National affairs
25 August 2015
Canning might look like a safe Liberal seat on paper, but there are good reasons for the federal government to be worried, writes Peter Kennedy
Books & arts
21 August 2015
Books | Colour, movement and analysis – Joel Deane delivers all three in his account of Labor’s late nineties comeback in Victoria, writes Ken Haley
National affairs
13 August 2015
His leadership again under threat, the prime minister is locked in a potentially terminal embrace with his party’s right, writes Peter Brent
National affairs
13 August 2015
Julia Gillard drew adulation at the Byron Bay Writers Festival, writes Brett Evans. It was another reminder of questions still hanging over the Labor Party
National affairs
16 July 2015
Lost in the fog of the Zaky Mallah controversy are more fundamental questions about the ABC’s role in representative democracy, writes Ramon Lobato
National affairs
16 July 2015
With the next election on the horizon, the pressure is on to give Labor’s carbon policy a name that sticks
National affairs
14 July 2015
The Coalition has been fighting on the same terrain for nearly two years, writes Peter Browne, but it hasn’t shaken Labor’s lead in the polls
12 July 2015
After five years in a bunker a wounded party faces a choice of exits, says David Hayes
National affairs
6 July 2015
It’s not just Labor that suffers from the inordinate influence of a NSW right wing, writes Norman Abjorensen
National affairs
1 July 2015
Big numbers have a tendency to take on a life of their own, writes Tom Westland
National affairs
26 June 2015
Referendums don’t bring out the best in the Australian political system, writes Peter Brent. But that shouldn’t stop us from picking our way through the minefield
National affairs
23 June 2015
With declining reach and influence, the Murdoch empire can no longer determine election results, writes Rodney Tiffen
National affairs
19 June 2015
Labor’s state election successes during the Howard era propelled ill-equipped party heavies into Canberra, writes Peter Brent. The Killing Season is showing us some…
Books & arts
18 June 2015
The Killing Season highlights the impact of politics on real people‚ and that has its costs for at least one of the participants
Books & arts
15 June 2015
Books | Stuart Macintyre’s history of Australia in the 1940s is a big book in the best sense
5 June 2015
After eight centuries the revered document of liberty still grips the political imagination, says David Hayes in London
National affairs
3 June 2015
Has Australia’s finance sector grown unsustainably powerful? Two landmark speeches highlight the scale of the problem, writes Michael Gill
Essays & reportage
1 June 2015
The electoral cycle is made up of rituals, both elaborate and everyday. Understand them and we will better understand democracy itself, writes Graeme Orr in his new book
National affairs
29 May 2015
Opposition leaders generally get a positive swing at their first election, writes Paul Rodan. Bill Shorten will probably need more than that
International
25 May 2015
The NZ government sees economic as well as social benefits in breaking cycles of poverty and imprisonment. Although the policy has its critics, it’s worth watching, writes…
National affairs
25 May 2015
A referendum on same-sex marriage would be a bad idea, writes Peter Brent. But the fact that the issue has got to this point says a lot about the Labor Party
National affairs
20 May 2015
ICAC risks becoming a toothless tiger if the recommendations of a NSW government review don’t restore all or most of its powers, argues a former Appeals Court judge
From the archive
20 May 2015
Michael Cooney’s account of his years as prime ministerial speechwriter helps explain what went wrong
National affairs
14 May 2015
Has Australia cut itself adrift from international law? Savitri Taylor looks at the implications of recent refugee-related legislation
National affairs
13 May 2015
It’s the kind of budget Australian governments release when things aren’t going so well, writes Tim Colebatch. But its shaky assumptions could easily rebound…
9 May 2015
A purgative election has cleared the way for even bigger contests to come, says David Hayes
National affairs
7 May 2015
Despite the policy differences, the Greens have important things in common with the major parties, writes Peter Brent
International
7 May 2015
The Republicans are entering a toxic period of jostling for the presidential nomination, writes Lesley Russell. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton faces no real challenger
6 May 2015
An odd election campaign ends with nationalists becoming unionists and radicals conservatives, writes David Hayes
National affairs
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