James Scullin’s prime ministership was ultimately cut short because, in the face of a great economic crisis, he did not appear to have a coherent plan.
Tony Abbott promised the IPA that his government would repeal Section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act – only to renege on this when in government.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The story of the Builders Labourers Federation campaigns that saved historic locations and green spaces in the 1970s still speaks to contemporary Australians’ concerns about urban development.
Labor’s strategy is to portray Bill Shorten as a caring politician, in contrast to an out-of-touch Malcolm Turnbull.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
History suggests Labor should be more concerned than it currently appears to be about the effects of its populist rhetoric in mobilising opposition from business.
Do the divisions within the Liberal Party reflect differences of personality and tactical emphasis? Or do they come down to differing worldviews?
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The decline in Malcolm Turnbull’s popularity and the increasingly explicit critiques of his leadership have raised the question of whether the Liberal Party has a unifying ideology.
Bill Shorten and Malcolm Turnbull will be working hard to prevent the kind of errors and complacency that have tripped up leaders before them.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Ballooning borrowing to invest in the housing market is impeding investment in the real economy, holding back investment in skills and jobs, and driving up inequality.
Treasurers throughout Australia’s history have used their budget role to reach out to people.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
If the word “reform” implies genuine public benefit, then real reform has been in short supply for all of the 106 years of electronic media regulation in Australia.
Western leaders and activists should show humility and allow themselves to be guided by local organisations if they wish to be effective in promoting same-sex rights.
A plebiscite on legalising same-sex marriage is bad policy that ought to be revisited.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Australia’s political system would be better off with more ordinary people and fewer career party politicians in the Senate. It would thus be more representative of ordinary Australians, not less.