Minority Policy: Rethinking Governance when Parliament Matters

Topical and up to the minute, Minority Policy: Rethinking governance when parliament matters explores the influence of marginal parliamentarians both within the major parties and on the cross benches in the formations of contemporary public policy. Despite Australia having minority government in some form for almost three decades, in theoretical and popular terms it seems that this nation has not yet come to terms with minority as the new norm. Further, prominent policy cycle theory overlooks the subtle but significant influence of marginal parliamentarians on public policy. This book argues that these influences not only have important implications for the outcomes of public policy, but also the work of policy scholars, departmental policy makers and policy advocates. Drawing on the experiences of two former policy advisers who have worked at the coalface of policy-making, as well as on examples from the last two parliaments, Minority Policy takes the discussion up to and beyond the introduction of the new Senate in July 2014 to take in the significant impact of this much more complex Upper House.