Inside Story

National affairs The Australian rallies the troops Rodney Tiffen 31 May 2012 The Australian has it wrong at every step in its attack on Margaret Simons and the Finkelstein inquiry, writes Rodney Tiffen National affairs Behind the drama of the forty-third parliament Norman Abjorensen 24 May 2012 A rancorous twenty months in federal politics has overshadowed the legislative achievements, argues Norman Abjorensen National affairs Social welfare and class warfare: the give and take of budget balancing Peter Whiteford 10 May 2012 Peter Whiteford looks at the equity impact of the federal budget – and finds that the Rudd–Gillard government has done far more for less well-off pensioners… National affairs One way to lose an election Norman Abjorensen 8 May 2012 Was it the economics or the politics of John Hewson’s Fightback! strategy that failed, asks Norman Abjorensen

National affairs Wipeout 2012 Brian Costar 27 March 2012 Pundits are predicting a long period of opposition for Queensland Labor, writes Brian Costar, but Campbell Newman faces his own challenges National affairs “Asianising” education: the China option? Antonia Finnane 26 March 2012 If we want to engage or compete with universities in Asia, we need to be clear about the aims of our own education system National affairs The double-decker election campaign Jane Goodall 19 March 2012 Up against cumbersome major parties, Bob Katter’s Australian Party has fielded a better-than-expected group of candidates, writes Jane Goodall. But the leader has… National affairs Victoria’s constitutional time bomb Alistair Harkness and Brian Costar 14 March 2012 A major constitutional crisis was narrowly avoided in Victoria, write Alistair Harkness and Brian Costar, but its cause hasn’t gone away

National affairs Closing the gap: another year of slow progress Lesley Russell 24 February 2012 Lesley Russell analyses the figures in the prime minister’s 2012 report National affairs At last, the right words Norman Abjorensen 23 February 2012 Julia Gillard has finally explained the events of mid 2010, writes Norman Abjorensen National affairs Almost live is fully legal Scott Ewing 23 February 2012 The AFL and the NRL’s grievance against Optus is far from the epic battle that's been portrayed in the coverage, writes Scott Ewing National affairs Israel and the Palestinians: public opinion and public policy Murray Goot 22 February 2012 The evidence on Australian attitudes is much less clear than protagonists argue, writes Murray Goot, and the implications for public policy are far from straightforward