“The People” as a Source of Constitutional Principle: The Australian Constitution and the Contours of Representative Government

This article explores the genesis of "the people" as an Australian constitutional touchstone. While the mandate that the Commonwealth Parliament be "directly chosen by the people" has seen the High Court of Australia source an implied freedom of political communication and a constitutionally guaranteed franchise, its content remains opaque and many questions remain as to the role of the High Court in determining the contours of representative government within the Australia constitutional landscape.