3Z08 Australian Parliament – Present and Future

Tutor/Facilitator Alan Thompson

When
Date: on/from Wed 18 Nov 2026 to Wed 18 Nov 2026
Frequency: Single Event
Class time: 11:45-1:15

Delivered F2F

Where
Mary Kehoe Centre, Room 3

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Other information

To quote Winston Churchill, ‘Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others that have been tried”….and for Australians our parliament is the centrepiece of our government.

Alan’s talk builds on his experience in senior roles in diverse governments and at Parliament House in Canberra. The talk will outline how the current parliament operates (including strengths and weaknesses).

The talk will also identify some huge new challenges, not least the very strong opinion polling for One Nation…..and the potential for future minority governments, and/or new coalition governments, akin to recent New Zealand governments.

The talk will conclude with a wide-ranging Q and A session.

REQUIREMENT: An interest in Australian democracy and current affairs

TUTOR: Alan has had deep experience in CEO roles for four different governments across Australia and New Zealand. His final full-time role was to lead the Australian Department of Parliamentary Services for 4 years through the Rudd/Gillard/Rudd era.

Alan is now retired from full-time roles, but continues to contribute to a Canberra -based think-tank focussing on national affairs, which provides some useful insights about the state of our democracy.

Alan is a resident of Port Melbourne and is active in local community affairs.

FACE-TO-FACE

Room 3

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