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Parliament In A Time Of Virus
Is Parliament A ‘Non-Essential Service’?
The emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia saw an unprecedented expansion of the authority of the executive at the expense of the Parliament. In my article in 
Australasian Parliamentary Review (vol 32, no 2) I review the executive’s use of emergency powers and the innovation of a national Cabinet to manage the crisis response, while Parliament was reduced to an unrepresentative “rump” and then adjourned for twenty weeks. I argue that this eliminated or substantially compromised Parliament’s ability to perform its principal functions of representation, executive legitimisation, authorisation, deliberation and accountability.
Morrison's Miracle
How did Scott Morrison’s campaign managers pull off their miraculous win in the last Federal election? I’m one of 36 political scientists and analysts whose response to that question has just been published by ANU Press.
My chapter looks at campaign communications, especially TV ads, and argues the Liberals were superior at both the strategic and tactical levels. Labor’s vaunted fieldwork (DVC) campaign also lacked impact. The whole book, and individual chapters, can be downloaded.
The Professionals
Strategy, Money and the Rise of the Political Campaigner in Australia
"The Professionals" tells the story of how Australian election campaigns and political parties have changed, from the pre-television era through to the social media/ micro-targeted campaigns of today. Who drives this change? The campaign professionals in the party head offices.
The book, awarded the Henry Mayer Book Prize for Australian Politics 2015, was based on my PhD research and is available from Black Inc. For more details:
http://www.blackincbooks.com/books/professionals
Stephen Mills
I lecture at the Graduate School of Government, University of Sydney, on Public Sector Leadership. I served as speechwriter to Prime Minister Hon RJL Hawke (1986-91), and before that I was a journalist and editor for Fairfax newspapers 'The Age', 'Australian Financial Review' and 'Sydney Morning Herald'. I have more than 10 years experience in corporate affairs and issues management in the Australian financial services sector. I have a PhD from the University of Sydney (2013) and a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School (1985). My book The New Machine Men (1986) dealt with the first applications of public opinion polling and TV advertising in Australian elections.
Browse this site to find my earlier publications dealing with Australian election campaigns and political parties. I'm also interested in market research, campaign strategy, and public sector leadership. I'd be happy to get your comments and feedback about anything on this site, by email at stephen.mills@sydney.edu.au
Stephen Mills