Tony Abbott

Abbott promises IR reforms

22 May 2012 | James Massola

Updated | Tony Abbott has promised his MPs a future Coalition government would deliver industrial relations reform that addressed the twin problems of union militancy and falling productivity.

How much Klout do you have online?

22 May 2012 | Fiona Smith

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | All you need to score is a little bit of Klout

Klout measures your social media influence, and “what’s your Klout score?” could well become a regular question in job interviews for positions in sales, marketing or IT.

‘It’s a Fair Work conspiracy’

22 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | ‘It’s a Fair Work conspiracy’

The Labor government preserved its tenuous hold on power after a defiant speech by MP Craig Thomson to Parliament that questioned whether a senior Fair Work Australia official had influenced a “selective and biased” investigation that found he misused union funds.

IR power couple one hot item

22 May 2012 | Mark Skulley

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | IR power

Embattled MP Craig Thomson’s demands that Fair Work Australia answer questions about the role of one of its vice-presidents, Michael Lawler, in the investigation into the Health Services Union presents a quandary for the tribunal’s new president, Iain Ross.

Abbott link with Lawler dismissed

22 May 2012 | Louise Dodson

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Abbott dismisses Lawler link

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has not spoken to a former appointee of his, Fair Work Australia’s vice president Michael Lawler, for years. Mr Lawler is the partner of Kathy Jackson.

Politics trumps principle

22 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Politics rides roughshod over principle

Kitney | Politics has trumped principle in the government’s handling of the Thomson affair, as it has in the opposition’s vicious campaign.

The face of Labor’s ills

22 May 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | The face of Labor’s ills

Hewett | Even as an exercise in delusion, Craig Thomson’s hour-long speech was painful to watch.

Mud to fly as Thomson speaks

21 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 21 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Mud to fly as Thomson speaks

The Gillard government is bracing itself for the fallout from the statement to parliament today by Craig Thomson, amid concern late yesterday that Mr Thomson could quit politics.

Revive Rudd or die on the vine

21 May 2012 | John Black

PRINT: 21 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Revive Rudd or die on the vine

Dissatisfaction with Labor is so great that restoring the former PM to the leadership is the only workable strategy in sight.

Abbott rejects Combet's climate ‘egging’

18 May 2012 |

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has rejected claims he's "over-egged the pudding" with his warnings on the climate tax.

Views differ on same-sex marriage reform

18 May 2012 | Alex Boxsell

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Separate views on marriage exposed

A review of same-sex marriage by legal groups has balanced the need to remove discrimination from the law with the possibility of obstacles in the constitution.

Show us plans for second airport: Abbott

18 May 2012 | Michaela Whitbourn

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Show us plans for second airport: Abbott

The federal Coalition will engage with the Gillard government on plans for a second airport in the Sydney basin when a detailed plan is produced.

Economists prop up Gillard’s higher debt ceiling

18 May 2012 | Fleur Anderson

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Economists prop up PM’s higher debt ceiling

Economists have defended the government’s decision to lift the debt ceiling by $50 billion, saying a financial buffer is important to preserve the status of Australia’s bond market as a safe haven during tough times.

Ashby targets Carr, Joyce in human rights complaint

18 May 2012 | Hannah Low

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Ashby targets Carr, Joyce

The political staffer who claims Speaker Peter Slipper sexually harassed him has officially accused ­Foreign Minister Bob Carr and Nationals senator Barnaby Joyce of victimising and demeaning him.

Union show of defiance targets BHP

18 May 2012 | Pip Freebairn

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Union show of defiance to hit BHP

Coalminers are preparing to declare a mass, seven-day strike across BHP Billiton’s Queensland coalmines from next week in a show of defiance against the company’s call to reduce the power of unions.

Union or business: one law fits all

18 May 2012 | Louise Dodson

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Union or business – one law fits all

Dodson | The HSU scandal has focused attention on how unions operate, the IR system, and the relationship between the ALP and unions.

