Labor’s devastating Queensland election result has prompted much soul searching within the party and questions about its fundamental approach. Do voters even know what the Labor party stands for? Or is…
The Bligh led Labor party’s devastating defeat in Queensland could present difficulties for federal labor seats.
AAP/ Dan Peled
The Queensland election can tell us a lot about Labor’s electoral future. There is no doubt that if the Queensland state election landslide against Labor were extrapolated to federal boundaries, the federal…
Gillard will try to distance herself from Queensland Labor, but it will be a tough sell.
AAP/Alan Porritt
A notable feature of the Queensland election outcome was, as in New South Wales last year, opinion polls correctly predicted the outcome. In both cases, some observers found it hard to credit that Labor…
Labor leader Anna Bligh is likely to lose the Queensland election, but what are the federal implications?
AAP Image/Jack Tran
The likely defeat of the Bligh Labor government in this weekend’s Queensland elections may not have the negative implications for the Gillard government that many commentators might expect. The presence…
The ALP should be talking about getting a headstart on the industries of the future.
AAP
One of the arts of politics is storytelling, establishing a narrative that people can engage with. It is why politicians often talk about great teachers when explaining education reform, cancer patients…
No need to laugh, Wayne, your base has disappeared.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
In recent days, Treasurer Wayne Swan has been prosecuting a puzzling assault on a few billionaire mining magnates. Commentators have struggled to come up with a plausible explanation for his political…
Gillard had a strong performance after yesterday’s leadership ballot, but there’s still a long way to go.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
One of Julia Gillard’s better days in Australian politics was nonetheless brought to an unusual end yesterday with the resignation of Mark Arbib. The former right faction leader, who most recently served…
Gillard had strong support from caucus this morning.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Prime minister Julia Gillard has defeated Kevin Rudd in this morning’s leadership ballot by 71 votes to 31. Rudd has said he will not initiate a further challenge to the prime minister’s leadership, but…
The process Labor uses to remove and replace parliamentary leaders contains some surprises.
AAP/John Pryke
At 10am today, the Labor caucus will meet to settle the leadership battle between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd. But how does the leadership selection process actually work? While the contest between Gillard…
Kevin Rudd and Therese Rein spend their Sunday morning at church rather than in front of a TV.
AAP/Dave Hunt
Sunday mornings are special. Sure, 99% of the non-political world is sound asleep (or still attempting to make their way home after a night on the town), but for many political enthusiasts Sunday mornings…
Julia Gillard addressed the leadership crisis at a press conference in Adelaide this morning.
ABC News24
The leadership contest between Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd is largely a clash of personalities and a raw struggle for power, and there is essentially little policy difference between them. But should…
Kevin Rudd has said Julia Gillard is not the best person to lead Labor to the next election.
ABC News24
Less than 12 hours after making his dramatic resignation in Washington, Rudd was back at the lectern. This time, however, his speech sounded more like a campaign pitch. Watch part of Kevin Rudd’s conference…
Rudd’s been incendiary since he was replaced as leader.
AAP/Tony Phillips
From the time Julia Gillard succeeded Kevin Rudd as prime minister there was a ticking time bomb that no one thought to defuse. His promised inclusion in a cabinet whose membership was instrumental in…
If nothing else, Australian politics has been full of surprises since the 2010 election. The hung parliament, the introduction of controversial policies and the recent manoeuvrings over the role of parliamentary…
Kevin Rudd will only give a smug smile when asked about his designs on Julia Gillard’s job.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
Watching Kevin Rudd in his almost daily struggle to avoid giving a straight answer to questions about whether he’ll challenge Julia Gillard is as painful as listening to a smoker justify why they won’t…
What’s gender got to do with it? We asked Cheryl Kernot.
AAP/Julian Smith/Lukas Coch
As one of the few women to have run a political party in this country Cheryl Kernot is well aware of the role gender plays in the Australian political landscape. In the wake of Bob Brown’s claim this week…
The resources boom is political gold for Liberal premier Colin Barnett (second from left).
AAP/Rebecca Le May
Last week’s change in the Western Australian ALP leadership ended the three-year tenure of the ousted Eric Ripper – quite a good innings for a modern opposition leader, even if he wasn’t granted the opportunity…
The public isn’t told how ministerial performance is assessed.
AAP/Alan Porritt/Julian Smith
In the coverage surrounding Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s cabinet reshuffle yesterday, the media rushed to decide which ministers had won or lost. But the focus on who trumped whom in the political stakes…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has reshuffled her cabinet to try and refresh her image, but it won’t work.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
It might seem that the days before Christmas would be an odd time to announce a cabinet reshuffle, but for the Prime Minister it was the latest in a series of manoeuvres designed to help the government…
Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced an expanded cabinet of 22 ministers.
Alan Porritt/AAP
After a weekend of speculation, Julia Gillard announced a new cabinet in a dramatic redistribution of ministerial portfolios this afternoon. The number of cabinet members has swelled to 22, with only Kim…