Michelle Grattan

Asian future isn't just about mining

Michelle Grattan If Australians need a prod to think more broadly about the opportunities Asia presents, a sharp one has come with the claim that the new tax on mining super profits yielded no revenue in its initial...

Michelle Grattan

Road map to Asia

Michelle Grattan The government's white paper on the Asian century is released today. We ignore it at our peril.

Michelle Grattan

The Prime Minister's man problem

Michelle Grattan Julia Gillard doesn't have enough men in her life.

Michelle Grattan

Gillard's man problem

Michelle Grattan Julia Gillard doesn't have enough men in her life. Male voters, that is. We've heard a lot about Tony Abbott's problem with women voters - the polls document it and MPs report it from their...

Michelle Grattan

A toothy smile behind Labor's dental plan

Michelle Grattan Reality checks are needed to balance the political hype.

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Michelle Grattan

Bold reform demands fearless politicians - do we have any?

Michelle Grattan Our prosperity relies on getting more women and older people in the workforce.

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Michelle Grattan

How very courageous Minister

Michelle Grattan The Labor camp should be having a rethink. When those performing stunts incur the ridicule that was aimed at the object of them, there’s a problem.

Michelle Grattan

Former premier was ready to take the stage

Michelle Grattan If Bob Carr had become foreign minister he'd have brought to the job extensive contacts, very firm views, and an activist approach.

Michelle Grattan

Swan shows a short memory on difficult reforms

Michelle Grattan In arguing that Clive Palmer and his ilk pose a threat to economic reform and the ''fair go'' by using their wealth and influence in pursuit of their ''vested interests'', Treasurer Wayne Swan is...

Michelle Grattan

One Liberal spat won't help Gillard's malaise

Michelle Grattan Government staff were pointing out yesterday that budgets don't bounce the polls up. Still, they are not supposed to send the two-party vote backwards.

Michelle Grattan

Family deaths unsettling for the PM

Michelle Grattan Julia Gillard has a problem with authority - that is, her lack of it.

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Michelle Grattan

After swotting up, a competent lawyer takes her first steps on the world stage

Michelle Grattan Gillard's globetrotting smacks of a diplomat in training as she takes help from a master.

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Michelle Grattan

PM gets the job done at low-key launch

Michelle Grattan Julia Gillard's launch was a carefully packaged, narrowly focused product, designed with several strategic purposes in mind.

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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

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.

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Michelle Grattan

Scare campaign may be Abbott's best chance of troubling Rudd

Michelle Grattan Tony Abbott might have a chat with Andrew Peacock sometime over the summer. The new Opposition Leader's goal appears to be a 1984-type campaign, when Peacock ran a highly charged ''scare''.

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Michelle Grattan

Rudd has trigger - but a March election unlikely

Michelle Grattan The Government finally has a 'trigger' for a March election but - unless something happens out of the blue - don't expect it to face the people until later in the year.

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Michelle Grattan

Buckle up for an elections roller-coaster ride

Michelle Grattan It seems only yesterday that we welcomed a Labor Government but the countdown for the next round has already begun.