Tony Abbott promised a government of no surprises but has delivered a year chock-full of them. A prime minister expected to lean to caution has thrown it to the winds. A leader without a cushion of popularity…
- Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
Senator John Madigan has quit the Democratic Labour Party (DLP) to sit as an independent, citing a “cancer of political intrigue” in the party. Madigan said the DLP’s “worst enemies are within its own…
Australia’s reach is not unlimited, Tony Abbott told parliament on Wednesday, “but we will do what we can to help our friends and to uphold the rule of law around the world”. As part of the reach it has…
Paul Keating has launched a swingeing attack on the government’s deferral of 12% compulsory superannuation, accusing it of wilfully sabotaging Australia’s savings scheme out of prejudice. The former prime…
With its first anniversary on Sunday, the Abbott government wants to trumpet achievements. Ministers have been asked to put forward what they’ve done in their portfolios for airing in question time this…
The government today has finally secured the repeal of the mining tax, after agreeing to keep the schoolkids bonus and two measures for low income earners until after the 2016 election. As part of a deal…
As Australia’s role begins to unfold in a new chapter of the Iraq saga, the 2003 invasion is a point of reference for all political sides. Tony Abbott, aware of the sour taste left by that war, is seeking…
Australia has increased its sanctions on Russia to match those of the European Union, after the move of troops into Ukraine. The government did not boost sanctions when the EU and the US recently did…
The deaths of four installers participating in the Rudd government’s home insulation program would not have occurred if the scheme had been properly designed and implemented, a royal commission has found…
When Tony Abbott says he doesn’t want to get ahead of himself on Australia’s Middle East commitment – specifically about joining air strikes – what he means is that he can’t get ahead of Barack Obama…
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Stephen Parker and Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including the renewable energy target and military action in Iraq.
Tony Abbott has got a heap of unwanted publicity this week as a result of his response to cantankerous Liberal senator Ian Macdonald, who upbraided him for being late to Tuesday’s Coalition parties’ meeting…
Australia is moving steadily towards becoming part of widened American air strikes against militants of the Islamic State, as the Abbott government’s policy increasingly takes on a khaki hue. Defence Minister…
The Nationals will debate calls for greater help for students at regional universities, changes to the rules governing takeovers and an end to the five cent coin when the party’s federal council meets…
A cost-benefit study of the NBN commissioned by the government has estimated the Coalition’s multi-technology model will deliver $16 billion more than Labor’s model in net economic and social benefits…
Recently, talking to DLP senator John Madigan, Joe Hockey described himself as one of the most disliked people in the country. For an “end-the-age-of-entitlement” guy, that could even have been a badge…
PUP leader Clive Palmer has made a grovelling apology to the Chinese for his extraordinary outburst on television, in which he referred to them as “bastards” and “mongrels”. In a letter to the Chinese…
Highly respected journalist and historian Paul Kelly, whose Triumph and Demise: The Broken Promise of a Labor Generation is published on Tuesday, argues that there is an “Australian Crisis” – a major debilitating…
Parliament resumes on Tuesday after the winter recess for a fortnight sitting that will test what progress ministers are making in getting crossbench support for various budget measures. As Coalition MPs…
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Stephen Parker and Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including Bill Shorten’s identification of himself in a rape allegation, what…
Bill Shorten had little practical alternative but to name himself as the person police had been investigating in relation to an alleged rape in the 1980s. The opposition leader told reporters that the…
Opposition leader Bill Shorten has identified himself as the senior Labor figure investigated by Victoria Police after an allegation he had raped a young woman in the 1980s. In a claim made last October…
The Australian Medical Association has released its alternative to the budget’s controversial $7 Medicare co-payment plan that would protect pensioners and children, but raise only $60 million in revenue…
The government’s panicky budget message seems to have panicked even the government. Now it is trying to put a new perspective on the battle with the Senate. For weeks we were regaled with crisis talk…
Race Discrimination Commissioner Tim Soutphommasane has raised questions about Tony Abbott’s term “Team Australia” and warned that the “tone” of leadership matters. The Islamic Council of Victoria this…
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