This Month
‘Darn sensible’ Labor states outcompete Victoria, says top Liberal
Shadow treasurer Brad Rowswell has been in Britain looking at how the state might get in on the AUKUS action, and ruing the salesmanship of rivals NSW and SA.
- Hans van Leeuwen
Stephen Conroy goes spluttering and unhinged against the BCA
The former Labor senator went troppo at the Business Council, whose members include his own lobby clients.
- Mark Di Stefano
November
Labor’s golden boy pledges focus on economy
South Australian Premier Peter Malinauskas promised not to succumb to hubris after a second resounding byelection win in eight months.
- Simon Evans
October
Crisafulli’s election donations reform could allow more, not less
The freshly minted Queensland premier is eager to change electoral donation laws to even the playing field as the Albanese government prepares national laws.
- James Hall
- Exclusive
- Governance
The zombie chairman: How Goyder let Joyce trash Qantas’ reputation
An exclusive extract from Joe Aston’s book The Chairman’s Lounge tells the inside story of how Richard Goyder and his board allowed Alan Joyce to fly Qantas into a reputational disaster.
- Joe Aston
Whyalla steelworks running out of options as taxpayer rescue resisted
The SA premier says it’s time Sanjeev Gupta took some action, with governments wary of taxpayer funds being siphoned off to overseas parts of GFG Alliance.
- Simon Evans
The town bearing the brunt of Sanjeev Gupta’s financial nightmare
The British industrialist’s steelworks looms over Whyalla, population 21,900. There’s plenty at stake if things go south.
- Simon Evans
Social media penalties ‘must include big fines’
Tech companies should face multimillion-dollar fines for failing to enforce laws restricting social media access for children, the South Australian premier says.
- Tess Bennett
September
Albo keeps it in the family at the AFL commissioner’s lunch
You can’t buy a ticket to Aussie rules’ most exclusive grand final function, so there are few better tests of relevance than trying to score an invitation.
- Myriam Robin
BlueScope sounded out as Whyalla steelworks rescuer
Sanjeev Gupta’s empire is showing further signs of distress as creditor defaults tick up against his other businesses in Australia, InfraBuild and Tahmoor coal.
- Simon Evans and Elouise Fowler
PM to seek nationwide social media ban for teens
Inspired by SA, the Albanese government will seek to impose a nationwide ban on teenagers using social media.
- Phillip Coorey and Gus McCubbing
August
Santos gala a gassy second chance for Albo
We regret to inform the federal Labor Party that Woodside is not the only gas major with a milestone birthday this year.
- Myriam Robin
Foreign student cuts risk recession, business and tourism warn
They say that by slashing international student numbers the federal government is risking an industry that contributes $48 billion to Australia’s GDP.
- Phillip Coorey
New SA Liberal leader reckons he can beat Malinauskas
Vincent Tarzia denied taking part in party infighting that his predecessor David Speirs says caused him to quit.
- Simon Evans
‘I’ve had a gutful’ of factional squabbles: SA Liberal leader quits
The leader of the Liberal Party in South Australia, David Speirs, has angrily criticised internal factional squabbles as he resigned
- Simon Evans
July
SA’s new mega university starts recruiting overseas students
The new Adelaide University is due to launch with 70,000 students in early 2026, even as migration reforms bite hard on the education sector.
- Julie Hare
Vic premier to pocket $500,000 as MPs handed 3.5pc pay bump
Jacinta Allan has cemented her spot as the nation’s second highest-paid politician after Victorian MPs were awarded a 3.5 per cent pay rise.
- Callum Godde
June
- Opinion
- Australian economy
![Premier Peter Malinauskas says the Electoral (Accountability and Integrity) Amendment Bill 2024 would “level [the] playing field when it comes to the political process”.](https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.8035%2C$multiply_2%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_784%2C$y_578/t_crop_custom/c_scale%2Cw_280%2Cq_52%2Cf_auto/10aa19d0cd72fd8cec71f33286bd8ba4ad71e496)
SA donation ban will cut off grassroots democracy
By pushing debate into third-party organisations, South Australian Premier Malinauskas’ proposed election laws would force politics to move to the extremes.
- Adam Stoker
Social media ban on kids faces big technical hurdles: experts
Australia has bipartisan support for a 16-year-old limit for using social media, as Anthony Albanese and Peter Dutton argued about who was first to demand it.
- Paul Smith
SA Labor says budget cash handout won’t hurt RBA inflation fight
SA Treasurer Stephen Mullighan is adamant a $52 million one-off bonus payment to 25pc of households in June won’t fuel inflation.
- Simon Evans