The French Ambassador to Australia Christophe Lecourtier sits down with Michelle Grattan to talk about the 2015 Paris climate conference, Australia’s role in tackling climate change and much more.
Mark Butler talks about climate change, ETS, an early election, and much more.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Michelle Grattan talks to Labor environment spokesman Mark Butler about climate change, an ETS, the possibility of an early election, the ALP national conference and much more.
Malcolm Turnbull talks about the government’s new anti-online piracy measures, Zaky Mallah on Q&A, and much more.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Michelle Grattan talks to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull about the government's new anti-online piracy measures, Zaky Mallah on ABC's Q&A, gay marriage and much more.
Sarah Hanson-Young talks about personal attacks on her, and paying people smugglers to turn their boats around.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Michelle Grattan talks to Greens Senator Sarah Hanson-Young about personal attacks on her, paying people smugglers to turn their boat around, gay marriage, and much more.
Bruce Billson talks to Michelle Grattan about the 2015 federal budget and the small business tax cuts.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Michelle Grattan talks to Minister for Small Business Bruce Billson about the budget, the small business tax cuts, cabinet leaks, gay marriage and much more.
Treasurer Joe Hockey’s failure to talk about basic measures of the economy in his second budget speech is telling.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
A budget speech that fails to discuss basic measures of how the economy going is revealing in itself. Joe Hockey is the first treasurer since at least 1981 not to mention GDP.
It was a novelty when Conservative leader David Cameron had to enlist Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg’s support to govern, but Britons may have to get used to minority government.
EPA/Andy Rain
The UK is poised for another minority government, this time possibly with a hung parliament. Australia’s long experience of such arrangements offers lessons in how to manage minority government.
Young people take a keen interest in key policy areas such as climate change – the main problem is a lack of government engagement with them on such intergenerational issues.
AAP/Newzulu/Zoe Reynolds
Lack of youth involvement in politics is often attributed to lack of interest. But my research indicates the bigger barrier is government capacity to listen to and work with young people’s views.
About one in four Australians are skipping the polling day queues and voting early.
Sunanda Creagh
More than 280,000 votes were cast online at the NSW election, which has been claimed as a new world record. The state’s early vote also looks set to hit a new high, mirroring a trend across Australia.
While selfies have become a staple of political life, voters’ loyalty beyond the moment can no longer be taken for granted – a new reality the major parties must adapt to if they want to survive.
Lukas Coch/AAP
The same forces of disruption that are changing industries and economies around the world are now having a discernible effect on Australian politics – and that’s bad news for the major parties.
There’ll be a lot of strategic thinking going into the vote during the Liberal leadership spill.
AAP
How might Liberal MPs vote in the upcoming leadership spill? The answer to that question is vastly more complicated than it might seem. Ostensibly, they will be voting for the best political leader amongst…
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s government was sworn in just over one year ago, making this an opportune moment to review its performance from an international perspective. Abbott and his Canadian…
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese worries that a depleted press gallery is affecting the quality of political reporting.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Labor frontbencher Anthony Albanese recently bemoaned the decline in the quality of political reporting in Australia. Albanese is not the first current or ex-politician to question the standard of reporting…
On the occasion of US Secretary of State John Kerry trip to Australia for AUSMIN talks, I reflect upon the role of Australia in America’s democracy. Meetings such as AUSMIN focus on military contributions…
An IEA legacy on the stairs at 10 Downing Street?
The Prime Minister's Office
The Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) is enjoying another moment in the sun. Australian politics is starting to move to the beat of its drum as Treasurer Joe Hockey talks about an “end to the age of…
Federal MP Clive Palmer vowed to block the budget’s ‘horrific cuts’ in his Queensland Media Club address this week.
AAP/Dan Peled
It looks like there’s a new Clive Palmer in town. At Monday’s Queensland Media Club lunch in Brisbane, where the Palmer United Party (PUP) leader talked down the federal budget and spruiked his own ideas…
Christopher Pyne wants to purge the national curriculum of political ‘bias’, but the curriculum is nearly party-politics free.
AAP/Dan Peled
Announcing his review into the national curriculum late last week, education minister Christopher Pyne said that the government fears it has a partisan leaning towards leftist politics and doesn’t recognise…
The government needs nearly all of the 22 votes that National Party leader Warren Truss can deliver to guarantee passage of its legislation.
AAP Image/Dan Peled
Socrates once observed that no-one could be a statesman if they were entirely ignorant of the problem of wheat. Once again wheat – or, more precisely, grain handling and the sale of GrainCorp – is drawing…
Morrison is attempting to shore up his political defences on Operation Sovereign Borders.
AAP Image/Dan Himbrechts
Immigration Minister Scott Morrison loves to cast the battle against the boats in military terms. So we might apply that language to assess the continuing struggle between government and media over the…
Kevin Rudd leaves parliament with his future as uncertain as his legacy.
AAP/Daniel Munoz
Should we care about Kevin Rudd’s legacy? Will anyone care? Australian political historians gaze with envy at the United States, where past presidents are revered and books about the “founding fathers…