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Articles on Federal election 2013

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The return of Kevin Rudd was aimed at denting the Coalition’s chances in Queensland, however it now appears that Teresa Gambaro will hold on to the marginal seat of Brisbane. AAP/Alan Porritt

Defying the Rudd revival: Brisbane is the real bellwether seat

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…
In terms of a two-party contest, Victoria has just three ultra-marginal seats. Image from shutterstock.com

State of the states: Victoria

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…
Wage bargaining conditions may well change under a coalition government. AAP

What do new disclosures reveal about Coalition IR policy?

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…
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott (centre) speaks to the media as Professor Patrick McGorry (right) and Senator Connie Fierravanti Wells look on during a press conference to launch the Liberal-National Party coalition plan for mental health. LISA MAREE WILLIAMS/AAP

Mental health is largely missing from the election campaign

Launching the Coalition’s policy for Efficient Mental Health Research and Services late last week, Tony Abbott said he wished all his policy statements attracted such media attention. Given the Australian…
Do the math. Higher education is important to Australian voters. University image from www.shutterstock.com

Is higher education a vote changer?

There are no votes in higher education, right? One former cabinet minister would refer to universities as “the dogs” - because if you kick ‘em, they just roll over. Conventional wisdom has long told us…
Due to its small population, WA has only 15 federal electorates, or 11% of the total. Twodogz photography

State of the states: Western Australia

STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. During Tony Abbott’s recent campaign visit to Western Australia, the state’s…
Liberal candidate for Greenway Jaymes Diaz has made international headlines for his gaffe-prone campaign - but he may yet wrest the seat from Labor. Channel 10

Greenway, or the place which Jaymes Diaz is trying to represent

The ultra-marginal seat of Greenway in Sydney’s western suburbs has recently drawn international scrutiny after the embarrassing media performance of the Liberal candidate Jaymes Diaz, who faltered when…
Cuts to Australia’s clean energy programs don’t make the promised savings, and threaten our low-carbon future. AAP Image/Penny Bradfield

Coalition climate figures don’t add up

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey and shadow Minister for Finance, Andrew Robb, have announced A$7.5 billion in planned budget savings from scrapping key elements of the Government’s Clean Energy Future package…
Perhaps talking about investment could lead Australia to a brighter farming future. Michael Lloyd

Foreign investment in agriculture? How about a plan for profitability

Large parts of Australian agriculture are economically and financially unsustainable. Returns are inadequate and unbalanced; assets are depleted; risks are needlessly high. To date, governments have largely…
Rudd Report.

Day 27: Glasson gladiators fight the Ruddy Future

Bill Glasson is already a Liberal National Party hero. The 60-year-old eye surgeon and prime ministerial challenger received special mention and a rousing response at Tony Abbott’s Liberal launch in Brisbane…
An overlapping dissatisfaction with minority governments in Canberra and Tasmania could see Labor lose its four seats. Charles Haynes

State of the states: Tasmania

STATE OF THE STATES: a snapshot of the key issues affecting each state and territory in the lead up to Saturday’s election. Leading up to the September 7 federal election, one of the multiple three-word…
The economic costings from both parties rely on wildly optimistic PEFO figures. AAP

Electoral promises of both parties hang on precarious PEFO forecasts

The economic promises of both the Coalition and the ALP rely on two “big taxes”: the mining tax and the carbon tax. This week, the Coalition revealed what it believes it will save from abolishing them…
By consulting more with fishers, governments can build support for conservation science. Flickr/Ben Christian Photos

Marine parks won’t work unless fishers are on side

Last year the current government unveiled plans for the world’s largest network of marine parks around Australia’s coast. Now the Coalition has pledged to put a pause on the plan should it form government…
Prime minister Kevin Rudd has tried to use social media to his advantage during the election campaign - but it has also been used against him, too. How powerful is it? @KRuddMP

Can social media swing votes in this election campaign?

As journalism professor David Maguire noted at the start of this campaign, prime minister Kevin Rudd has had such limited time in which to develop a social media strategy that he has “parachuted” in some…
The LNP wants to scrap CSG legislation. AAP Image/Dan Peled

Putting coal seam gas clashes on the election map

Coal seam gas (CSG) is fundamentally divisive. Proponents of short-term profits are pitted against those whose priority is to preserve the sustainable resources of agricultural land and scarce water. As…
Many of the issues women face are the result of the broken work patterns that stem from juggling work and child rearing. Image from shutterstock.com

Applying a gender lens to the 2013 election campaign

Most Australians are aware of the Coalition’s signature policy on paid parental leave. But how are the parties addressing the other issues that concern Australian women in this election? A recent survey…
Former ALP politician Barry Jones says political discourse during the federal election is on ‘to be even worse’ than in previous years. AAP/Alan Porritt

Barry Jones: the 2013 election and the death of rationality

As somebody with a lifelong, but not very happy, involvement in politics, I must declare an interest, as a life member of the ALP. Nevertheless, I think I can be objective in describing the decay of our…
It wasn’t Rudd or Abbott who won the final televised debate of the election campaign - it was the ‘old media’ form of television, proving its power. AAP/Alan Porritt

People’s forum: the winner is … television

I’ve written about Ian: the ordinary bloke who stole the show at the final people’s forum by flustering Tony Abbott and Kevin Rudd, and enraging the watching audience all at the same time. At face value…

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