Giving rich households superannuation concessions is not justified according to new research which says these retirees spend as much as their poorer counterparts.
The Federal Budget is put together by the Department of Finance and Treasury, unlike PEFO.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
So far the budget has given us more education gift cards to use in the stores of the federal government’s choosing - two more tests for children; one when they come into school and one when they leave.
The budget papers aren’t so scary, if you know how to read them.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Behind the armed takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon lie decades of controversy over federal control of public land in western states.
If there is an important issue, chances are there is federal advisory committee for it. With over 1,000 such committees in operation at any given time, it is worth understanding how they work.
When Treasurer Joe Hockey presents the budget next week it will be worth reviewing the language he and Prime Minister Tony Abbott use about government spending.
Lukas Coch/AAP
What do school chaplains and cassowaries have in common? Both highlight the degree to which federal governments struggle to devolve quality public decision-making to the right level. Our schools and our…
Fire aboard the Deepwater Horizon.
US Coast Guard/handout/EPA
Easter Sunday will mark the fourth anniversary of the BP oil well blowout in the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Eleven workers on the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform died and almost five million…
Furniture retailer Harvey Norman has been targeted by activists, in a campaign described by the federal government as dishonest.
AAP Image/The Last Stand/Matthew Newton
In October 2000, I was driving through downtown Boise, Idaho, and nearly careered off the road. Just in front of me was a giant inflatable Godzilla-like dinosaur, well over 30m tall. It was towering over…
Tony Abbott has promised a new way forward for federal-state relations if the Coalition wins government. But will he find the federal lever of power too tempting not to pull?
AAP/Alan Porritt
Opposition leader Tony Abbott announced on the weekend that a government he leads would adopt a new approach to relations between the Commonwealth and the states. He has promised to meet with the state…
Treasurer Wayne Swan has unveiled an $19.4 billion deficit, but promises to be back in surplus by 2016-17.
AAP
How did the Australian economy, which boasts the best performance of the major advanced economies, end up with an estimated budget deficit of A$19 billion this year and an estimated debt of $178 billion…
Many of the measures in Wayne Swan’s budget had already been announced in advance.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Treasurer Wayne Swan has delivered a budget with a A$19.4 billion deficit this financial year, falling only to $18 billion in 2013-14. The government would aim to bring the budget back to “balance” – less…
Soon after revealing his plans to build a replica Titanic, Clive Palmer has set his sights on becoming Australian Prime Minister.
EPA/Jason Szenes
Queensland has a habit of raising the eyebrows of our southern cousins when it comes to politics “our way”. Visits to friends and family down south always have required explanations about Joh Bjelke-Petersen…
Another funding shake-up: the University of South Queensland and others are concerned about cuts to student funding and scholarships.
USQ/Grace Yu
Losing A$200 a student doesn’t sound like a major cut for a multi-billion-dollar industry - so will the new university funding cuts really affect the quality of Australian higher education? Over the weekend…