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government
National affairs
Discomfort zone
Peter Brent
21 July 2021
Political authority is a precious commodity. Use it or lose it
National affairs
Rolling out the barrel
Ian McAuley
16 July 2021
Electoral bribery is expensive, wasteful and probably ineffective. And why is Canberra funding car parks anyway?
National affairs
A little jab, now and then
Frank Bongiorno
9 July 2021
The federal government’s handling of vaccinations shows how much damage has been done to the public sector
National affairs
The National Archives matter for government as well
Mark Finnane
2 July 2021
More than a “nation’s memory” is at stake in the funding debate
Books & arts
Covid’s political
co-morbidities
Rodney Tiffen
21 May 2021
With populists emerging badly from the pandemic, public opinion could be shifting in favour of good government
National affairs
The wait of history
Frank Bongiorno
7 May 2021
Inadequate funding doesn’t explain all the problems at the National Archives
National affairs
China’s gift to transparency campaigners
James Panichi
7 May 2021
Foreign influence laws are highlighting the shortcomings of Australia’s rules for lobbyists
National affairs
Who’s holding the hose?
Stuart Macintyre
22 April 2021
Why is the federal government’s record in administering its own programs so poor?
Essays & reportage
Australia’s post-Covid moment
Geoff Kitney
27 March 2021
Is the time right for the sweeping reforms proposed in a new series of essays?
National affairs
ASIC, the airbrushed regulator
Helen Bird
9 March 2021
Australia’s corporate regulator played a key role during the pandemic. But its critics still aren’t letting up
International
On economics, America has moved left
John Quiggin
8 March 2021
Public support for much greater government spending has grown in the United States, and the economic risks can be managed
National affairs
The intelligence chief with the PM’s ear
Hamish McDonald
6 November 2020
Is Labor right to be worried by Scott Morrison’s choice to head the Office of National Intelligence?
National affairs
Conflicted cuts at the Audit Office
Kate Griffiths and Danielle Wood
20 October 2020
The federal agency that revealed the sports rorts scandal has had its funding cut — again
Essays & reportage
Lessons from the lockdown
Catherine Bennett
19 October 2020
Is Melbourne emerging from its second lockdown wiser than it went in?
Essays & reportage
A steep climb ahead, but the landscape has become clearer for Closing the Gap
Michael Dillon
8 September 2020
While the new agreement opens up opportunities for Indigenous organisations, the federal government has stepped back from its post-1967 responsibilities
Essays & reportage
Orwell that ends well?
Nicholas Gruen
31 August 2020
Can the latest push to evaluate Indigenous programs really Close the Gap?
National affairs
Who do you trust?
Adam Triggs
27 July 2020
Rebuilding confidence in government is a prerequisite for economic reform
National affairs
“I think you are playing the ‘Vice-Regal’ hand with skill and wisdom”
Mike Steketee
15 July 2020
The Queen’s private secretary walked a very fine line during the months leading up to the dismissal
National affairs
Policing the borders
Jane McAdam
8 July 2020
Checkpoints on the NSW–Victoria border recall more acrimonious moves one hundred years ago
National affairs
Pandemic fatigue
Michael Bartos
30 June 2020
Has the spike in cases in Victoria exposed a nationwide problem?
Essays & reportage
Bringing order to chaos
Joshua Black
23 June 2020
What do Labor memoirs reveal about the 2010 leadership change?
National affairs
Machine learning
Mike Steketee
19 June 2020
Does the federal government’s heavily qualified apology for the robodebt fiasco suggest that more trouble is on the way?
Essays & reportage
Magical thinking and the aged care crisis
Sarah Holland-Batt
5 May 2020
Why do we keeping rediscovering, then forgetting, the diabolical state of aged care?
National affairs
Let’s get contact tracing right
Sarah Barns
23 April 2020
How we build these apps is how we’re building our digital future
National affairs
Border deflection
John Quiggin
27 March 2020
The pandemic shows up the weaknesses of nationalism
National affairs
We need a “red team” for Covid-19
Travers McLeod
24 March 2020
Australia can strengthen its response to the pandemic by tapping into a wider circle of expert skills and knowledge
Essays & reportage
Public messaging when it matters most
Matthew Sussex
12 March 2020
What are the lessons of overseas Covid-19 responses for Australian policymakers?
National affairs
ASIO’s home truths
Paul Barratt
27 February 2020
The security agency’s first public threat assessment was fine, as far as it went
National affairs
Gap year
Lesley Russell
13 February 2020
The latest Closing the Gap report brings cause both for scepticism and for guarded optimism
National affairs
In defence of Bridget McKenzie
Ian McAuley
30 January 2020
The National Party minister has become the scapegoat for systemically poor administration
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