This Month
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
Inflation kills incumbents. Not that Labor needed a reminder
Amid all the fluff, bile and nonsense of the US election campaign, the seminal question was ‘are you better off than you were four years ago?’, and the answer was an emphatic no.
- Updated
- Phillip Coorey
October
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
Without trust, our institutions lose authority. Just ask Trump
In 2016 Donald Trump stormed into office on the back of a widespread voter cynicism and distrust. He is a coin toss away from doing so again.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Peter Dutton
Dutton has tales to tell, but no log cabin story
For a bloke who has been in parliament for 23 years, much about the Liberal opposition leader remains unknown to the broader electorate.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
In a sea of volatility, the ACT is Labor’s ‘forever government’
Labor has held power in the territory for 23 years. The Liberals hope that will prove to be enough in this weekend’s election.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
Desperate Labor resorts to the ‘wedgislation’ it used to mock
This government is still in its first term yet is deploying end-of-days tactics – an observation not lost in an anxious backbench.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
Middle ground on the Middle East is bleeding Labor
A fast end to hostilities in the Middle East would suit the Albanese government as it tries to focus on cost of living.
- Andrew Tillett
September
- Opinion
- Negative gearing
Resorting to riddles on negative gearing treats voters as mugs
This week showed the government’s performance remains far from polished when events wander off script.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
‘Airbus Albo’ grounded as domestic struggles take over
Like a farmer waiting for rain, Albanese will hold out for a pre-election rate cut that could do a lot more to shift the dial than anything he’s tried so far.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Peter Dutton
Dutton’s strategic reset targets treasurer and the teals
The latest moves are emblematic of a broader offensive buoyed by polls that suggest a very slim possibility of winning enough seats to negotiate minority government.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Jim Chalmers
Just maybe, the worm has started to turn on the cost of living
The short-lived census row has sharply reminded the government that it cannot take its eye off the economic ball now.
- Phillip Coorey
August
Labor should invest in demonising Bandt as well as Dutton
The government wants us to believe Peter Dutton is dangerous and divisive. It might need to focus on the leader of the Greens as well.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Opinion
This week showed politics can still work in the national interest
The NDIS breakthrough, the CFMEU deal, and in-principle agreement on aged care reform shows it’s not all about the antics of crossbench issue poseurs or the confected conflict of question time.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Opinion
Treasurer might have created a monster with RBA reforms
Allowing the straight-talking Michele Bullock a press conference after every rates meeting has diluted the government’s power to control the economic message.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Childcare
Short-term politics won’t leave sustainable childcare legacy
Five years ago, Labor promised to subsidise childcare wages and was howled down. Now, it hardly moves the dial.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Political leadership
Like Howard, Albanese knows two heirs apparent are better than one
Labor’s leadership succession plan seems less obvious than it did six months ago.
- Phillip Coorey
July
- Opinion
- Building Bad
It’s not just Labor that let the CFMEU off the leash
Jacqui Lambie, Pauline Hanson and some independents have played a role in enabling the militant union.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
Wall-to-wall Labor not necessarily a bonus for the PM
As the federal election nears, the question is whether Labor in power across the entire mainland has become a problem for the Albanese government in terms of brand damage.
- Phillip Coorey
- Opinion
- Productivity Commission
Middle Australia is indeed the lucky country
A suite of new data sources has enabled the Productivity Commission to revise its measure of economic mobility. The result surprised everyone.
- Tom Burton
- Opinion
- Federal election
Muslims and farmers, everyone wants a piece of Labor
An unanticipated backlash in WA is the last thing the government needs, given the prospect of the creation of a pro-Muslim political movement targeting heartland ALP seats.
- Phillip Coorey
June
- Opinion
- Anthony Albanese
Payman has crossed Labor’s tribal caucus comrades
Unlike the West Australian senator who gifted the Greens a propaganda victory, Penny Wong stayed in the tent and effected change from within on same-sex marriages.
- Phillip Coorey
