an Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) tweet, between August 8 and 22 the electoral roll increased by 54,545.
There were 577,879 total enrolment transactions processed in that time, including checking and updating enrolment details. This data does not include the last two days of the enrolment period, which closed at midnight on August 24, so these numbers are likely to increase.
The Australian Electoral Commission (AEC) approved the right-wing Australia First Party鈥檚 use of the Eureka flag as its logo on October 13, despite 11 written submissions opposing its use.
The AEC said the objectors provided 鈥渋nsufficient evidence鈥 the application should be refused. It said it had no discretion to consider 鈥渉istorical and cultural claims鈥 surrounding the Eureka flag.聽
Ballarat Trades Hall Council secretary Brett Edgington said the decision by the AEC marked a 鈥渟ad day for Australia鈥.聽
When donations to political parties from property developers in NSW were prohibited by then-NSW Labor premier Nathan Rees in November 2009 the decision was not well received by significant groupings in the state Labor and Liberal parties.
The ban followed an Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) inquiry into Wollongong City Council which, in 2008, found that local developers had received favourable treatment from elected councillors and staff.
The Socialist Alliance released this statement on March 31.
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The Senate reform pushed through by the Turnbull Liberal-National government with the support of the Greens does not make federal Parliament more democratic.
While it will end the 鈥済aming鈥 of the Group Voting Ticket for people voting above the line on the Senate ballot paper, it also weakens the preferential system and could give the Coalition an advantage in the next federal election.
Why is the government so keen to reform Senate voting with the threat of a double dissolution election hanging in the air?
The government and the Greens are supporting legislation to enact some recommendations of a parliamentary committee into the 2013 election while Labor and most small parties and independents are opposing them.
Clive Palmer, mining magnate, politician, 鈥渃itizen of Queensland鈥 鈥 who accused the Greens and Greenpeace of being CIA-funded traitors 鈥 has left 237 employees of his Queensland Nickel refinery out of work and robbed of their entitlements.
Palmer asserts that he bears no personal responsibility for the workers' entitlements. The focus is now on whether Palmer was still authorising expenditure for Queensland Nickel after having announced his withdrawal as a director of the company.