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government
National affairs
Time to slay some sacred cows
Michael Gill
13 February 2015
Better ways of dealing with the federal budget deficit would also boost growth, argues
Michael Gill
Books & arts
Revolutionary Sydney
Andrew Dodd
3 February 2015
Books
| Three men and a city in turmoil.
Andrew Dodd
reviews two new books about Sydney’s formative years
Essays & reportage
Silence
Christine Kenneally
29 January 2015
Geoff Meyer’s quest to establish his family origins ran up against inadequate state government archives and obstructive officials, writes
Christine Kenneally
National affairs
Fixing Australia’s democratic deficit
Geoff Heriot
17 October 2014
Australians buying a used car benefit from clear consumer safeguards, writes
Geoff Heriot
. Why not accord voters similar protection from the excesses of campaigning politicians?
National affairs
Peephole to power
Stephen Mills
19 September 2014
Private secretary, chief of staff, enforcer?
Stephen Mills
looks at the role of the prime minister’s most influential gatekeeper
Books & arts
Labor’s persuasion problem
Frank Bongiorno
9 September 2014
Was the Gillard government more competent than its critics claimed?
Frank Bongiorno
reviews a new appraisal
Essays & reportage
“We must be careful to avoid seeking intelligence simply for its own sake”
Alan Fewster
1 August 2014
Newly released documents reveal the intelligence community in the early 1970s through the eyes of a former senior bureaucrat, writes
Alan Fewster
Books & arts
Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you
Emily Crawford
6 June 2014
Emily Crawford
reviews Glenn Greenwald’s account of the Snowden affair
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
Essays & reportage
The public interest in public broadcasting
Geoff Heriot
6 March 2014
The accountability of the ABC and SBS should be a two-way street, writes
Geoff Heriot
. A pattern of erratic government scrutiny fails the public-interest test
National affairs
Is Australia’s welfare system unsustainable?
Peter Whiteford
10 February 2014
Figures from the past two decades challenge the view that the welfare budget is out of control, writes
Peter Whiteford
, and help us understand the likely impact of future…
Essays & reportage
The Brandis agenda
Shipra Chordia & Andrew Lynch
4 December 2013
Armed with an ambitious political and legal agenda, the new attorney-general faces a testing time, write
Shipra Chordia
and
Andrew Lynch
National affairs
Bob Carr and the ghost of Philip Ruddock
Peter Mares
2 July 2013
The foreign minister’s tough talking on asylum seekers doesn’t fit with the facts, writes
Peter Mares
Essays & reportage
The lobby group that got more bang for its buck
James Panichi
1 July 2013
Targeting marginal seats is nothing new in politics, but the gambling industry has shown it can work for lobby groups too.
James Panichi
pieces together the story
National affairs
Two Canberras, two Kevins
Norman Abjorensen
25 June 2013
They aren’t always right in the national capital, but they are this time, writes
Norman Abjorensen
National affairs
The government’s media reforms: what 499 readers thought
Ken Haley and Andrew Dodd
17 June 2013
What we think about media regulation correlates strongly with what we read, write
Ken Haley
and
Andrew Dodd
Books & arts
Simpler, and better
Richard Denniss
12 June 2013
A new book by Barack Obama’s former “regulatory czar” shows how government can harness the benefits of behavioural economics, writes
Richard Denniss
National affairs
Who gets what? Who pays for it? The welfare state debate revisited
Peter Whiteford
4 June 2013
Contrary to what many commentators claim, Australia has the lowest level of middle-class welfare in the developed world, writes
Peter Whiteford
National affairs
Yes, no… or none of the above?
Gabrielle Appleby
30 May 2013
By failing to consult adequately about its referendum on local government, the government has increased the likelihood it will fail, argues
Gabrielle Appleby
Essays & reportage
Extreme weather and the knowledge controversy
Jane Goodall
1 February 2013
Australia is lagging in its recognition that local views and information count, argues
Jane Goodall
National affairs
Time for a referendum roadmap
Paul Kildea
9 November 2012
Constitutional reform has stalled, writes
Paul Kildea
. But that provides the opportunity to rethink how we go about achieving change
International
East Asia’s lost opportunity
Ross Buckley
6 September 2012
The region has yet to recognise its potential role in global governance, writes
Ross Buckley
. To do that, China needs to change tack
National affairs
Roxon’s High Court dilemma
Andrew Lynch
9 July 2012
At a time when the court’s decisions are making life complicated for the government, Nicola Roxon is faced with two new appointments to the bench.
Andrew Lynch
…
National affairs
A pyrrhic victory for federalists?
Graeme Orr
26 June 2012
Despite first impressions, the High Court's decision in the chaplaincy case was far from a clear victory for federalism.
Graeme Orr
looks at what it means for how the…
National affairs
Recognising Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples: the “what” and “how”
Paul Kildea
2 February 2012
Paul Kildea
looks at what’s being proposed for Australian constitutional reform, and how we might get there
National affairs
We need to talk about COAG
Paul Kildea
19 January 2012
The process has been hampered by a breakdown in trust between the Commonwealth and the states, writes
Paul Kildea
National affairs
All politics isn’t necessarily local
Andrew Lynch
10 January 2012
Closest to the people it may be, but local government is unlikely to make it into the constitution anytime soon, writes
Andrew Lynch
Essays & reportage
Unemployed and wrapped in red tape
Elisabeth Wynhausen
2 December 2011
The government has created a giant job-search industry caught between competition and over-regulation, writes
Elisabeth Wynhausen
Correspondents
The corruption pipeline
Norman Abjorensen
10 November 2011
Governments need to enlist civil society in the fight against corruption, writes
Norman Abjorensen
in Marrakesh
National affairs
Time for an independent ombudsman
John Wood
20 October 2011
The events leading up to Allan Asher’s resignation highlight the need for the ombudsman to be free of government and departmental control, argues
John Wood
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