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National affairs
National affairs
The long, covert history of rural telecoms policy
John Doyle
8 September 2014
The choice between politically charged cross-subsidies and direct government subsidies has always been a feature of Australian telecommunications policy-making, writes
John Doyle
National affairs
War games
Peter Brent
7 September 2014
Despite the commentary, there’s no evidence that a significant number of voters want a prime minister on war footing, writes
Peter Brent
National affairs
Evidence-free policy: the Pyne reforms to higher education
Peter McPhee
1 September 2014
Christopher Pyne says there is no alternative to his deregulatory reforms. The evidence suggests otherwise, writes
Peter McPhee
National affairs
Who’s losing their base?
Peter Brent
21 August 2014
When “Howard’s battlers” defected from Labor in 1996, political commentators shifted their focus to Sydney’s western suburbs, writes
Peter Brent
.…
National affairs
Climate change and the intellectual decline of the right
John Quiggin
18 August 2014
No arguments seem to sway right-wing politicians and commentators in the United States and Australia, says
John Quiggin
. Will we have to wait for demography to do its work?
National affairs
Labor, the Coalition and the problem of political identity
Norman Abjorensen
12 August 2014
Labor and the Coalition are caught between vying for the middle ground and differentiating themselves in the political marketplace. Behind it all, there’s one vital…
National affairs
The freedom to be a hypocrite
Graeme Orr
11 August 2014
The free speech debate has been marked by selectivity and score-settling, writes
Graeme Orr
National affairs
If an election had been held on the weekend…
Peter Brent
7 August 2014
What happens when you add a hypothetical to a hypothetical?
Peter Brent
casts a sceptical eye over the polling industry
National affairs
The budget, fairness and class warfare
Peter Whiteford
5 August 2014
The post-budget debate reveals two fundamentally different worldviews, writes
Peter Whiteford
National affairs
Beyond Operation Sovereign Borders
Bob Douglas and Claire Higgins
1 August 2014
A roundtable of experienced policy-makers and stakeholders looked at better ways of managing the asylum seeker caseload, write
Bob Douglas
and
Claire Higgins
National affairs
The upsides of the buyback
Andrew Leigh
31 July 2014
John Howard’s gun buyback scheme had more than one benefit, writes
Andrew Leigh
in this extract from his new book
National affairs
The winter of Senator Faulkner’s discontent
Brett Evans
29 July 2014
Tradition triumphed once again at the weekend’s state Labor Party conference in Sydney, writes
Brett Evans
.
National affairs
How reactive law-making will limit the accountability of ASIO
Jessie Blackbourn & Nicola Mcgarrity
24 July 2014
The Coalition’s new security legislation shows that it hasn’t learnt the lessons of twelve years of terrorism law-making, write
Jessie Blackbourn
and
Nicola McGarrity
National affairs
And the rest say “no”
Peter Brent
17 July 2014
There’s a pattern to the success of attempts to change the Australian constitution, writes
Peter Brent
, with lessons for advocates of Indigenous recognition
National affairs
Back to the future with antibiotic resistance
Chris Del Mar
17 July 2014
The evidence has been clear for years: without a cutback in the use of antibiotics, healthcare faces major disruption
National affairs
In praise of the strong proprietor
Mark Day
14 July 2014
The
Australian
exists because Rupert Murdoch is an old-fashioned media mogul willing to follow his instincts, argues former editor
Mark Day
in this talk from…
National affairs
Wacky backy
Rodney Tiffen
12 July 2014
When the
Australian
waded into the tobacco packaging debate it was met with a barrage of well-informed criticism. The paper’s response was to dig in
National affairs
What should Labor stand for?
Geoff Gallop
4 July 2014
The best way forward for Labor doesn’t fit well with structures inherited from the past, writes
Geoff Gallop
National affairs
Dancing in the dark
Peter Brent
3 July 2014
Both the major parties have made a habit of misinterpreting the polls on climate change. The latest results shouldn’t provide any comfort to the Coalition
National affairs
There’s something about Victoria
Paul Rodan
30 June 2014
Paul Rodan
looks at Victoria’s stubborn tendency to vote Labor in state and federal elections
National affairs
The Abbott government’s war on transparency
Rodney Tiffen
5 June 2014
There’s a worrying thread running through decisionmaking in Canberra, writes
Rodney Tiffen
National affairs
Mr Gonski and the social contract
Dean Ashenden
22 May 2014
Neither Labor nor the Coalition is rising to the challenge posed by Gonski, writes
Dean Ashenden
National affairs
When Gough Whitlam helped out with the woodchopping
Paul Rodan
22 May 2014
Poorly judged preselections are a problem for both major parties, writes
Paul Rodan
, and the electoral implications are becoming clearer
National affairs
Bringing the ABC back home
Jock Given
16 May 2014
In the online age, every national broadcaster is an international broadcaster, writes
Jock Given
. So it’s strange to find that the government wants to restrict the…
National affairs
A hard landing for the ABC’s version of soft diplomacy
Rodney Tiffen
16 May 2014
Cutting funding attacks the ABC’s international role via the back door, argues
Rodney Tiffen
National affairs
Joe Hockey and the ghost of Bob Menzies
Norman Abjorensen
14 May 2014
This week’s budget raises the question of whom the Liberal Party now represents, writes
Norman Abjorensen
National affairs
Temporary migration: the pressure points
Henry Sherrell
9 May 2014
Australia’s temporary visa program is generally operating well, but new data shows where problems are emerging, writes
Henry Sherrell
National affairs
The ABC of patriotism
Geoff Heriot
8 May 2014
Alleged “Anti-military Bohemian Collective” member
Geoff Heriot
argues that the cause of true patriotism requires more than cheerleaders and symbolism
National affairs
Work till you drop?
Peter Whiteford
28 April 2014
Would increasing the pension age be fair and effective?
Peter Whiteford
looks at the Australian and international evidence
National affairs
The O’Farrell legacy
David Clune
18 April 2014
David Clune
assesses a premiership cut unexpectedly short
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