Skip to content
Inside Story
About
Donate
Sign up
Search
Search
Menu
About
Donate
Sign up
Search
Search
politics
National affairs
A peace that passeth (almost) all understanding
Frank Bongiorno
10 October 2013
The Labor leadership contest might have annoyed some factional warlords, but it’s helped the party to avoid messy post-election recriminations, writes
Frank Bongiorno
National affairs
Where now for the Greens?
Narelle Miragliotta and Robert Simms
8 October 2013
The Greens face some of the challenges that effectively killed the Democrats, write
Narelle Miragliotta
and
Robert Simms
. But important differences between the…
Tony Abbott’s win attracted little interest among Beijingers. Does it matter?
James Leibold
2 October 2013
The contrast with Kevin Rudd couldn’t be starker, yet the Anglophile PM might have a certain edge, writes
James Leibold
in Beijing
Podcasts
Independent in Indi: what happens now? (And why the Electoral Commission is suddenly under attack)
Brian Costar & Peter Clarke
27 September 2013
Peter Clarke
talks to
Brian Costar
about why Cathy McGowan is likely to serve more than one term, why the Electoral Commission is under attack, and who should lead the Labor Party
National affairs
It’s time
Paul Rodan
26 September 2013
Australia is best served when former prime ministers leave parliament with dispatch, writes
Paul Rodan
Essays & reportage
“Fearless in public service. In sincerity unexcelled”
Jackie Dickenson
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…
National affairs
Small-target health policy gets off to a shaky start
Lesley Russell
17 September 2013
The new government’s aged-care decisions suggest it will prioritise providers over consumers, writes
Lesley Russell
International
Two countries, two elections
Klaus Neumann
16 September 2013
Like Australia, Germany has seen a shift in the political middle ground. But there, it’s ended up in an intriguing place, writes
Klaus Neumann
National affairs
Coalition of the Unenlightened could repeal the carbon tax in 2014
Fergus Green
11 September 2013
Tony Abbott might have pledged in blood to repeal the Australian carbon pricing scheme, but what’s likely to happen once the obstacles are clear?
Fergus Green
…
Essays & reportage
From little margins, big margins grow
Cambell Klose & Nick Haines
10 September 2013
The electorate of Indi has been changed forever, write
Cambell Klose
and
Nick Haines
from Cathy McGowan’s campaign
Books & arts
Better leaders, or better leadership?
Helena Liu
10 September 2013
Filling the knowledge gap will only take us so far in dealing with Australia’s leadership problems, writes
Helena Liu
National affairs
Challenges for the Abbott agenda
Norman Abjorensen
10 September 2013
Despite the pundits, it won’t be business as usual under the Coalition, says
Norman Abjorensen
. But the Senate will determine much of the style and rate of change
National affairs
Now it’s urgent: why we need to simplify voting for the Senate
Brian Costar
9 September 2013
Changes to how senators are elected would improve transparency, make voting easier, and stop parties with scarcely any support slipping into the Senate, says
Brian Costar
Books & arts
The mystery at the heart of the statistical survey
Scott Ewing
6 September 2013
Scott Ewing
reviews an indispensable guide to a world constantly being measured and surveyed
National affairs
Labor’s debt problem
Peter Brent
4 September 2013
Labor’s response to the Coalition’s argument that it was profligate during the financial crisis has been disastrously inept, argues
Peter Brent
Essays & reportage
A real League of Nations team
Kathy Marks
3 September 2013
Kathy Marks
visits Australia’s most-watched suburbs
National affairs
How to help farmers to help the reef
Amanda Cornwall
2 September 2013
Reef Rescue needs to focus on measures that really do improve water quality, says
Amanda Cornwall
. That means learning from other successful schemes
Books & arts
Hearts, heads and pockets
Frank Bongiorno
2 September 2013
It’s time for harder thinking about Labor’s strengths and weaknesses, says
Frank Bongiorno
National affairs
Looking for an electoral messiah
Brian Costar
29 August 2013
“Leadership” is seldom the key determinant of election results, writes
Brian Costar
. The mistaken belief has damaged both major parties
International
Election 2013: The view from up above
David Hayes
28 August 2013
Britain’s media coverage of Australia’s election is lively but limited, finds
David Hayes
Essays & reportage
Winning the battle of ideas
Dennis Altman
26 August 2013
In many ways the opposition has already won this election by shifting the political middle ground, writes
Dennis Altman
Essays & reportage
The war the bloggers won
Greg Jericho
23 August 2013
Political bloggers brought a new rigour to interpreting the polls
National affairs
The land of the long white mirage
John Quiggin
21 August 2013
Tony Abbott and Joe Hockey think that New Zealand’s economic policies have worked well. They’re wrong, writes
John Quiggin
Podcasts
The facts are the story
Peter Clarke
20 August 2013
Peter Clarke
talks to Fact Check presenter
John Barron
about the ABC’s newest project
Essays & reportage
Rudd 1987 or Abbott 1996?
Stephen Mills
20 August 2013
Has Labor’s campaign taken a fatal turn? History shows that divided control of campaign messages can be a disaster, writes
Stephen Mills
National affairs
Col Allan, Murdoch’s $100 million man
Rodney Tiffen
15 August 2013
Shareholders might be wise to worry about Rupert Murdoch’s “gifted tabloid editor,” writes
Rodney Tiffen
Books & arts
Neither everything nor nothing
Jane Goodall
15 August 2013
Does misogyny in politics reflect a deeper problem in the character of political debate, asks
Jane Goodall
National affairs
Why preselections go wrong
Paul Rodan
14 August 2013
Wrong candidates get chosen for reasons that vary between parties big and small, writes
Paul Rodan
National affairs
Political donations: the real-time disclosure option
Brian Costar
8 August 2013
Labor failed to take the opportunity to make historic changes to campaign finance disclosure, writes
Brian Costar
National affairs
Labor’s monsters
Norman Abjorensen
6 August 2013
The problems go back to 2007, writes
Norman Abjorensen
Newer posts
Older posts