Texas, the US, and Australia: Comparing Political InstitutionsMr. Jason Pierce, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Texas specializing in Australian judicial institutions, presented a second key note presentation. He began by recommending two books about Australia, The Road to Coorain by Jill Kerr Conway and My Place by Sally Morgan. The two books contrast different life styles in Australia and highlight some of the cultural struggles in the nation. Sally Morgan writes about Aboriginal rights; Jill Conway reminisces about growing up in rural white Australia.
Pierce spoke about the attenuated connections between Australia and the United Kingdom and traced the development of Australia as a separate, independent nation with strong emotional and political ties to the UK and its monarchy. He described the government of Australia as appearing to be like that of the US, but in actuality, being much more like the British system in behavior.
In an interesting aside he described the controversy in Australia regarding its status vis a vis the UK. The question of identity remains important. The vote to become a republic and to sever all ties with the UK failed along geographic lines. Rural, less-educated Australians supported the anti-Republic measures while urban, educated Australians voted for the republic.
Finally, Pierce discussed land rights and the claims of the indigenous Aborigines to large tracts of land in the Outback. By comparing court cases key to the US civil rights movement to similar court cases in Australia, Pierce illustrated ways to use Australian contexts to make US situations more clear.
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