The insults have becoming increasingly personal, but they don’t always work.
AAP/Lukas Coch
Creating epithets for political opponents has a long history in Australia – and when it works, it can be devastating.
Minister for Finance Mathias Cormann, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Treasurer Scott Morrison announce the passage of their income tax package.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
It was a busy week in politics, with the federal government passing its income tax package, more squabbling over the ABC, and all parties gearing up for the July 28 byelections.
ABC managing director Michelle Guthrie has launched a strong defence of the public broadcaster.
AAP/Julian Smith
A motion to privatise the ABC, no matter how vigorously repudiated by the government, is political poison, and may now reap a political harvest.
Recently, hard-right Coalition MPs have not had as much influence on government policy as they used to, and Malcolm Turnbull is probably benefiting from this.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
While the Turnbull government’s ratings have improved, the focus on its tax policies and the Barnaby Joyce story may be holding back its vote.
In happier times: Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the 2017 APEC summit in Vietnam.
AAP/STR
Anxiety about China’s rise is unlikely to abate any time soon – Australia needs to remain calm and realise the region is changing rapidly.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has notched up his 33rd consecutive twp party preferred Newspoll loss as leader.
AAP/Dean Lewins
Labor still holds a narrow two-party preferred lead over the Coalition, while polling takes a skewed turn.
Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop and her Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, have had a rocky relationship in recent years.
Aaron Favila/AP Pool
The rhetoric between Australia and China is reaching a fever pitch in the media, with less room for journalists to take a more nuanced, objective viewpoint.
While this is Malcolm Turnbull’s 32nd consecutive Newspoll loss as PM, the past two have been narrow losses.
AAP/Ellen Smith
Polls also have good news for the government, with the two-party preferred gap narrowing and the budget well-received.
Tax cuts and tax reform have formed the centrepiece of the 2018 Budget.
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Burgeoning tax revenues have enabled Treasurer Scott Morrison to bring down a budget that will put the government in a better position to fight the next election.
Labor MP Tim Hammond’s resignation has triggered a byelection in Perth, which Labor looks likely to hold.
AAP/Rebecca Le May
Labor holds its two-party preferred lead over the Coalition, but recent momentum has been with the incumbent government.
Malcolm Turnbull would do well to take his lead from Emmanuel Macron on climate change.
AAP/Michael Reynolds
An uncertain world and a possible free trade agreement are among the reasons the French president’s visit is an important one.
The Coalition has narrowed the gap with Labor in the latest Newspoll, and Malcolm Turnbull has a 38-35 lead over Bill Shorten as better prime minister.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Malcolm Turnbull may have lost 31 consecutive Newspolls, but the latest result shows a narrowing between the two major parties, and the Coalition’s best performance since September 2016.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull tours the La Trobe valley at the end of the week of the much-discussed 30th negative Newspoll.
AAP/Julian Smith
The Coalition reels from its 30th consecutive Newspoll loss, while Australia’s relationship with China comes under pressure.
Tony Abbott launches Pauline Hanson’s book at Parliament House in Canberra.
Mick Tsikas/AAP
Tony Abbott’s supporters are derided as delusional conservatives, but they have immense political impact and are determined to bring down Malcolm Turnbull.
A big difference between the losing streaks of Malcolm Turnbull and former PM Tony Abbott is that Abbott often trailed Shorten as better PM, while Turnbull has always led Shorten.
AAP/Brendan Esposito
Despite the government’s 30th Newspoll loss under Malcolm Turnbull, this week’s polls have been a mixed bag for both sides.
Turnbull and his ministers confronted the bad poll day head on.
Brendan Esposito/AAP
With the fateful 30th Newspoll finally out there, the government on Monday descended into an orgy of destructive self-indulgence.
If Malcolm Turnbull is to draw any comfort from a self-inflicted wound, he might consider the history of leaders who have endured bad polling and prevailed.
AAP/Darren England
History warns us to beware of the fickleness of polls taken mid-term, which tend to be a snapshot rather than a deep reading of the electoral mood.
Abbott is
“pollie pedalling” in the Latrobe Valley, making sure he is best placed to exploit Turnbull’s pain over the Newspoll and his difficulty with the energy issue.
Luke Ascui/AAP
The Coalition trails 48-52%, compared with 47-53% a fortnight ago. The Australian reports it is only the second time since April last year that the government has come
The results of next week’s Newspoll will be eagerly awaited on both sides of the House.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
The Coalition braces for the next Newspoll, while a redistribution gives Labor reason to smile, and the Batman byelection results are finalised.
Tony Abbott will be cycling through the Latrobe valley when the 30th Newspoll is released on Monday.
Lukas Coch/AAP
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.