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Grattan Institute

The Grattan Institute is a Melbourne-based public policy think tank covering a broad range of policy areas including energy, housing, education, health, and governance. It is independent of government, political parties, and industry.

Grattan has a dedicated democracy and governance program, led by CEO Dr Aruna Sathanapally and Kate Griffiths (Deputy Program Director, Democracy). Their democracy work covers electoral integrity, campaign finance, parliamentary reform, trust in government, and public appointments.

Key democracy publications

  • For the People: Future-Proofing Australia's Democracy (April 2026) — identifies five priority areas including making parliament more representative, building civic engagement, protecting the public sphere, and ensuring government can deliver difficult public-interest reforms against vested interests
  • Orange Book 2025: Policy Priorities for the Federal Government — includes a governance chapter supporting donation transparency and caps; critical of the Electoral Reform Bill's expenditure cap as too high
  • Other reports: Cleaning Up Australian Politics, Merit Over Mates: Fixing Public Appointments, Here's Who Funded the 2022 Election