There is no sound reason why 13,000 should remain the benchmark number for discussions of how many refugees Australia should take.
While Tony Abbott came slowly to embrace the refugee boost, he has been raring to go on the other leg of this week’s announcement – the extension of Australian air strikes to Syria.
Sam Mooy/AAP
Australia must have a realistic view of the end goal in increasing its efforts in the fight against Islamic State in Syria, and start planning to stabilise and rebuild any territory retaken.
Defence Minister Kevin Andrews, Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop at a press conference in Canberra.
Sam Mooy/AAP
The federal government’s decision to take 12,000 extra refugees from the Syrian-Iraq conflict will cost the budget A$700 million over the forward estimates.
The Abbott government’s instinct on foreign policy is to approach it through the lens of domestic politics.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The pressure the Abbott government faced over the Syrian refugee crisis hints at a broader trend. Global political dynamics are now exposing a credibility deficit in Australian foreign policy.
Australia should not wait until bodies are washed up on foreign beaches before it is spurred to action on addressing refugee flows.
Reuters/Dimitris Michalakis
Australia should not reserve its help for those fleeing conflict in distant wars. Its first duty should be to those who face death and persecution in its own region.
Tony Abbott has twice compared Islamic State to the Nazis, but does that aid our understanding of terrorism and what needs to be done to defeat it?
AAP/Richard Wainwright
We need to find ways of speaking about the horrific actions of Islamic State that help, not hinder, understanding of the magnitude of those crimes and what needs to be done to combat them.
An estimated 10,000 people, including many children, attended a candlelit vigil in Sydney to show support for refugees.
Richard Ashen/AAP
Tony Abbott is wedged between the hard right in the Coalition and commentariat on the one hand, and Liberal moderates, compassionate conservatives and pragmatists on the other, as the government considers…
Tony Abbott said Australia takes more refugees on a per capita basis than any other country.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The Abbott government is under pressure to increase its overall humanitarian refugee intake, as Labor declared Australia should offer a one-off additional 10,000 places for refugees.
What Tony Abbott himself claims as his government’s achievements are all reversals of previous policies.
AAP/Paul Miller
So far, Tony Abbott has failed to position himself as anything more than an opposition leader who has been given power and is unsure what to do with it.
Andrew Hastie addresses Liberal volunteers while Tony Abbott looks on.
Matt Dawson
Julie Bishop, deputy Liberal leader and the most senior minister from Western Australia, has a special interest in the tough Canning byelection contest. Liberal candidate Andrew Hastie, a former SAS officer…
Stephen Parker and Michelle Grattan discuss the week in politics including the second anniversary of the Abbott government, the “media wars” and the result of the upcoming Canning byelection.
The great failure of Tony Abbott’s leadership is that he had not been able to transcend his innate instinct for conflict.
Paul Miller/AAP
Tony Abbott, who won power two years ago on Monday, is most at home in combat, whether on the domestic campaign trail or escalating Australia’s commitment to a battle abroad.
Natalie Mast, The University of Western Australia y William Bowe, The University of Western Australia
Two-and-a-half weeks out from polling day, Natalie Mast sat down with elections expert William Bowe to discuss the 12 candidates, the major parties’ campaigns, and key issues in Canning.
Few other world leaders are as enthusiastic as Tony Abbott in endorsing coal as ‘good for humanity’.
AAP/Dan Peled
Australia’s failure to lead on climate action marks a stark shift in political priorities in the past decade. The government is all about immediate economic returns whatever the long-term costs.
The Al-Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan is home to thousands of the nine million refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria.
Reuters/Muhammad Hamed
Australia should keep out of the Syrian conflict. Instead, it should respect the rule of law and the peaceful resolution of disputes by promoting a diplomatic end.
There’s an ad on TV that starts: “If you were me, what would you do next?” If I were Tony Abbott, I’d scheme to get a new treasurer without the existing one blowing me up.