Another tumultuous week in politics saw the appearance of the “Monash Forum”, more speculation about the 30th Newspoll and the Greens proposing a people’s bank.
Many among the public will discount Abbott’s activities as just his usual trouble-making. The noise, however, reinforces the general impression of a fractured government.
Michael McCormack’s challenges include uniting his party behind him, making himself widely known among rural and regional voters, and forging a strong relationship with Malcolm Turnbull.
The Turnbull government is still tying itself in knots over the future of coal, as literally decades of policy turmoil on climate and energy continue to roll on.
The government’s changes to the so called “backpacker tax” will mean these holidaying workers will have less super than other temporary workers in Australia, creating even more inequality.
Just as there were winners and losers in Malcolm Turnbull’s ministerial reshuffle at the beginning of the week, there will be frontbench promotions and demotions in the Labor Party in the coming days.
Cabinet minister Christopher Pyne and the Nationals are winners in Malcolm Turnbull’s post-election reshuffle, which has promoted only one new conservative Liberal face to the frontbench.
Australia’s energy policy has lost its way over the past couple of decades, which is unfortunate because the challenges – to move to a low-carbon economy without high prices – have never been tougher.
Malcolm Turnbull returns to the helm with a wafer-thin majority and a significant element in his government who still oppose climate action - can he defy the odds and serve up some credible policy?
Senior Lecturer in Political Science: Research Fellow at the Cairns Institute; Research Associate for Centre for Policy Futures, University of Queensland, James Cook University