GOP President Ronald Reagan and Democratic House Speaker Tip O'Neill at the April, 1983 signing of bipartisan social security legislation.
AP/Barry Thumma
Most Congresses since the 1970s have passed more than 500 laws, ranging from nuclear disarmament to deficit reduction. Will today’s bitter partisanship hamstring the new Congress’ productivity?
Soon we’ll have a much better idea of what we are buying, and companies will be shamed into sourcing products better.
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Soon we’ll have a better idea of what we are buying. There are no penalties, but “naming and shaming” might make Australia’s Modern Slavery Act work.
Independent senators like Derryn Hinch or a potentially re-elected Jacqui Lambie are likely to wield significant power with the next federal Labor government, according to analysis by the Australia Institute.
Mick Tskias/AAP
The Institute’s analysis suggests that, at best, after next year’s half-Senate
election the ALP and Greens could have 38 senators – although more likely they would have 37.
Politics with Michelle Grattan: Derryn Hinch on a national ICAC and the Victorian election
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The government is more likely to beef up existing institutions but Derryn Hinch, who has been a strong advocate for a national ICAC, says "that would be wrong."
Democratic congressional candidate Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks at her midterm election night party in New York City, Nov. 6, 2018.
Reuters/Andrew Kelly
The highly-anticipated US mid-terms produced mixed results for both major parties – Democrats won the House but Republicans strengthened their hold on the Senate.
House Democrats will finally have a say in economic policy.
AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite
Is money the root of all evil in politics? It’s easy to see a correlation between winning and fundraising – money flows to likely winners and competitive races. But correlation is not causation.
Cormann threw himself under the blame bus on Tuesday, but actually he’d tried earlier to stop the government being run over by the Hanson truck.
Mick Tskias/AAP
One would think ministerial staff would be particularly alert to Hanson motions, and think very carefully before concluding she was doing something as unlikely as putting forward an anti-racist one.
Legal scholars offer a vision for appointing Supreme Court justices more fairly. While it wouldn’t require any constitutional amendments, it would require Congress to pass a bill.
Los Angeles County women’s jail in Lynwood, California.
Reuters/Lucy Nicholson
Brett Kavanaugh presented himself as a good and reputable man in his recent Senate hearing. But a man’s social status and education tell us nothing about whether he’s likely to commit sexual assault.
Christine Blasey Ford prepares to face the Senate.
Reuters/Tom Williams
Senators followed a playbook familiar to millions of women. In promoting men, companies and other organizations have frequently brushed aside allegations of sexual assault and harassment.
Liberal women such as those in the Morrison ministry, pictured here, should organise to achieve structural change - the only kind that ever sticks.
AAP/Lukas Coch
The late Sen. John McCain was an early – and lonely – Republican supporter of action to fight climate change. His challenge was to regulate sources of energy that underlie much of our economy.
Trump with the men who would replace him – Vice President Mike Pence on the left and House Speaker Paul Ryan on the left.
Win McNamee/AP Pool