Fear builds as election looms

Paul Daley Yes, it's arrived. We have arrived at that time in the cycle of public life where everything is viewed through the opaque window of a looming election.

A clean start for the PM, but is the election already lost?

Michael Gordon Simon Crean has removed the threat of Kevin Rudd and gave Julia Gillard's prime ministership a fresh start.

Gillard's national security plan is really an election pamphlet

Daniel Flitton The mention of ''Sydney's west'' is enough of a hint to tell you the real threat is to Labor's re-election chances – national security has not compelled Julia Gillard to produce this document.

Gay Alcorn

Media's character put to the test in federal election campaign

Gay Alcorn Will spin and personalities be the headlines, or will policies be the news?

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Game on as Gillard pulls an election surprise

Michael Gordon Julia Gillard should be congratulated for nipping six months of election speculation in the bud - and calling a September 14 election.

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Gerard Henderson

The polls mislead - people living in suburbia will decide next federal election

Gerard Henderson President Barack Obama's convincing victory this month reinforced the truism that, in the United States, what matters is the support received by the Democrats and the Republicans in the swing states.

Nick Dyrenfurth

Honourable election loss for Gillard better than a Rudd return

Nick Dyrenfurth This past week has seen an outbreak of the 'relevance deprivation syndrome' among the political class.

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Christopher Brown

Election will rest on how west is won

Christopher Brown Forget Canberra. The power centres for this election will be places such as Casula in Sydney's west.

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Emma Young

Women's voices reduced to a quiet hum in US election

Emma Young Men are free to consider all issues when deciding how to vote but women must focus on reproductive rights.

Peter Hartcher

Vaudeville of election turns real

Peter Hartcher US politics is one of America's many gifts to the world - as free theatre, it's hard to beat. It can be pretty funny unassisted, and the late-night TV comedians add an extra layer of levity.

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Brian Owler

Federal election memo: everyone loses if health reform is abandoned

Brian Owler Is health on the agenda for the next federal election? While state governments have come under deserved scrutiny for cuts to their health expenditure in recent times, it is Commonwealth health...

Peter Hartcher

Australians deluded on meaning of US election

Peter Hartcher In the days after the terrorist attack on the US in 2001, a small group of Australian primary schoolchildren held a solemn candlelit moment of mourning and reflection for the dead.

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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...

Heath Aston

Election U-turn sure to have the hunters circling

Heath Aston Barry O'Farrell's high political ideals took a sharp turn south last week like a wild duck shot from the sky.

Hamish Mcdonald

PNG mobilises for a tech-savvy election

Hamish McDonald On the Kokoda Track, about the point where General Tomitaro Horii's invasion force was halted in September 1942 in sight of the Coral Sea, a mobile phone will now pick up the signal from the Port...

Sean Nicholls

Talk of election reform divides the factions

Sean Nicholls SOUL-SEARCHING over Labor's difficult relationship with the Greens dominated the lead-up to this weekend's party conference, but the issue with at least as much potential to cause angst was all about...

Peter Hartcher

Afghans the losers in US election

Peter Hartcher Barack Obama had been elected president, but not yet sworn in, when he asked to see the US's topmost military officer, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs, alone in Chicago.

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ALP walks into first election promise

In its first policy announcement for the 2012 election ACT Labor has promised to expand the nurse-led Walk-In Centre at Canberra Hospital by double funding for the service.

Josh Gordon

Ghost of election future visits Spring Street

Josh Gordon Two years from now, Ted Baillieu might ponder his poll chances thus.

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