BHP to blame for IR disputes: Shorten

17 May 2012 | Mathew Dunckley

Updated | BHP Billiton's inability to negotiate with its workers is to blame for never-ending industrial strife at its Queensland coal mines, federal Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten says.

Coalition govt would bring down rates: Abbott

17 May 2012 | Mathew Dunckley

Updated | Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has again pledged that a government he led would bring down interest rates.

Ashby contact all out in open: Abbott

17 May 2012 |

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says all evidence of contact between Liberal frontbencher Christopher Pyne and a staffer of Speaker Peter Slipper is "innocuous" and on the public record.

Language studies a vexed business

17 May 2012 | Geoff Winestock

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 5 | Language skills a vexed business in the Asian century

The hard lesson of cuts in funding and declining student numbers is that not everyone accepts the business case for a greater focus on teaching Asian languages.

Energy head’s policy warning

17 May 2012 | Marcus Priest

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Energy head’s policy warning

The federal government’s key adviser on the national energy market says the renewable energy target and carbon price uncertainty could delay investment in lower-emission generation.

PM off message on postcard from a war

17 May 2012 | Katie Walsh

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | PM off message on postcard

Julia Gillard has missed the meaning behind a seemingly flattering postcard from Afghanistan that is in fact a silent protest emulating a German army sleeve patch.

DJs backs same-sex marriage

17 May 2012 | Sophie Morris

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | DJs comes out for same-sex marriage

The CEO of retailing giant David Jones, Paul Zahra, has urged federal MPs to back legal changes to recognise same-sex marriage saying the current ban sends a message that “it’s OK to treat gay people differently”.

Kroger yabbers nicely

16 May 2012 | Joe Aston

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 60 | Kroger yabbers nicely

The man who has recently become rather picky about who he lunches with, the former Liberal powerbroker Michael Kroger, was spotted on Monday doing just that at the Royal Oak pub in Sydney’s Double Bay.

Honesty needed from both parties

16 May 2012 | NOEL MILLER

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 59 | Honesty needed from both parties

The media and the Opposition have been relentless in condemnation of the Gillard Labor government for their apparent lack of honesty with the Australian electorate on Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper.

Swan frames most contractionary budget ever

16 May 2012 | DES MOORE

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 59 | Swan’s most contractionary budget ever

A lot has been said about Treasurer Wayne Swan’s “Labor budget” and Coalition Leader Tony Abbott’s reply. But writing as a former deputy secretary of the Treasury at least two important aspects have been missed.

Mystery journey

16 May 2012 | Damien Brown

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 59 | Mystery journey

The polls have Tony Abbott’s Liberal coalition in the front of the Gillard government, but they are hardly a measure of voter sentiment about their policies, as there hasn’t been much policy detail released. When it comes to the crunch will voters buy a ticket and board the train?

Qld Speaker wins stronger powers

16 May 2012 | Mark Ludlow

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 5 | Qld Speaker wins stronger powers

Queensland’s first female Speaker of Parliament, Fiona Simpson, is to be given more power, after the first sitting of the Legislative Assembly since the Liberal National Party’s election landslide in March.

Unions vow to reignite fighting fund

16 May 2012 | Mark Skulley

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Unions vow to reignite fighting fund

The ACTU wants to create a permanent, multimillion-dollar campaign fund to take on the federal Coalition and business groups in the lead-up to the federal election due next year.

Swan wants business back

16 May 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Swan wants business back

Hewett | Wayne Swan has made a belated attempt to reassure a sceptical business community that your Treasurer is still here to help, that he still cares about business.

Abbott to ‘strongly defend’ defamation claim

15 May 2012 | Mathew Dunckley

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Abbott will defend claim

Updated | Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has hit back at a defamation claim made against him by senior Victorian construction union official John Setka, saying it will be “strongly defended”.

Only Slipper can rule on Thomson

15 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Only Slipper can rule on Thomson

The question of whether federal Parliament’s powerful privileges committee will investigate the payment of embattled MP Craig Thomson’s legal fees by the Labor Party must be determined the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Peter Slipper, despite the fact that he has stood aside from his job.

