Julia Gillard

Richard Glover

Life after parliament: a new gig guide

Richard Glover Post-election career suggestions for redundant politicians.

The Loaded Dog

Now that the election has been called, what do Julia Gillard or Tony Abbott have to do to win your vote? What is the most important national issue in your household?

John Birmingham

Foot in mouth, Jules pulls finger out

John Birmingham What was Julia Gillard thinking? I'll tell you what she was thinking: ''Omigod, no, Tim, not the one about the Asian doctor lady finger, nooooooo ...''

Peter FitzSimons

Had a whale of a time, but I'm baaack

Peter FitzSimons I've done a lot of lying on Newport beach, but I'm back! And I've missed you.

Jeff Apter

Time the touring industry let female performers hit the headlines

Jeff Apter Julia Gillard's appearance at the Woodford Folk Festival last month was, sadly, about as close as a woman is likely to come to ''headlining'' any of Australia's popular outdoor music festivals.

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Tom Switzer

Reshaping America

Tom Switzer Only a few US presidents have brought about truly lasting transformational change: Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt and Ronald Reagan, writes Tom Switzer.

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Gerard Henderson

Turns out Mayans weren't alone in getting carried away about 2012

Gerard Henderson WITH Mayan followers foretelling the end of the world before Christmas, it was to be expected 2012 would be replete with hyperbole, prophecy and odd behaviour.

Good, better, best, never let it rest

Julia Baird Last year the much-photographed American television personality Kim Kardashian vowed, for her New Year's resolution, to change her Twitter background to black: ''I wanna be more simple in 2012.''

From the glitter of gold to the grubby world of politics

Neil McMahon In an eventful 12 months of jubilant highs and dark lows, we were dealt more questions than answers.

Daniel Flitton

Sex is a barrier to best team

Daniel Flitton Do you know the name of the captain of the Australian cricket team? No, I don't either, and I'm not talking about Michael Clarke. I mean the national women's squad.

Material obsessions wither the spirit

Terry Barnes Someone I see occasionally works very hard, earns top dollar making big sales in a cut-throat industry.

Adrian Franklin

Hatred of feral cats hides a sinister truth

Adrian Franklin Australia's fear of the rogue animal reflects our paranoia over immigration.

Cres Eastman

Salt makes you smarter

Cres Eastman Surprise and disappointment accompanied the recent publication of country by country test results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study and the Trends in International Mathematics...

End Old King Coal's reign now or wait for a perfect storm to hit the planet

Peter Christoff There are two Labor governments in power in Canberra, and neither is headed by Julia Gillard or Kevin Rudd. One is led by Greg Combet, the other by Martin Ferguson.

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All men are liars

Maybe there's a sober truth behind this crazy idea

Sam de Brito Men used to think women were stupid; now they think they're crazy, which is a big difference, so bear with me.

Russell Skelton

Health reforms lost in a sea of booze

Russell Skelton We live in a culture where a middle-class mother likes her one glass of red a night, where sporting champions celebrate by showering each other with magnums of champagne and where indigenous women in...

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Judy Courtin

After decades of injustice, the sex crime revolution arrives

Judy Courtin With a celebratory, yet very holy, time of the year approaching, it is time to reflect on the rapidly unfolding religious revolution in Australia.