I doubt anyone truly believes governments are infinitely resourced. Even the most rabid, single-issue monomaniac can appreciate that to add public money from bucket X, it must come from bucket Y. So it’s…
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Election 2013 – Articles, Analysis, Comment
Displaying 51 - 75 of 205 articles
The record large Senate ballot papers have probably already annoyed many early voters. Their great length - over a metre in NSW and Victoria – will soon annoy many more voters. However, the real annoyance…
The last few years have been a rollercoaster ride for anyone who has followed the politics of school funding. There was a low after the 2007 election when Labor dragged its heels on a review, a high when…
There has been much, and justified, criticism, of Tony Abbott’s decision to conceal the costings of his policies until two days before the election, when the electronic media blackout will be in place…
Kevin Rudd will claim the mantle of superior economic management and try to pin a European-type austerity label onto Tony Abbott, in the PM’s last major speech of the campaign at the National Press Club…
One week out from the federal election and the park in the centre of Braidwood is a hive of activity. The annual Daffodil Fair is in full swing. The extent to which this small town and its region reflect…
On the cusp of the election, Eden-Monaro voters overwhelmingly do not believe promises will be honoured, whoever is in government after Saturday. The national battle has left people across the spectrum…
Election 2013 Essays: As the federal election campaign draws to a close, The Conversation asked eminent thinkers to reflect on the state of the nation and the challenges Australia – and whichever party…
The vexed issue of asylum seekers arriving by boat on Australian shores has dominated our political psyche for over a decade. Prime minister Kevin Rudd’s announcement shortly after returning to office…
STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) is generally regarded as a Labor stronghold…
The seats of Dobell and Robertson encompass most of the Central Coast between Sydney and Newcastle and therefore preside over a glistening necklace of beaches and waterways that are among the most beautiful…
On Monday, the Coalition announced its plan for the Great Barrier Reef, including a A$40m trust-fund to target threats to the Reef such as Crown of Thorns starfish and runoff from agriculture. The promises…
In the final countdown to polling day, Australian political history suggests that political parties will start to fight dirty in critical seats, using just-legal tricks in an attempt to get the winning…
STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. With just days to polling and deepening voter scepticism towards Kevin Rudd and…
Election 2013 Essays: As the federal election campaign draws to a close, The Conversation asked eminent thinkers to reflect on the state of the nation and the challenges Australia – and whichever party…
Talk to mining billionaire Clive Palmer and you move into a different zone, where normal laws of probability are not applied. Palmer says polling over the last few days suggests he can win two Senate seats…
Last week, news broke that Labor MP Michael Danby, the member for Melbourne Ports, had issued two sets of how-to-vote cards to voters in his electorate. One set of the how-to-vote cards was sent to many…
The Prime Minister has declared that jobs is the first priority. He will create them while the opposition intends to cut, cut, cut. At his policy launch he said that “Federal Labor is going to this election…
Along with their sister parties in New Zealand, Germany, Austria and Luxembourg, the Australian Greens are among a small group of Green parties that have won more than 10% vote share at recent elections…
Saturday’s election will largely determine Australia’s domestic climate policy settings through to 2020. It will define Australia’s stance in international climate negotiations on targets and mitigation…
If any seat is going to indicate whether all the pain that Kevin Rudd put the Labor Party through in regaining the prime ministership was worth it, it will be the inner-city seat of Brisbane. The seat…
Election 2013 Essays: As the federal election campaign draws to a close, The Conversation asked eminent thinkers to reflect on the state of the nation and the challenges Australia – and whichever party…
STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. With a total of 37 seats, the state of Victoria should figure as a major battleground…
Two unexpected disclosures have refocused attention on the Coalition industrial relations policy before the election. The first was further detail from workplace relations shadow minister Eric Abetz about…
It was a bruising encounter for the embattled Kevin Rudd when he appeared on Q&A. Most of the questions were critical or hostile. Presenter Tony Jones pushed him. Sometimes Rudd dodged; other times…