Michelle Grattan on Parliament - National Times

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

Thomson charged, but Abbott less than arresting

Michelle Grattan With Julia Gillard on the back foot, Tony Abbott makes a foolish ministry pledge.

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...

Michelle Grattan

Kinder, gentler politics? Not a chance

Michelle Grattan CHRISTOPHER PYNE didn't exactly promise kinder, gentler politics in canvassing last week plans for parliamentary reform under an Abbott government.

Michelle Grattan

Political science: altering Abbott's polarity from negative to positive

Michelle Grattan Expect some rebranding as the Coalition campaign begins.

Michelle Grattan

But seriously, get ready for Mr Positive

Michelle Grattan Tony Abbott is likely to be residing in the prime minister's office later this year.

James Ashby lost the battle but won the war

Michelle Grattan James Ashby has lost his court battle but he has won his wider war. In this dramatic case, the law and politics intersected.

Gillard takes a big slipper to Abbott over Ashby judgment

Michelle Grattan The cynic might say that Justice Steven Rares has answered most of the questions about Brough, whom he found plotted with James Ashby against Peter Slipper.

Michelle Grattan

Playing cat and mouse on inquiry

Michelle Grattan Investigations into the Slipper and AWU affairs would be bad for both sides of politics and a complete waste of money.

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It's time now to track the money

Michelle Grattan AT THE time of year when we look back and gaze forward, let's just cast an eye over one success and one failure (so far) of this remarkable Parliament, which still has time to do a few more things.

Michelle Grattan

Gillard winged but still flying

Michelle Grattan The final parliamentary week has seen the Coalition repeatedly allege that the Prime Minister engaged in criminal activity when she was a lawyer in the 1990s.

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Michelle Grattan

Abbott has his own slushy history

Michelle Grattan Tony Abbott has had his own slush fund experience, not all of it happy.

Abbott, be careful what you wish for

Michelle Grattan OPPOSITIONS have a standard tool in their kit bag: it's the call for an inquiry. So there was no surprise when Tony Abbott said the government should set one up into that old, smelly AWU affair.

Abbott's plan puts politics over good policy

Michelle Grattan Oppositions have a standard tool in their kitbag: it’s the call for an inquiry. Any sniff of scandal triggers a demand for a judicial investigation, or even the full monty, a royal commission.

Impressive Gillard attack narrows target for critics

Michelle Grattan Of course her critics won't be satisfied, and will throw up more questions. But Gillard has narrowed their opportunity to get fresh momentum.

Michelle Grattan

Hard to stay clean in so much mud-flinging

Michelle Grattan When throwing dirt, you risk getting very grubby yourself. And you can slip in the mud.

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Michelle Grattan

A front-foot fighter with bloodied shins

Michelle Grattan The final parliamentary week has seen the Coalition repeatedly allege the Prime Minister engaged in criminal activity when she was a lawyer in the 1990s.

Michelle Grattan

Gillard now needs to settle the dust

Michelle Grattan The politics of the absurd have kicked in with the two men who set up the notorious AWU association from which they then allegedly siphoned money now out there on either side of the war over Julia...

Michelle Grattan

Season's bleatings at year's end

Michelle Grattan This will be a bruising parliamentary week, the last of an extraordinary and draining year that has strained voters' tolerance of politicians to the max.

Michelle Grattan

Wrapped in polls, Gillard defies the 'killing season'

Michelle Grattan This will be a bruising parliamentary week, the last of an extraordinary and draining year that has strained voters' tolerance of politicians to the max.