March
Teal husband part of the Melbourne Jesuit mafia
Monique Ryan’s husband made headlines this week for trying to nick off with a Liberal corflute.
Friendly fire hits Australian universities
Local universities are caught up in Donald Trump’s culture wars. But the threat is partly home-grown and self-inflicted.
February
People are not stupid or bogans ... it’s us, Shorten tells unis
Bill Shorten and Catherine Livingstone have come to similar conclusions as to why universities are out of favour with the community.
Bulk billing pledge is Mediscare with an $8.5b price tag
The new spending, alongside $600 million to boost the supply of nurses and general practice doctors, will be added to the nation’s burgeoning debt and structural deficit pile.
Shorten blames federal policies for his uni’s financial woes, job cuts
The University of Canberra’s new vice chancellor says 191 jobs will be cut this year after student numbers fell.
Leon Zwier heads up the Shortens’ capital coming-out party
Bill and Chloe have firmly cemented themselves in the Canberra establishment after years of fly-in fly-out work.
‘Just call me Bill’: Shorten brings ‘X factor’ to new job
The former Labor minister was joined by an eclectic crowd at his investiture as University of Canberra vice chancellor.
January
Why green aluminium pushes us towards Argentine Peronism
Both sides of politics want us to believe that redirecting prosperity to a preferred sector somehow represents a growth strategy.
Rishworth takes NDIS in Labor reshuffle, Wells promoted to cabinet
Anthony Albanese praised Aged Care Minister Anika Wells for securing the sector’s most significant reforms “this century” as he announced her new position.
Bill Shorten was a last-minute applicant to lead Canberra Uni
Bill Shorten applied for the job as vice chancellor of the University of Canberra just two days before he and five others were interviewed for the role.
Mediscare ‘he said, she said’ insults voters’ intelligence
A Labor-Coalition electoral clash over bulk billing is not only foolish, but masks the fact that so much more needs to be done to keep our healthcare system fit for purpose.
December 2024
Dutton not match fit after dodging the pack, or so Labor hopes
When the opposition leader has made a foray into policy detail, he’s found himself on the sticky paper.
NDIS growth curb ahead of schedule, but budget burden grows
The NDIS is on track to have its growth rate reduced to 8 per cent a year earlier than expected, but the cost of the scheme will continue to rise as a proportion of GDP,
Labor cuts with one hand, hands out with other
Targeting childcare spending at those who need it most would avoid another overly generous entitlement that becomes a financial problem down the track like the NDIS.
November 2024
Report card on 47th parliament: Could do better
Two retiring politicians offered some pointed advice for their colleagues in parliament’s last session for the year.
Don’t get upset at voters getting it wrong
As the election edges closer, there’s only one thing we know for sure – at least a few glittering political careers will end.
Tax reform is ‘unfinished business’, Shorten says
Voters turned against the former Labor leader in 2019 after he proposed paring back property investors’ tax breaks. He thinks It’s still a problem.
Chalmers sells intervention as economic salve
The US may have a different culture, but its politics still provide a recent lesson in the electoral risks of rural voters feeling ignored by governments or left out of services.
Verifiable credentials: Shorten’s ID push to stop scams
One of the nation’s biggest banks will help test the roll-out of trusted digital identities to stop scams and prevent data breaches of personal information.
October 2024
NDIS autism reforms could stretch beyond election
Disability ministers will meet in Adelaide on Friday for more negotiations over the cost of early intervention services for children with developmental delays.