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
Belief in victory hard for party at war with itself
Michelle Grattan As Labor MPs gather in Canberra for the new parliamentary year, with the election date set and the ministry reshuffled, they are unsettled and uncertain.
Michelle Grattan
Gillard looks to political gain after Peris pain
Michelle Grattan The Prime Minister has got her way, but what are the likely consequences?
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.
Michelle Grattan
Coalition in another tangle thanks to Hockey
Michelle Grattan LAST year the opposition got into a complete tangle over its position on the surplus, finally committing itself to delivering one in each of its first three budgets.
Michelle Grattan
Opposition gets itself in a tangle again over budget surpluses
Michelle Grattan Last year the opposition got itself into a complete tangle over its position on the surplus.
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.
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
Abbott's casual approach to Ashby issue indicative
Michelle Grattan Tony Abbott has scored a notable own goal by admitting that he's been vigorously defending Mal Brough without having read the court judgment in the Ashby sexual harassment case that strongly...
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.
Michelle Grattan
Abbott has his own slushy history
Michelle Grattan Tony Abbott has had his own slush fund experience, not all of it happy.
Michelle Grattan
Labor's long and winding road to reform
Michelle Grattan Labor Senator John Faulkner can always get public attention when he talks about party reform. But as he'd be the first to admit, it's quite another matter to get something meaningful done.
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.
