Phillip Coorey
Phillip Coorey joined the Sydney Morning Herald in 2005 and is the paper's Chief Political Correspondent, based in Canberra. Previously he was the Political Editor for Adelaide's The Advertiser. He has been in the Canberrra Press Gallery since 1998, except for 2003 and 2004 when he was the New York correspondent for News Ltd.
Phillip Coorey
Absent Hockey will be front and centre if Abbott falters
Phillip Coorey There was a brief period of unrest in the Coalition last week when MPs were wondering why the shadow treasurer, Joe Hockey, was not among the speakers at an economic summit in Melbourne.
Phillip Coorey
Softly, softly, a slide into the red comes into view
Phillip Coorey Revelations today that not a single cent of mining tax was paid in the first three months of this financial year indicate the $1.1 billion surplus forecast on Monday may be gone already.
Phillip Coorey
Rudd camp stirs the surplus soup
Phillip Coorey Some weeks ago, Kevin Rudd accepted an invitation to join Bob Hawke and Bob Carr at Darling Harbour yesterday to celebrate 40 years of diplomatic ties between China and Australia.
Phillip Coorey
Slowdown a rich lode for politicians
Phillip Coorey Last week, when the Reserve Bank cut interest rates and downgraded its forecast for the economy, Tony Abbott became the latest politician to declare the mining boom over.
Phillip Coorey
States give Abbott a nasty headache
Phillip Coorey In one week, the NSW and Queensland governments effectively neutered two of Tony Abbott's attack lines against the Gillard government - school funding and the mining tax.
Phillip Coorey
Gillard's power play
Phillip Coorey Julia Gillard is entering a critical phase for both her leadership and her government. Clearly she has decided to go on the front foot.
Phillip Coorey
Greens held cards on mining tax but chose protest over action
Phillip Coorey Later today, if all goes to plan, the Senate will pass the legislation for the minerals resources rent tax, enabling it to start on July 1.
Phillip Coorey
After Bligh, the deluge: Gillard's own day of reckoning awaits her
Phillip Coorey If Julia Gillard were a coal miner, her canaries would not just be dead - they would be dead, buried and cremated.
Phillip Coorey
Proof will be in the paying when mining tax kicks in
Phillip Coorey In the days leading up to last week's budget, the minerals giants grew nervous. Already cranky at having to pay the carbon tax and the mining tax from July 1, they were uneasy at speculation that...
Phillip Coorey
Spare those organising security from more work
Phillip Coorey THE squabble between Tony Abbott and Julia Gillard over Afghanistan misses a key point. It would have been a lot easier on the military had they travelled to Afghanistan together.
Phillip Coorey
Rudd has no choice but to keep arguing
Phillip Coorey The last prime minister to throw a rock at a big sleeping bear and come off second best was John Howard.
Phillip Coorey
Rudd in no hurry to fix mining standoff
Phillip Coorey Kevin Rudd's decision to skip the Minerals Council of Australia's annual shindig this week and attend a Labor Party function instead is a gesture both symbolic and pointed.
Phillip Coorey
Rudd may be the blip in selling mining tax
Phillip Coorey The government's penchant for acronyms has reached the stage where even the opposition is struggling to keep up.
Phillip Coorey
Fix-it man Combet stuck on the lower rung
Phillip Coorey When Kevin Rudd appointed Greg Combet as the Minister Assisting the Minister for Climate Change last June it was supposed to be a secondary and temporary role.
Phillip Coorey
Patience becomes a PM on the move
Phillip Coorey Kevin Rudd arrived home early this morning from six days in Afghanistan, India and Singapore. He will be home for less than a fortnight before jetting off to Trinidad and Tobago for the three-day...
Phillip Coorey
Libs seek unity in a cool climate
Phillip Coorey When Liberals discuss the key reasons why they lost the 2007 election, a monumental failure to read the public mood on climate change is always mentioned.
