National affairs
26 May 2017
Fifty years ago this weekend, Australians voted on two constitutional changes. One of them was defeated, and that’s still influencing election results today
National affairs
10 February 2017
The prospects aren’t good for Cory Bernardi and the parties of the disaffected Australian right
National affairs
1 February 2017
New rules for parliamentary entitlements will improve transparency and accountability. But do they go far enough?
National affairs
18 November 2016
Malcolm Turnbull is just the latest victim of Australia’s political system
National affairs
3 November 2016
The composition of the Senate could rest on the complex issues raised by the cases of Bob Day and Rodney Culleton. And in the background is attorney-general George Brandis’s…
National affairs
14 October 2016
The government senators who grilled the solicitor-general might have done themselves, and George Brandis, more harm than they realise
National affairs
13 October 2016
A tangle of legislation lay behind the case taken by former parliamentarians to protect their superannuation and travel concessions
National affairs
16 August 2016
Rather than trying to make the Senate more like the lower house, we could do it the other way round, says Peter Brent
National affairs
14 June 2016
Now that early voting is under way, the likely impact of the parties’ preference allocations is clearer, writes Tim Colebatch
National affairs
20 May 2016
Senator Bob Day’s attempt to stymie the government’s Senate voting laws was doomed from the start, writes Tony Blackshield. But the High Court proceedings may…
From the archive
10 May 2016
A political scientist spends four months in the Australian capital
National affairs
3 March 2016
The government’s voting legislation has been significantly improved, writes Peter Brent. But that doesn’t mean we know how it will work in practice
National affairs
31 December 2015
The prime minister can take comfort from the fact that stormy political weather often blows over very quickly, writes Norman Abjorensen
National affairs
16 October 2015
Three-word slogans flowed freely during question time this week, writes Jane Goodall
National affairs
23 February 2015
Campbell Newman’s premiership was an object lesson in the dangers of untrammelled power, writes Brian Costar. Queensland needs an upper house to keep governments…
National affairs
15 February 2015
Much more than an attempted leadership spill went on at Parliament House during the week, writes Jane Goodall. But the script stayed the same
National affairs
21 November 2014
The challenges of dealing with a fragmented Palmer United Party are a reminder that the major parties are struggling with low levels of primary support, writes Peter Brent
Correspondents
29 September 2014
The ripples of an unlikely row over a parliamentary appointment reach from London to Canberra, says David Hayes
National affairs
29 July 2014
Tradition triumphed once again at the weekend’s state Labor Party conference in Sydney, writes Brett Evans.
Essays & reportage
26 September 2013
Indi’s new local member Cathy McGowan fits into a long tradition of independently minded country MPs. In this extract from her new book, Jackie Dickenson traces the…
