Michelle Grattan
Michelle Grattan is the political editor of The Age. In 2008, she shared the Melbourne Press Club Lifetime Achievement Award with Laurie Oakes. She edited the books 'Reconciliation' and 'Australian Prime Ministers' (2000), and wrote 'Back on the Wool Track' (2004).
Michelle Grattan
Timing, PM, is crucial
Michelle Grattan Julia Gillard's problems with her reshuffle will be how it is perceived. Her danger is it will be seen as ministers deserting a sinking ship and that it adds to an impression of chaos, which can be...
Labor's return to the Howard days is excruciating
Michelle Grattan It might have been less painful if they had just embraced Howard's harsh asylum-seeker policy in one fell swoop.
Michelle Grattan
Bowen policy to deter boats laden with risks
Michelle Grattan Chris Bowen was guest speaker at the federal parliamentary press gallery dinner last night. He had been asked to address the function when it was set for early in the year, but it had to be deferred.
Michelle Grattan
When those boats just keep on coming
Michelle Grattan If treasurer Wayne Swan is worried that he mightn't be able to achieve that razor-thin surplus, Immigration Minister Chris Bowen has to be terrified that the asylum seeker boats won't stop.
Experts float a blueprint for asylum compromise
Michelle Grattan Despite Angus Houston's claims that politics played no part in his panel's thinking, its package is crafted cleverly enough to given maximum push towards forcing a compromise.
Michelle Grattan
Backflip bitter but needed
Michelle Grattan Angus Houston and his panel both rebuffed PM Julia Gillard and opened an escape route for her.
Michelle Grattan
A flawed Malaysia deal would surely be a lesser evil than losing more lives
Michelle Grattan I strongly opposed the Pacific Solution, and aspects of the Malaysia swap plan are also abhorrent, but so many people are dying we have to act now.
Michelle Grattan
Kev's gang has little in common
Michelle Grattan An eclectic quartet of four ministers came out to support Kevin Rudd last week.
Michelle Grattan
Little in common but Kevin for this gang of four
Michelle Grattan An eclectic quartet of four ministers came out on Thursday to support Kevin Rudd.
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.
Michelle Grattan
Another day, another crisis ... or two
Michelle Grattan The Prime Minister has a set of new crises that will make for a tense and testing week.
Michelle Grattan
Semantics cannot hide rift in cabinet
Michelle Grattan PM and her ministers attempted to reconcile conflicting accounts of foreign worker deal.
Michelle Grattan
Canberra capers fail screen test
Michelle Grattan Paul Keating strongly opposed the televising of Parliament. On Wednesday, Tony Abbott might have agreed with him.
Haneef lessons must be heeded
Michelle Grattan Are people saying that the usual rules should not apply, just because this man is an alleged people smuggler? It is ultimately to the protection of all of us, in other contexts, that the police have...
Michelle Grattan
Refugee nightmare plays out for Gillard
Michelle Grattan THE past week has brought home that the Labor government can't claim a shred of principle on asylum policy any more.
Michelle Grattan
Libs beset by spiteful backbiting
Michelle Grattan Abbott faces trouble on several fronts as the discipline shown during the election campaign disintegrates.
ANALYSIS
Gillard shuffles the deck with a cautious hand
Michelle Grattan JULIA GILLARD'S reshuffle is simultaneously bold and cautious. Some choices are unexpected, notably Penny Wong into Finance. There's no big purge of under-performers.
Michelle Grattan
There's not much left to launch in this campaign, bar pulling the rabbits out of the hat
Michelle Grattan TODAY is one of the campaign's big moments for Tony Abbott – the formal "launch" of his campaign.
Michelle Grattan
IR monkey wrenches Abbott, population perishes on Gillard
Michelle Grattan It is only week one, but already on the election obstacle course Tony Abbott has been singed as he tried to cremate WorkChoices, and Julia Gillard has found herself haunted by Kevin Rudd and Mark...
Michelle Grattan
Back to the future with blame game
Michelle Grattan Julia Gillard can ill afford an excess of finger-pointing in the Labor Party as the election approaches.
