This Month
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Brawls over RBA and ASIO as election season starts
Three institutions – the central bank, the security service, and the national census – all became political footballs this week.
August
- Opinion
- Political leadership
Greens, Coalition set the pace on a hapless government
Anthony Albanese’s Labor has been left as piggy-in-the-middle, trying to catch a ball being thrown by the opposition parties.
- Opinion
- Senate estimates
It’s time to civilise the inquisition of Senate estimates
Hearings that were meant to drill into policy detail have become a scattergun questioning of officials used to settle scores, or make cheap political points.
- Opinion
- Immigration
PM’s Gaza refugees become Dutton’s Hamas terrorists
The opposition leader would be within his rights to ask for greater screening of refugees from a war zone. But that’s not what he is really saying.
- Opinion
- AUKUS
What we don’t know about AUKUS
American government agencies keep revealing information about AUKUS that our own government will not.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Election timing no longer swings on an elusive rate cut
The government is at the mercy of the Reserve Bank. But the central bank is also subject to forces beyond its control.
July
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Why powerless workers are now a potent political force
The rise of hillbilly J.D. Vance and an Australian mega-union that is famous for all the wrong reasons have more in common than you might think.
- Opinion
- Federal election
Will the PM set up an election while the sun is still shining?
The legislative gridlock, a tricky economy and a Trump crisis all make a case for going to voters sooner rather than later.
- Opinion
- Middle East tensions
Nobody has come out of the Payman row with clean hands
Labor now wears the ire of Muslim communities, while Peter Dutton has crafted his messaging to squeeze in everything from Fatima Payman to grocery prices.
June
- Opinion
- Australian economy
Government under the cosh, keen to claim a win with Assange
It’s still not clear how Australia managed to get the Americans to drop the process of law on a man they wanted for espionage.
- Opinion
- Energy transition
Dutton’s climate poll surge evokes Fightback! saga
The headline numbers confirm Peter Dutton is setting the agenda, but to stay on top he will need to prove how his nuclear plan will ease the cost of living.
- Opinion
- Energy transition
Dutton’s climate war spells trouble for Labor, and all of us
The question is why the Coalition feels it can talk safely about doing less on climate change, two years after losing an election where perceived climate change denialism was a major factor in the loss.
May
- Opinion
- Immigration
Giles scandal shows we disdain bureaucracies until we need services
Slashing the capabilities of government departments means that in the real world, dodgy characters escape scrutiny and genuine needs go unanswered.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Someone will have to bite the bullet and raise taxes
It’s delusional to think that we can find large new areas to spend money on without the overall cost of government going up. But whoever raises taxes first will have an advantage.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
The Coalition swings back to the immigration playbook
The irony is that Peter Dutton of all people should understand how complicated migration numbers really are.
- Opinion
- Federal budget
Why economists hate the $300 energy rebate
This is a budget that acknowledges the government is facing a mountain of problems that cannot be solved any time soon.
- Updated
- Opinion
- Federal budget
GST and gas show a government that’s still out of tune
A huge GST handout to WA and a report that gives a free pass to the state’s gas industry show how far parochial toadying in the west will go.
- Opinion
- Domestic violence
There is so much to be done on violence against women
Maintaining the momentum of this week’s announcements after decades of neglect is the biggest issue facing the anti-violence movement.
April
- Opinion
- Social media
Surge of violence tests policy tolerance of social media
The Coalition in particular has to ask tricky questions of when enough is enough on social media platforms.
- Opinion
- Sexism
Women know the true power of Justice Lee’s finding
It wasn’t just about one rape in Canberra. It is a pattern of male behaviour lamented by all politicians but which continues just the same.