With animal welfare issues routinely handled by Senate committees with strong links to agriculture, how can we ensure that those outside the industry are being properly listened to?
The polling sends a strong message: Malcolm Turnbull starts his prime ministership with people wanting to think the best of him. Essential has found people believe Turnbull is intelligent (81%), hardworking…
An important element in the success of Malcolm Turnbull’s government will be how effectively it handles the Senate. Some crossbench senators have greeted the arrival of Turnbull enthusiastically, contrasting…
Given the Governor-General usually acts on the advice of the government and its ministers, an address from the Senate on Dyson Heydon is unlikely to have any effect.
US intelligence agencies can no longer collect and store the telecommunications data of US citizens but other countries are strengthening their efforts.
With the budget squarely targeted at getting more mothers into work or working extra hours, a group of Coalition backbenchers is forming to fight for the interests of stay-at-home parents.
Instead of treating crossbenchers in parliament as a source of chaos and an aberration, we should recognise that they play a crucial role in shaping legislation as the constitution provides.
Stephen Parker and Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including the recent chatter of a double dissolution, what would happen to crossbenchers if it did happen and three Nationals crossing the floor in the Senate.
Tony Abbott is making a particular hash of his messaging this week. The prime minister – and some other senior ministers too (think Treasurer Joe Hockey) – often throws out lines seemingly without much…
This week’s open declaration of hostility by 47 Republican senators to any US agreement with Iran has generated much handwringing about the state of American domestic politics. The tone and manner of their…
The Senate is not a root cause, but part of a long list of symptoms that indicate Australia’s political system is increasingly unfit for purpose in the 21st century.
Given the contentiousness of recent fiscal negotiations, the prelude to the budget passed by the Senate last month was surprisingly placid. Will a uniquely unproductive Congress be followed by a more conciliatory…
At the end of a long and challenging week, the famous aphorism, “we have met the enemy and he is us” readily comes to mind. The issuance of the long awaited Senate “torture report” has set off a debate…
The final count for Victoria’s Legislative Council is still some days away, but it appears members elected from micro-parties will hold the balance of power in the upper house. This will be a challenge…
Republican gains in this month’s election, which handed the GOP united control of Congress for the first time since 2006, have lifted hopes that the government can pass corporate tax reform next year…
Nearly a year ago, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid pulled the trigger on a parliamentary maneuver many have labeled the “nuclear option.” Democrats were able to change the way Senate Rule XXII, which…