Like Geoff Gallop I would like to believe the woes of the Gillard government are not also the death throes of the Labor Party, even after the debacle this weekend that saw Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper…
Julia Gillard faces the media after Craig Thomson’s suspension from the government benches.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Since forming government in 2010, the Gillard government has faced an uphill battle to assert its authority on the policy agenda. Initially, this was partly due to the fact that it relied on the Greens…
Rudd’s commitment to Australia’s bid for a UN security council seat must continue under Bob Carr.
EPA/Jason Szenes
Now we have a new foreign minister, some have suggested it’s time for Australia to give up its bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. During his time as prime minister and foreign minister…
Accusations against Peter Slipper have prompted him to step aside as speaker.
AAP Image/Penny Bradfield
Speaker of the House of Representatives Peter Slipper has stepped aside following allegations of sexual harassment and the misuse of cab-charge vouchers. Slipper’s former adviser James Ashby accused the…
Australian troops work with Afghan National Army forces in Uruzgan province in August 2011.
Prime minister Julia Gillard today announced the revised timetable for the withdrawal of Australian troops from Afghanistan. Within 12 to 18 months the majority of Australian military forces will leave…
Former prime ministers Gordon Brown and Kevin Rudd before the 2009 G20 summit.
What are political parties for? Do they exist only to win elections or are they for the benefit of members with process as important as outcome? These are the fundamental questions that former British…
All eyes are now on Christine Milne to see if she is up to filling the void left by former leader Bob Brown.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
Bob Brown’s decision to resign as leader of the Greens last Friday marks a new and interesting phase in the evolution and development of the Australian Greens. Brown’s exit from the Senate in June inevitably…
New Greens leader Christine Milne should learn from Bob Brown’s charismatic leadership.
AAP/Alan Porritt
Australia has a long record of charismatic political leaders and Bob Brown is perhaps the most notable recent example, but unlike other leaders of this style he has demonstrated remarkable political skill…
Bob Brown says The Greens could form a future government, but they may have peaked already.
The exit of Bob Brown raises an interesting issue for the Australian Greens. Now the party’s charismatic founder has gone, what will happen to the party? Does it have a long-term future, and if so, what…
Bob Brown represented a new direction for Australian politics.
AAP/Alan Porritt
In a political career that began in 1983, Bob Brown has been the ubiquitous face of green politics in Australia. He took his first seat in the Tasmanian parliament on countback after the resignation of…
Bob Brown announces his resignation from politics at a press conference in Canberra.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Senator Bob Brown today resigned as leader of the Australian Greens. He will vacate his Senate seat in June. Former deputy Christine Milne has been elected leader of the party, with a new deputy to be…
Bob Brown’s resignation seemed to even surprise members of his own party.
ABC News24
In a surprise move, Senator Bob Brown has resigned as leader of the Australian Greens and has been replaced by his former deputy Christine Milne. Brown will step down from his Senate seat in June. He has…
Gillard may encounter some tough talk from Coalition MPs at today’s COAG meeting.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
The Coalition state premiers going to the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) meeting today smell blood. The Gillard government is in a weak position with constant leadership speculation, the Craig…
The union scandal surrounding Labor MP Craig Thompson shows just why the Labor party should re-consider its relationship with the unions.
AAP Image/Alan Porritt
The Health Services Union’s scandal continues with calls for its national president to resign and moves to remove Kathy Jackson, the whistleblower who first revealed claims of credit card misuse, from…
Former Health Services Union head Craig Thomson represents a vital vote for the Gillard government.
AAP Image/Penny Bradfield
The ACTU yesterday voted to suspend the Health Servives Union from affiliation until they can prove that issues of governance have been dealt with appropriately. Although it does seem to have been a slow…
Gillard shines when she is closer to voters, such as at this week’s community cabinet in Paramatta.
AAP/Tracey Nearmy
By all accounts, in person Prime Minister Julia Gillard is relaxed, funny, engaging and a good listener. Her ministers say she is tough, masters briefs well, leads, and takes decisions. On top of that…
Scientists and politicians rely on each other – so how best to develop that relationship?
mayhem
“Our lack of ability to position our argument in the public means science has not influenced public debate as it should.” So said Australian National University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Young at…
Perhaps finance minister Bill Shorten and the Labor party should shout a bit louder about superannuation.
AAP Image/Lukas Coch
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…
Former ALP Minister Barry Jones says the party needs significant reform.
AAP
Queensland has developed a tradition of political swings that are far greater than the national average. Labor held only one Queensland House of Representatives seat in 1975 and in 1996 only two. The major…