Brenton Prosser presents a seminar on the topic of A new ‘paradigm’: independents, political integrity and issues of power to be held in the Larry Saha room of the Hayden-Allen building (HA2175) ANU.

In the wake of the 2010 Federal Election, Australia has entered a new stage of minority parliament, where the Gillard Government does not have majority to pass legislation in its own right in either house. This situation, where the ‘balance-of-power’ rests in the handful of independent and Greens parliamentarians, raises new issues around power, ethics and integrity in Australian politics. Based on his past experience as senior adviser to ‘balance-of-power’ Independent Senator Nick Xenophon, in this paper Prosser takes a sociological perspective to explore changing voting patterns, issues of power and political lobbying, as well as presents a renewed vision of parliamentary integrity for new times. In doing so, the paper identifies not only an opportunity to respond to the current political landscape in Australia, but also to set a new standard for integrity and accountability in Westminster systems.