Carbon sweeteners on their way

15 May 2012 | Fleur Anderson

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Carbon sweeteners on their way

Some households will receive their first instalment of carbon tax compensation from today as the Gillard government begins its roll-out of sweeteners for low to middle-income households, courtesy of carbon tax and mining tax revenues.

Super strategy upside down

15 May 2012 | Andrew Podger

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Super strategy upside down

The orthodox approach is to exempt super contributions from tax and to tax all benefits. We do the reverse.

Palmer bats for Costello

15 May 2012 | Mark Ludlow

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Palmer bats for Costello

Mining billionaire Clive Palmer has suggested a seat should be found in Queensland for former federal treasurer Peter Costello.

Greens to chew over dental care plans

15 May 2012 | Emma Connors

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Greens to chew over dental care plans

The government will next week begin negotiations with the Greens to introduce a Medicare like system that will pay private dentists to provide dental care for those on lower incomes.

NSW ALP boss call for change

15 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | NSW ALP boss calls for change

NSW Labor secretary Sam Dastyari ruled out using a US-primary style process to choose candidates but insisted the party needed to change to attract more diverse candidates for office.

Libs, unions step up pressure on Thomson

15 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Liberals, unions turn up heat on Thomson

The federal opposition is expected to push for an examination of the payment of legal fees for embattled MP Craig Thomson by the Labor Party, a tactic designed to make him ineligible to sit in Parliament.

IR, Nauru head Abbott’s reform plans

14 May 2012 | Mark Ludlow

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Carbon tops Abbott’s list

Federal Opposition Leader Tony Abbott says a Coalition government would undertake “careful economic reform” if it won the next election.

How to return to a lost golden age

14 May 2012 | Glenn White

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 55 | How to return to a lost golden age

Surprisingly, Tony Abbott did touch on some economic content in his budget reply but when he did he tried to airbrush history repeatedly.

Political will vital to cutting green tape

14 May 2012 | Louise Dodson

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Political will vital to cutting green tape

A focus by business on the costs of “green tape” will build momentum for slashing regulation, but political will is needed to make real progress.

Opposition derides Thomson’s explanation

14 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Opposition derides Thomson’s claim

The opposition has dismissed ousted Labor MP Craig Thomson’s claim that he was set up by union rivals who wanted to link him to hookers to ruin his political career.

Human frailty made manifest

14 May 2012 | Mark Latham

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Human frailty made manifest

Latham | The time has come to see beyond the politics of the HSU controversy and think about Craig Thomson.

Code for conduct unbecoming

14 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Code for conduct unbecoming

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has backed a proposal for a Code of Conduct for MPs that was put on ice six months ago as the government struggles to deflect attention away from embattled MP Craig Thomson.

A Liberal dose of spleen-venting

12 May 2012 |

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 56 | A Liberal dose of spleen-venting

Victoria is supposed to be where the politics are civilised. So Michael Kroger’s hot-headed blast at his former “friend”, Peter Costello, made more than a few of their pals at the Australia Club sit upright in their Chesterfields.

Class war neither fair nor correct

12 May 2012 | Deirdre Macken

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Oh goody. Let’s play the old grievance game

Macken | It’s not hard to work out that people on the north shore are learning what it means to be among the losers of the economic cycle.

A labour of Hercules for Oliver

12 May 2012 | Mark Skulley

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | A labour of Hercules for Oliver

It sounds odd, but the incoming secretary of the ACTU is a regular ballet-goer. Indeed, Australia’s soon-to-be comrade No. 1 Dave Oliver laughed, nervously it seemed, when asked about how much of a balletomane he really is.

Tax cuts, easier said than done

12 May 2012 | Alan Mitchell

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Tax cuts, easier said than done

Anyone who thinks they have heard the last of tax reform should take a closer look at Tuesday’s budget.

There’s a lot of spending along with a suplus

12 May 2012 | Louise Dodson

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | There’s a lot of spending along with a surplus

One constituency’s circuit-breaker is another’s missed opportunity.

