Elite Supply ‘Blockages’ and the Failure of National Bill of Rights Initiatives in Australia: A Comparative Westminster Analysis

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This article examines why Australia remains the only country in the Westminster world not to have adopted a national Bill of Rights. It is argued that an explanation based on allegedly inherently weak demand for such initiatives is at best incomplete. Instead, two elite political supply ‘blockages’ have also proved significant. Firstly, Australia's much stronger institutional fragmentation compared especially with the UK and New Zealand have raised the barrier against such a constitutional (or quasi-constitutional) reform. Secondly, during the crucial periods of its political history, Australia (in contrast to Canada, the UK and New Zealand) has lacked an appropriate ‘trigger dynamic’ providing elites with an immediate rationale and impetus for change.