Australian Politics and Government

Australia’s colonial history as well as the presence of the longest continuing Indigenous culture have profoundly shaped its political system and have led to a vast literature. This bibliography starts by discussing general works focusing on the history and evolution of the Australian political system. It also reviews textbooks on Australian politics and government as well as news sources and principal academic journals publishing leading research into Australian politics. The subsequent sections focus on Australian political institutions and review the literature on the executive, legislative, and judiciary branches, followed by discussions on Australian federalism and the role of the public sector. The bibliography then turns to the role of political parties in Australia by elaborating on the history and evolution of the party system as well as each major political party. The elections and political behavior section provides an overview of Australian electoral systems, political behavior, and some specific national elections. Successive sections on political leadership and society include literature on politicians and major forces in Australian politics such as gender and sexuality, immigrants, Indigenous people, news media, and interest groups. The final section focuses on policymaking in Australian and includes general works and literature on important policy areas such as the environment, foreign policy, and immigration.