A government under siege

12 May 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Under siege

Labor is trying to refashion itself as the party for working families in a last-ditch bid to repair the damage done by its cosy embrace with the union movement.

Labor makes Abbott’s job easy

12 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Just cruising: Abbott’s job made easy

Kitney | Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s task is so ridiculously easy that it clearly makes some on his own side jealous.

Abbott surges to the lead

12 May 2012 | Louise Dodson

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott’s personal popularity and standing as preferred prime minister has surged as the federal government battled leadership instability and “the sleaze factor” during the Slipper and Thomson scandals.

Voters have already decided

12 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Voters already decided

There has been a budget bounce, but not the way the Gillard government wanted. Tony Abbott’s personal popularity and his standing as preferred prime minister have jumped to their highest levels since Spring last year.

Class-savvy spinmeister

12 May 2012 | Pip Freebairn

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Class-savvy spinmeister

Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s Scottish director of communications may have had a role in the government’s class warfare strategy this week but he is no ideological crusader.

European languages most favoured by students

12 May 2012 | Joanna Mather

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | European languages most favoured by students

For all of the talk about Asian languages, French and German are still among the languages most commonly taught in schools.

MPs may seek censure motion

12 May 2012 | Gemma Daley and Marcus Priest

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Talk of censure motion

There is growing momentum for the Australian parliament to pass a motion on Craig Thomson, who is the middle of a scandal about his use of a Health Services Union credit card and using its finances to fund his election campaign.

High earners face cash cuts

12 May 2012 | Sally Patten

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | High earners face cash cuts

Tony Abbott’s claim that the government is waging class war is underpinned by modelling showing high-income earners face severe cuts to their disposable income as a result of a raft of tax changes.

Tactic shows Labor is out of touch

12 May 2012 | The Australian Financial Review

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Class envy tactic shows Labor out of touch

Editorial | The ALP may well have been formed at a time when there was genuine conflict between uneducated working class labour and capital, but as a society and an economy Australia has well and truly moved on.

Surplus to buffer global waves

12 May 2012 | Mark Ludlow

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Surplus to buffer global waves

Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan admitted the uncertainty about the European debt crisis would continue to cast a shadow over the Australian economy over the next few years.

Local signs fine but beware Europe

11 May 2012 | David Bassanese

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Local signs fine; Europe a threat

Some of the more dour predictions about the economy look a little stretched.

Abbott ‘out of touch’: PM

11 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott is “incredibly out of touch”, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has said, citing his refusal to support the bonus for school children in low-income families announced in the budget.

Lib heavyweights slug it out

11 May 2012 | Sophie Morris

PRINT: 12 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Lib heavyweights slug it out

A bitter feud between two Liberal Party heavyweights and former factional allies has erupted in public as Michael Kroger accused Peter Costello of being “petty-minded” and of constantly criticising the party’s heroes and current leadership.

It’s getting gory in the old-bull paddock

11 May 2012 | Sophie Morris

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | It’s gory in the old bull paddock now glory days are gone

Old Liberal rivals Peter Costello and Michael Kroger locked horns very publicly this week, in a tussle Jeff Kennett describes as ‘two old bulls in a paddock’.

Surplus a lifebuoy Labor can cling to

11 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Surplus a lifebuoy Labor can cling to

“When you are on the high wire,” one Labor figure said yesterday, “it doesn’t matter how high it is, and there is no point looking down.”

North Shore ‘battlers’ up in arms

11 May 2012 | Claire Stewart

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | North Shore ‘battlers’ up in arms

Julia Gillard has managed to rile a broad cross section of locals on the ‘Insular Peninsular’.

Double trouble submerges Swan’s ‘triple triple’

11 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Double trouble submerges Swan’s ‘triple triple’

Around the Cabinet table it’s referred to as “our triple triple” and Federal Treasurer Wayne Swan wears it even more proudly than his “world’s best finance minister” citation.

Abbott’s address in reply resonates success

11 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Leader’s reply celebrates success

With a bit of luck, Tony Abbott must have been thinking as he beavered away on his budget reply speech, this will be the last time he has to do this.

