Budget
Katherine Murphy
Team Abbott embraces Asia
Katharine Murphy There's more to the political debate than white noise about Thomson and Slipper.
David Day
Alert, but not alarmed: enemy not at the gates
David Day Australia needs to reassess its old fears of invasion and defend accordingly.
Paul McGeough
US exit creates army ripe for recruitment
Paul McGeough Numbers coming out of Afghanistan often are scary but try wrapping your head around this one - 123,500.
Heath Aston
Long way to go before we can even talk the talk
Heath Aston Remember the 1980s, when Japan was going to take over the world? In a business and cultural sense, at least.
Tim Colebatch
The world holds its breath as Europe struggles in the quicksand
Tim Colebatch The consequences of the EU's austerity drive look increasingly dangerous.
Ross Gittins
Self-interest at heart of super industry gripe
Ross Gittins Politicians must steel themselves to fix a mess that will keep growing.
Chris Middendorp
The fair go has fairly gone
Chris Middendorp We are a scandalously divided nation, and a little class warfare is very welcome.
Ross Gittins
Bitter tears hide super self interest
Ross Gittins Have you noticed? Our guardians in the superannuation industry have come out swinging to defend us against the changes to superannuation announced in the budget.
Problems take back seat to the farce
Barnaby Joyce Sometimes the whole political creature gets so fascinated with its own navel, the media staring intently full frontal at it as well, that frustration in the suburbs and the regions goes from anger to...
Jeff Lewis
Lost in a frontier fantasy
Jeff Lewis THE closest many of us in the eastern states have come to the mining boom is its statistical reassurance.
Karen McQuigg
A swing of the government axe restores the deaf penalty
Karen McQuigg Scrapping Auslan has ripped the heart out of a vulnerable group.
Sean Nicholls
Liberals lose as mud flies over election funds
Sean Nicholls Chris Hartcher is one of the most experienced hands in the O'Farrell cabinet. A former environment minister in John Fahey's government, he also served as government whip under Nick Greiner in the...
Bad blood runs cold for Labor
Michelle Grattan Gillard's future is once more uncertain, against ever worsening chaos. For the Labor party, the terrifying thing is that there seems no quick or ready way through the impasse.
Shaun Carney
Gillard paying price for gamble on the numbers
Shaun Carney Most notable among the non-Craig-Thomson news this week was the passage in the lower house of the Gillard government's gambling reforms with the support of the independent member for Denison, Andrew...
Kasey Edwards
Baby bonus more about votes than giving parents a helping hand
Kasey Edwards Perhaps the most surprising thing about the federal government's decision to slash the baby bonus is how little outrage it provoked.
Kenneth Davidson
Victoria can escape the public-private partnership black hole
Kenneth Davidson There is a way to free up money to pay more to teachers, nurses and TAFEs.
Phillip Coorey
PM returns to disorder in the House and trouble over Rinehart deal
Phillip Coorey When Julia Gillard arrived home from Chicago on Wednesday morning and saw Anthony Albanese, she made an immediate observation: ''You look tired.''
Paul Sheehan
Brit trick is an insult to the system
Paul Sheehan In recent days John McTernan, the director of communications for the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, has indulged a taste for insult. Here are some samples of his writings via the medium of Twitter:
Katharine Murphy
Is Gillard hitting her stride?
Katharine Murphy Things seem to be getting harder for Tony Abbott - but it's still too soon to be betting on an early election.
Don't you know that you're toxic
Daniel Flitton SURELY it can’t be coincidence. Canberra’s once sparkling lake is now a swamp so toxic people are warned any contact with the sour water could cause paralysis - or even death - at the very same time...
