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Books & arts John Fitzgerald 11 August 2015 Books | Political philosopher Daniel A. Bell wants us to see China as a meritocracy-in-progress, writes John Fitzgerald. But is he really defending autocracy?
Books & arts Jane Goodall 13 July 2015 Books | Why are we angered by stories of Greek hairdressers retiring at fifty on public pensions, asks Jane Goodall, yet unmoved at the thought of bailed-out… Books & arts Sylvia Lawson 21 May 2015 Cinema | Sylvia Lawson on Canberra’s last Electric Shadow, George Brandis and the Australia Council, and Testament of Youth and X+Y Books & arts Paul ’t Hart 14 May 2015 Books | Cass Sunstein and Reid Hastie want us to think differently about making decisions in groups. But there’s a small herd of elephants in the room, writes… National affairs Tim Colebatch 5 May 2015 Victoria’s Labor treasurer might have echoed Tolstoy in his budget speech, writes Tim Colebatch, but the fine print doesn’t rise to the challenges facing the state
National affairs Tim Colebatch 31 March 2015 Can the Coalition – and Labor and the Greens – rise to the challenge of tax reform? Tim Colebatch assesses the government’s discussion paper
National affairs Peter Brent 16 March 2015 Are the self-appointed consciences of the Liberal Party helping the government? Peter Brent doesn’t think so National affairs Marija Taflaga 12 March 2015 Australia’s major parties have learned the wrong lessons from the failure of John Hewson’s 1993 Fightback! campaign and the success of John Howard’s bid… National affairs Tim Colebatch 5 March 2015 A serious message has been swamped by politics in this latest attempt to model the next forty years, argues Tim Colebatch in Canberra National affairs Peter Brent 26 February 2015 John Howard had an enormous stroke of luck, writes Peter Brent. To realise that is to recognise that imitating him is counterproductive
National affairs Michael Gill 13 February 2015 Better ways of dealing with the federal budget deficit would also boost growth, argues Michael Gill
Books & arts 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 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 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 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 Frank Bongiorno 9 September 2014 Was the Gillard government more competent than its critics claimed? Frank Bongiorno reviews a new appraisal
Essays & reportage 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 Emily Crawford 6 June 2014 Emily Crawford reviews Glenn Greenwald’s account of the Snowden affair National affairs Rodney Tiffen 5 June 2014 There’s a worrying thread running through decisionmaking in Canberra, writes Rodney Tiffen Essays & reportage 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 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 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 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 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 Norman Abjorensen 25 June 2013 They aren’t always right in the national capital, but they are this time, writes Norman Abjorensen
National affairs 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 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 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 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 Jane Goodall 1 February 2013 Australia is lagging in its recognition that local views and information count, argues Jane Goodall