Fuss, bluster . . . but not much more from Abbott

11 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Fuss, bluster . . . but not much in way of detail

Much of the political strategy underlying Labor’s 2012 budget aimed to finally put some heat on Tony Abbott to explain his own policies and spending plans.

Abbott slams class warfare

11 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Abbott slams

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has accused the federal government of playing the “class war card” with the budget and says the Prime Minister has reinforced her “trust problem” by dumping company tax cuts.

Abbott slams budget as ‘class war’

10 May 2012 |

Updated | The federal Labor government's budget plays a class war card by cancelling previous commitments to company tax cuts, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has told parliament in his reply speech. ■ Pledges to cut business red tape by at least $1 billion a year ■ Confirms commitment to paid parental leave scheme ■ Reiterates intention to repeal the carbon and mining taxes

Swan’s credit for canning some policies

10 May 2012 | Peter Apps

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 71 | Swan’s credit for canning policies

Doubtless there is great wonderment at Wayne Swan’s brilliance in achieving a budget surplus by cancelling a bunch of measures that have never actually been introduced. Such brilliance could only be topped by discovering that this had been cleverly planned all along. Joe Hockey will now be able to see the wisdom of Tony Abbott’s paid parental leave scheme.

Climate change far too hot to handle

10 May 2012 | Mark Latham

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Far too hot to handle

Latham | Climate change dare not speak its name in Labor circles, even in the Treasurer’s biggest speech of the year.

Budget slammed as Labor reels

10 May 2012 | John Kehoe

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Budget slammed as Labor reels

The federal government’s adviser on transforming Australia into a financial centre, Mark Johnson, has condemned a surprise doubling in the budget of withholding tax for foreigners investing in managed investment trusts.

Gillard attacked over North Shore gibe

10 May 2012 | Claire Stewart

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 16 | Gillard attacked over North Shore gibe

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey has criticised Prime Minister Julia Gillard for “declaring war” on Australians after her comments implying Sydney’s North Shore voters were too rich to understand what the government’s Schoolkids’ bonus and family payments would mean for 1.5 million lower-income families.

Team that teased out the numbers

09 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 26 | Team that teased the numbers

The clichés about the framing of federal budgets inevitably involve the cabinet locked in the bunker and bureaucrats working late into the freezing Canberra nights. But the final shape of the 2012-13 budget was settled in very different surroundings.

The case against austerity

09 May 2012 | Stephen Wyatt

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 24 | The case against austerity

Risk assets, including commodities, showed extraordinary resilience as the euro debt crisis exploded back to life, reflecting continued expectations of a soft landing in China.

Asylum seeker arrivals tipped to soar

09 May 2012 | John Kerin

The cost of handling asylum seekers is predicted to blow out to more than $1 billion in 2012-13, while there will be decrease in arrivals.

A booby trap for Abbott in handouts

09 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

The Labor government will put Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on notice over extra cash benefits delivered through the once-in-a-lifetime mining boom, linking family payments to the tax on profits at big miners.

Facing up to a surplus of distractions

09 May 2012 | Michaela Whitbourn

It wasn’t the way a Treasurer would really want to start his day in the spotlight.

Tougher union penalties backed but ‘rorts isolated’

09 May 2012 | Emily Parkinson

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Penalties backed but ‘rorts isolated’

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union national secretary David Oliver denies the union movement has a problem with fund rorting beyond the activities of a few individuals.

Abbott quashes party putsch

09 May 2012 | Sophie Morris

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has been forced to intervene to prevent his party removing Liberal Helen Kroger as the Coalition’s chief whip in the Senate.

Messy, but survivable

09 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Messy, but survivable

Kitney | The unravelling of the government’s credibility stopped just short of disaster as it achieved its key political objective – preserving its parliamentary ­majority.

Civil case against Thomson up in air

09 May 2012 | Mark Skulley

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Civil case against Thomson up in air

The AEC has said civil proceedings against federal MP Craig Thomson for breaches of the Electoral Act might not be possible because of the time it took Fair Work Australia to release its Heath Services Union report.

