As her erstwhile colleagues formally moved into government, former Liberal frontbencher Sophie Mirabella conceded defeat to local independent Cathy McGowan in the Victorian regional seat of Indi. With…
- Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
The deputy chief of the Army, Angus Campbell, is being appointed to oversee “Operation Sovereign Borders” which will spearhead the Abbott government’s effort to combat the people smuggling trade to Australia…
Is there such a thing as campaign addiction? Or is it just the smell of the prize? Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten have segued from the general election trail to the Labor leadership one without missing…
Tony Abbott’s treatment of science has sparked another controversy over his ministry, with a backbencher slamming the absence of a dedicated minister for the area, and the Chief Scientist calling for a…
The hapless Sophie Mirabella has brought double trouble for her friend Tony Abbott. Not only is she likely to lose her previously safe seat when the Liberals generally had a big win, but her exit from…
Tony Abbott has only five women in a 30-member ministry that preserves stability in the higher reaches of his team but promotes some new talent in the junior levels. Deputy Liberal leader Julie Bishop…
Liberal frontbencher Bronwyn Bishop has accepted the job of Speaker in the House of Representatives – despite making it known to colleagues earlier this year that she did not want the position. This has…
Julia Gillard’s hard hitting critique of Labor’s past problems and future challenges, posted on Guardian Australia at the weekend, has, among many messages, one central point. Labor, she argues, should…
Anthony Albanese has suggested Labor should help pay for its leadership contest by running a forum for business people to hear from the two candidates. Tomorrow Labor’s national executive will discuss…
Labor has set out on its great experiment in party democracy. Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese swear to run a civilised contest for the party’s leadership. Maybe. It will certainly be an interesting one…
Labor party branch members are set for their first ever say in who should be the ALP’s leader, after Anthony Albanese and Bill Shorten both nominated for the post. The contest will run for around a month…
Incoming Treasurer Joe Hockey is easing into the job, getting a feel for the economic numbers and for how he and his departmental head, Martin Parkinson might shake down. The numbers are not so good. It…
Bill Shorten has cast himself as a strong retail politician but distanced himself from a presidential style, in at last formally announcing his bid to lead Labor in opposition. Shorten, from the right…
Tony Abbott has a woman problem, again. As he puts together his ministry, female representation is proving a difficulty. The prospect of senior frontbencher Sophie Mirabella holding her seat of Indi is…
The shadow of Kevin Rudd hangs over the ALP as it starts to grapple with opposition, complicating its choice of a new leader, and prompting dire warnings that the former PM will be a disruptive force if…
This Senate election has been very good for the tiddlers, more professionally know as “micro parties”, so much so that there is already an emerging debate about whether the big fish should do something…
Former treasurer Chris Bowen has made a public bid to “shadow” his old job in opposition. Ruling himself out as a contender for Labor leader, Bowen told a news conference he would be available to the new…
History will treat the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd Labor government harshly, not for what it did or didn’t do, but for how it conducted itself. It came in with a convincing mandate in 2007 and, through bad leadership…
As Tony Abbott drew ever closer to the prime ministership towards the end of the campaign, he mused about the nature of the job. “The prime minister is probably a little more than first amongst equals…
Tony Abbott has won government with a decisive majority but the Labor party has avoided the rout that it had feared. A victorious Abbott told the Liberal faithful “Australia is under new management; Australia…
Tony Abbott has had his much anticipated election victory and Australia once again, to the great relief of most, has a majority federal government. The Abbott win is solid and comfortable, but by no means…
Tony Abbott is set to clinch a strong victory at today’s election, according to a Nielsen poll that shows the Coalition leading 54-46% in two-party terms, a 4% swing since the 2010 election. Labor’s primary…
So much for the battle. Now for the night in front of the TV. Once you take in the headline result, which mightn’t be all that long in coming, here are eight things to keep an eye on. ONE. The fight for…
Kevin Rudd’s dream is about to be shattered. The Prime Minister went into this campaign believing that he could win. After seizing back the leadership against the odds, he thought he could defy those odds…
Kevin Rudd has put the spectre of an Abbott government’s swingeing cuts at the centre of his campaign. But at every turn, he has found himself tactically out manoeuvred by the Coalition. Despite intense…
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