Democratic
John Garnaut
Hard to see democratic reform past the promises
John Garnaut The Year of the Dragon may have catalysed a baby boom in the world's most populous nation, as parents take advantage of an imperial talisman of great power and fortune, but 2012 has ended with the...
Damien Kingsbury
Is East Timor's democratic consolidation a crocodile smile?
Damien Kingsbury When East Timor goes to the polls tomorrow, its people will be deciding not just which party they support or, at a stretch, who will form government.
Taxing matters as GST takes centre stage again
Mark Kenny Hypersensitivity over the GST dates back to Howard and Costello.
GST may be the answer to balancing the books
Mark Kenny Politician after politician has squibbed it, making florid gestures but avoiding serious discussion of the goods and services tax.
Action on inept anti-terror laws must get priority
George Williams Last week on budget day the federal government released two independent reports on Australia's anti-terrorism laws.
Abbott, O'Farrell have equal claim to Menzies' legacy
Gerard Henderson Premier Barry O'Farrell is a proud follower of Robert Menzies (1894 to 1978), the founder of the modern Liberal Party.
Kenneth Davidson
Swan has prepared the way for Austerity Abbott
Kenneth Davidson A clever budget? More likely it gives the Coalition room to wind back the welfare state.
Coalition must be smarter when it issues preferences
Gerard Henderson Julia Gillard, Wayne Swan and Greg Combet appear to believe Labor will win the election.
Opinion
When did the lucky country become selfish?
Tim Soutphommasane There isn't a better time to introduce a national disability insurance scheme.
Sly support for referendum
John Warhurst Supporters of same-sex marriage would be misguided to encourage a referendum this September.
The Zone transcript: Mark Triffitt
Michael Short Michael Short speaks with Mark Triffitt, long-time politics and policy thinker.
Revive the body politic
Michael Short There will be at least some debate ahead of the federal election about policies and ideas. And there will be the banal and brutal attacks.
See what public thinks on same-sex marriage
Gerard Henderson The media in Australia is obsessed with same-sex marriage. It is far from clear, however, that this is a priority for many Australians living in the suburbs and regional centres - far away from the...
Policy, not gender, will decide Gillard's fate at ballot box
Gerard Henderson If Julia Gillard's supporters really believe the Prime Minister's political discontents are due to prevailing misogyny in a contemporary patriarchal society, they are delusional.
Clashes over ideology key to Labor's ructions
Lindy Edwards It impoverishes our politics when we are told political meltdowns are about nothing but personality.
Anne Summers
It's a woman's right to choose, not a man's to try to control
Anne Summers If Tony Abbott was hoping he could tiptoe to an election win without having to take a stand on abortion, he was wrong.
'National interest' is in Labor's interest
Gerard Henderson There has been some suggestions that Stephen Conroy's attitude to the print media resembles that of Josef Stalin.
Penchant for picking a winner is poll waffle
John Watson Here's an odd thing: the ''doomed'' Gillard government's standing in the polls is about par for the course six months before voting day.
Whether in war or peacetime, honesty must be paramount
Ramesh Thakur The invasion of Iraq by the United States, Britain and Australia began on March 20, 10 years ago. In Britain Foreign Secretary William Hague has written to senior members of government to not discuss...
Beware elite technocrats and their open disdain for democracy
Chris Berg The draft of the proposed European Union constitution in 2003 included this quote, from ancient Greek historian Thucydides: ''Our constitution...
