Auspol Explained

Queensland is different to every other state in Australia in that it only has a Legislative Assembly and no Legislative Council. It got rid of it in 1922, but why? And how? What led to the abolition of the Council 100 years ago and why hasn't it returned? Join me in a rollercoaster journey of successive attempts, decades of criticism, and multiple governments trying to bring the downfall of the in...

Who was Frank Forde and why did he only serve for a week as Prime Minister? Join me as I give a brief overview of the highs and lows of Frank Forde's surprisingly long political life and career from being a young member of Queensland state politics to retirement so one more person can know about this iconic, yet rarely talked about, Prime Minister.   Support the channel on patreon here: https...

A Christmas Prince is a romantic trilogy of Christmas movies on Netflix where Amber, an American journalist, goes to cover the story of Prince Richard's potential ascension or abdication of the throne of the fictional country of Aldovia. But wait! There's love! There's mistaken identities! There's a lot of real world parallels with monarchies! So just in what ways does it stack up compared to both...

Australia has 6 states and 10 territories and there are a few differences between them - not just between states and territories but there are different kinds of territories as well. In this video I go over the politics and history of both internal and external territories.    Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Like Auspol Explained on Face...

The Australian Labor Party has one odd mystery... Given that Australian's use British English and spell words like colour, humour, etc with O-U-R, why does the ALP spell their name without a U? The name comes from "labour", because of its origins with the workers movements and unions, but where along the line did the spelling become Americanised? Well that's exactly what I'm going to find out. Joi...

How would a government hypothetically go about destroying democracy in Australia and how could they be stopped? Today I explore all the various legal ways to prevent a corrupt government from holding power indefinitely and refusing to hold elections, and then I point out how extreme a government would need to get before those legal protections fall apart. Fun.   Support the channel on patreon...

What does your local council actually do? Well I got to sit down with the Mayor of Fremantle to discuss what his job is and how local government works in their area. Turns out the answer is they do a lot of things. From how they get funding, to how they originated, to how their size changes drastically between areas, and more - I dive into everything you need to know about the role and scope of lo...

Convention. I say it a lot. It happens a lot in the function of government. So what is it? Why do we have so many conventions and what happens if we just don't follow them anymore? I explore how there's a lot not mentioned in the constitution and the traditions we've inherited from the Westminster system that have resulted in how government functions today.   Support the channel on patreon he...

How does voting work in Australia? What is preferential voting? Can a vote be "wasted"? These are the questions I answer in this video as I explain to you how to fill in a ballot paper for the Senate and the House of Representatives. It's pretty simple and helps give you a lot of power over who you want to vote for!   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplaine...

There have been many Prime Ministers throughout history and even more political biographies written about them. We can learn a huge amount of information from them but how good are they as weapons of self defence? This is the important question I set out to answer.   This episode works better as a video, but contains audio descriptions of the book covers for accessibility purposes that will h...

I sit down with Western Australia State Labor politician Simon Millman, the member for Mount Lawley, to discuss the role of state government. How does state government different from federal, what do they do besides pass law, and how does their job crossover with the responsibilities of federal and local?   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Lik...

What's the role and purpose of the Speaker of the House in Australia? How does an MP get elected to be the Speaker? What's the history of the role (and how does it differ from its British origins)? All these questions and more are explained in this episode where I dive into one of the most important roles in the Australian parliamentary system.   Support the channel on patreon here: https://w...

Why do some countries have a Prime Minister and not a President? Why do some countries have both? I delve into the differences between the two roles, their powers, their function, and limitations, and give you a comprehensive answer to those questions. Because this channel is focused on Australian politics and a close ally of Australia is the US this episode compares and contrasts the President of...

Have you ever wondered what a backbencher is? Or the crossbench? Shadow Minister? Or crossing the floor? Well I explain the definitions of a few common political terms to help you understand the news and Australian politics better.    Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Expla...

From hidden money, influence on policy, accusations of corruption, the rise of climate change denialism, and donations from foreign donors, the laws and influence of political donations in Australia is an intriguing subject.  So what exactly are the laws around political donations in Australia? Is there a limit to what can be given and by who? And just how have they influenced elections and p...

Have you ever heard the complaint that "politicians are just in it for a good pension"? Do you want to know just how big those pensions can get? Well I dive in and bust some myths, talk about the factors, and discuss the effect on the budget in this thrilling episode. I promise there's no boring maths.   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Like A...

Have you ever wondered why Australia has two houses? What's the difference between them? What can the House of Representatives do that the Senate can't? In this episode I answer all those questions and more.   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388  Her...

*whispers* in this special episode we listen to the soothing sounds of toilet paper, essential jig saw puzzles, and pasta, while I softly repeat highlights of Scott Morrison's early coronavirus press briefings. Remember that time? I hope you enjoy.  Please visit www.health.gov.au for the latest information about COVID-19   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/Ausp...

Have you ever wondered what could disqualify or remove a Prime Minister from the position besides an election? Turns out there are actually A LOT of different legal and technical ways in which a Prime Minister can find themselves no longer in the job. In today's episode I will explore the historical, the theoretical, and the obscure and near impossible methods in which a Prime Minister can both lo...

Prime Ministers can't just... get a regular job, or can they? The post-parliament life can be very different for different former-PMs as they need new jobs outside of politics and need something to do with their time. This episode explores all of that with both historic and contemporary examples of what Prime Ministers went off to do after their time in the top position. Support the channel on pat...

Have you ever wondered if there's any rules regulating whether politicians are allowed to lie during political ads or not? In this episode of Auspol Explained I explore all the ways Australian politicians can exploit or get around the limited restrictions on what they're allowed to say.   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Like Auspol Explained...

The Governor General is like our head of state. They also have a lot of reserve powers. This episode will explore what the Governor General can do and their role in the Australian political system. Enjoy!   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388   As al...

What is the point of a referendum? What's the difference between a plebiscite and a referendum? How does Australia change its constitution? All these questions will be answered in this episode of Auspol Explained! Join me as I discuss everything you'll ever need to know about the role of referendums and how they've shaped our country over the past 119 years and counting.   Support the channel...

In today's video we discuss the different tiers of Australian government. What does the local government do? What's the difference between state and federal?   You can read a copy of the script here with citations: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1k4C5BparV6fsL_8nRbt2pt1cdSYvgq0i/view?usp=sharing   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained  Like my...

Hi and welcome to Auspol Explained. Today's episode explains the basics of how government is formed, how to vote, and what the Senate and the House of Representatives are. This will be a great crash course for anyone with limited knowledge of how Australian politics works.   Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https:/...