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.
- Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra
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…
Shadow infrastructure minister Anthony Albanese is already mapping out policy for a future Labor government, challenging in particular the priority Tony Abbott has given to roads and stipulating greater…
Scott Morrison’s release of more children from detention is selective, and the timing of his announcement has a distinctly political flavour to it. The decision applies to about 150 children under ten…
The Chinese embassy lashed out at Clive Palmer’s extraordinary attack on Chinese “mongrels” and “bastards”, as a PUP senator went further than her leader, suggesting they might invade Australia. Palmer’s…
Clive Palmer may have all sorts of motives but one surely is to drive Tony Abbott to distraction. As Palmer put it on Monday, after sending Joe Hockey’s chief of staff Grant Lovett on his way to do more…
Reducing the renewable energy target would cost the federal budget about $680 million more to meet Australia’s target of 5% emissions reduction by 2020, according to modelling released today by climate…
Tony Abbott should stop trying so hard with the slogans. The latest was his weekend effort pledging the government would crack down on “terrorism tourism on the taxpayers”. This was announcing (rather…
On the third day, Joe Hockey laid on the mea culpa with a trowel. Appearing on Sydney radio to try to clean up after his disastrous Wednesday line about the poor and petrol, Hockey declared: “I am sorry…
University of Canberra Vice-Chancellor Stephen Parker and Professorial Fellow Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including Joe Hockey’s bungles, ASIO Director-General of Security David Irvine…
David Irvine retires next month after five years as Director-General of Security, heading ASIO; before that he was head of the Australian Secret Intelligence Service, which spies abroad. He’s spent more…
When a government has to negotiate with crossbenchers there is often an element of humiliation involved, especially if that government suffers from a touch of “born to rule”. Governments think of themselves…
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