Auspol Explained

David Cox

Auspol Explained is an educational podcast aimed at helping you understand the Australian political system in an easy and simple way. It's also a Youtube series, so I occasionally say "video" and "watching." Don't worry: it's designed to have all the factual information in the audio so you're still learning!

  1. 19h ago

    What's in the Palace Letters? With Troy Bramston

    The dismissal of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam by the Governor-General John Kerr in 1975 has sparked fierce controversy and discussion for decades. But what was going on in Kerr's mind at the time? What did the Queen and Buckingham Palace know of the dismissal before it happened? How did the Queen feel about Kerr's actions? In 2020 the so called Palace Letters were released from the national archives after a successful High Court challenge, providing us new insight into the dismissal and Kerr's decisions to sack the PM on 11 November. 212 letters were released, which is quite a lot to read - but thankfully I had the opportunity to talk to someone who's read them all and even written a book about their contents. Troy Bramston is a journalist, author and historian whose work covers multiple prime ministers but his most enduring focus has been Gough Whitlam and the dismissal. In 2020 he co-authored The Truth of the Palace Letters with Paul Kelly. He was gracious enough to sit down with me via Zoom to talk all about what's actually in the Palace Letters and what Kerr was like as a person.If you want to read the Palace Letters you can download them here: https://www.naa.gov.au/explore-collection/kerr-palace-letters Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

  2. Oct 19

    How to Vote in Victorian State Elections

    How does voting work in Victoria? Here's an explainer all about how to fill in your ballots correctly. I won't be telling you who to vote for or analysing policy, that's up to you as a voter to decide for yourself. Instead, this episode explains why there are two ballot papers, how the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council of Victoria are different, when voting happens, how to fill in your ballot correctly, and what you shouldn't do. Have fun, and enjoy democracy, Victoria! Make sure you're enrolled to vote and your details are up to date so you can have your voice heard. Learn more about Victorian state and local elections, including early voting options, at the Victorian Electoral Commission website: https://www.vec.vic.gov.au/ Here's my longer explainer of how preferential voting works: https://open.spotify.com/episode/3cEFXUNwMc0E22jChjDMNv?si=6zaCWBWeS8uvN-4VJI6SPA Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388 Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:19 Why you get two ballots 1:53 Voting for the Legislative Assembly 3:37 Voting for the Legislative Council 5:05 Above the line 6:06 Below the line 7:27 Outro

  3. Oct 11

    What Does the Federal Government Do?

    The federal government is one of the three levels of government in Australia. It has jurisdiction over all of Australia on a list of matters, and I really do mean list. The powers are determined by the Constitution, which has a numbered list, mostly in section 51, but also a few other sections in the document as well. While some powers are exclusive to the federal government, some responsibilities are shared with the states, but also the Constitution limits the federal government so to enact national policy sometimes it has to co-ordinate with the states and enable them to enact policy for it. It's called co-operative federalism and to summarise it here's a handy explainer for you!Also check out Constitutional Clarion's "Can treaties expand Commonwealth power?" video to learn more about the external affairs power: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8goFs816a3k Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

  4. Sep 1

    What do State Governments in Australia do?

    State governments are one of the three tiers of government in Australia, but what do they do? There are 8 state and territory governments and parliaments in Australia and they all are responsible for a huge range of laws and services from emergency services to public infrastructure and way more. In this episode I'll not just give you a list of responsibilities/legislative powers of the states and territories but also explain why the list is significantly longer than is possible to contain in a video and also what the constitutional relationship is between states, local and federal power.Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

  5. Jul 3

    What does Local Government in Australia do?

    Local government is one of the three tiers of government in Australia, but what does it do? There are over 500 local governments in Australia and each can vary in its size, scope and responsibilities. They manage things like rubbish collection, local parks and libraries - but also way more! In this episode I provide a general overview of the various things local councils can be in charge of managing or making by-laws for, how local councils work, and their relationship with the state that they're within. Enjoy! Go find your local council's website and look up what's happening in your area!Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

  6. Jun 5

    The Hansard - How Parliament Gets Recorded

    Typing! I'm doing it now. I'm recording words. But while the sands of time will one day erase them and no one will read this sentence in a few decades, the Hansard Record will endure for centuries. What is Hansard? It's the official record of parliamentary debates of course! Hansard reporters are a key part of how parliament works because they write down all the speeches, questions and debates of the chambers and their committees so that we have an official record.Read the federal Hansard record here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Parliamentary_Business/Hansard Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

  7. May 4

    The Federation Chamber - and How it Helps Parliament be Efficient

    There are two chambers to the Australian Parliament where bills are debated: the Senate and the House of Representatives. But there's also only so much time in the day to get business done so how does Parliament make sure it can give opportunities to as many members as possible to give speeches and examine reports? Well in comes a THIRD room for this to happen: the Federation Chamber! In this episode I'll explain what the Federation Chamber is, when and why it started, how it works and all that jazz. You know what I'm like.Check out the Australian Parliament's website here: https://www.aph.gov.au/Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplained Follow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

  8. Apr 9

    How Do Amendments Work?

    Amendments! What are they? Well, basically they're changes to a bill or law and are pretty regularly done to improve legislation and make sure it's up to date. In this episode I go over the process of how amendments are introduced, negotiated and passed as well as the limitations and requirements.Support the channel on patreon here: https://www.patreon.com/AuspolExplainedFollow me on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/auspolexplained.bsky.social Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/auspolexplained/ Like Auspol Explained on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Auspol-Explained-107892180702388Auspol Explained would like to acknowledge the Whadjuk Nyoongar people and their Elders as the owners and custodians of the Land that the episode was recorded and edited on. This Land was stolen and never ceded. It always was and always will be Aboriginal Land.

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Trailer

About

Auspol Explained is an educational podcast aimed at helping you understand the Australian political system in an easy and simple way. It's also a Youtube series, so I occasionally say "video" and "watching." Don't worry: it's designed to have all the factual information in the audio so you're still learning!

Information

  • Creator
    David Cox
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    155
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © David Cox
  • Show Website
    Auspol Explained

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