A biography about suffragist Vida Goldstein seeks to reveal her strength and endurance. Sadly, it also reveals how little progress women who seek political power on their terms have made.
In a new book, Julia Gillard, Hillary Clinton and other high-profile female leaders speak plainly about the challenges women face at the very top of politics.
“What would Julia do?” Julia Gillard smashed a glass ceiling as Australia’s 27th prime minister. She also transformed the way we talk and think about women in politics.
With his defence of those on “struggle street” mixed with a hectoring and bullying style, Jones exerted enormous influence on Australian public life. But utlimately, progress ran over the top.
Asylum seekers stare at media from behind a fence at the Manus Island detention centre, 2014.
Eoin Blackwell/AAP
Prime Minister Scott Morrison can learn from the pitfalls that contributed to the downfall of the Rudd and Gillard governments.
Scott Morrison with newly-election Coalition MPs. The 2019 election has done little to improve the representation of women in parliament.
AAP/Lukas Coch
While Scott Morrison has touted the record seven women in his cabinet, the overall representation of women in parliament has barely improved since the last election in 2016.
A demand-driven funding model increased enrolments dramatically.
from shutterstock.com
Labor’s main election promise for higher education is to restore the demand-driven system of funding, also known as scrapping the “cap” on government funding. Here’s why that would be a good policy.
The Gillard government kept 87% of its promises, though some had to be compromised to navigate a hung parliament.
AAP/Alan Porritt
While trust in politicians and political systems is lower than ever, new research shows the Gillard government kept most of its promises.
Finance Minister Mathias Cormann was questioned on Monday by Labor Senator Penny Wong about the Coalition government’s expenditures on pre-election advertising.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Both the Liberals and Labor complain about government advertising when they’re in the opposition. So why hasn’t anyone tried to better regulate the system?
Malcolm Turnbull was the latest prime minister to be ousted before the end of his term in August, 2018.
AAP/Sam Mooy
With John Howard in 2004-7 the last prime minister to serve a full term, it may seem Australia has sunk into a long rein of political instability. But that is not necessarily the case.
Michelle Grattan speaks about the week in politics with Nick Klomp.
Morrison and minister Angus Taylor announced, or rather re-announced,
their “big stick” measures to force power companies to lower prices,
including threatening to break up recalcitrants.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Scott Morrison, unless his prayers for a political miracle are answered, will go down as the fireman who arrived late armed only with leaky buckets to confront a building ablaze and collapsing.
Malcolm Turnbull’s days were numbered as the Newspoll losses continued to mount.
Lukas Coch/AAP
Policymaking is no longer based solely on what a party stands for. Now, it also matters how a decision is going to play in the opinion polls – and that’s a problem for our political system.
Most Australians did not want Malcolm Turnbull to be deposed as prime minister.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Australians have never liked sitting PMs being deposed by their own parties - but the outrage over Malcolm Turnbull’s destruction is the greatest in modern history.
Happy days: Opposition Leader Bill Shorten in parliament.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Labor has managed more cohesion in recent years because its left and right wings have shifted to common ground - partly through its factions.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and federal energy minister Josh Frydenberg have been forced to back down on plans to legislate emissions reductions for the electricity sector.
AAP Image/Mick Tsikas
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has abandoned the emissions-reduction component of his signature energy policy, in the latest chapter of a brutal decade-long saga for Australian climate policy.
With some foul-mouthed words to Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Senator David Leyonhjelm has turned a debate about the safety of women into a sleazy political sideshow.
AAP/Mick Tsikas/Sam Mooy
Many female politicians have had to endure sexist abuse, from Cheryl Kernot to Julia Gillard to Sarah Hanson-Young. And it is not a matter that should simply be brushed aside.
No other government redress scheme has included children who were abused both in care and not in care.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
A new survey asking Australians to rank the most significant events in their lifetimes show that same-sex marriage, September 11 and the apology to the Stolen Generations matter most.