Government’s reverse psychology

08 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Team Gillard employs some reverse psychology

Tingle | Labor is choosing to have a series of fights on measures which the Coalition itself has either proposed in opposition or implemented in government.

Abbott on notice over family handouts

08 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

The Labor government will put Opposition Leader Tony Abbott on notice over extra cash benefits delivered through the mining boom, linking family payments to the tax on profits at big miners.

Abbott intervenes to rescue Kroger

08 May 2012 | Sophie Morris

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has been forced to intervene to prevent his party rolling Helen Kroger as the Coalition’s chief whip in the Senate. Chris Back has been elected deputy whip.

Windsor standing by Labor

08 May 2012 |

Key independent Tony Windsor is standing by the federal government despite a scathing report about former Labor MP Craig Thomson.

‘Sleaze’ factor may overwhelm budget message

08 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

Senior Labor figures have conceded there is a serious risk the federal government’s political problems will quickly overwhelm the impact of the budget.

Budget 2012: business, markets react

08 May 2012 | Will Glasgow

Live | Treasurer Wayne Swan is set to unveil a contentious $1.5 billion 2012-13 budget surplus at 7.30pm AEST against the backdrop of fresh revelations in the Thomson affair and a shifting political landscape in Europe. Refresh for the latest budget updates.

PM cannot escape from the Thomson stench

08 May 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Gillard cannot escape stench

The messy business of minority government has an awful smell which will linger for as long as the Labor Party depends on Craig Thomson’s support to hang on to power.

HSU case taints Labor

08 May 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | HSU case taints Labor

Hewett | How did we get to a point where unions seem to have fewer restrictions on their use of members’ money than those facing a local garden club?

Shorten plans tougher disclosure laws

08 May 2012 | Matthew Cranston

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Tougher disclosure laws planned

Unions will be forced to become more accountable and transparent under changes to the law planned by the federal government to avoid a repeat of the Health Services Union scandal.

Union sleaze threatens Labor

07 May 2012 | Pip Freebairn

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Union sleaze threatens Labor

The fate of the minority Gillard ­government is in the balance after an investigation of the Health Services Union found 156 legal and rule breaches by federal MP and former union official Craig Thomson.

Slipper likely to escape no-confidence motion

07 May 2012 | John Kerin

PRINT: 07 May 2012 | PAGE 8 | Slipper set to walk to avoid censure

The Coalition looks unlikely to support a no-confidence motion against Peter Slipper provided he steps down from the Speaker’s post.

Labor’s legacy may be dashed by drive for surplus

07 May 2012 | Simon Marginson

PRINT: 07 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Labor’s legacy may be dashed by drive for surplus

When it comes to higher education, no one expects good news in the budget. The question is just how bad the news will be.

Super changes create aches everywhere

07 May 2012 | Sally Patten

PRINT: 07 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Super changes create aches everywhere

Patten | If anyone in super had been lulled into thinking that Wayne Swan might overlook retirement savings in the budget, they‘ve been set straight.

Hockey coy over budget scrutiny

07 May 2012 | John Kerin

PRINT: 07 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Hockey coy over funding scrutiny

Opposition Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey has pledged to have the Coalition’s funding promises costed and verified ahead of the next election but declined to reveal how the process will work.

Budget must tackle reform challenge

05 May 2012 |

PRINT: 05 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Budget must tackle reform challenge

Editorial | Wayne Swan’s budget is a test of whether the nation and our political institutions have the maturity to make rational long-term decisions so that our good fortune doesn’t end up impoverishing us.

A union explodes, ship in peril

05 May 2012 | Mark Skulley

PRINT: 05 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | A union explodes, ship in peril

Imagine that the key leaders of the Australian union movement and ALP are locked inside a submerged submarine, holding their breath.

To cut taxes, cut middle-class welfare and concessions

05 May 2012 | Brian Toohey

PRINT: 05 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | To cut taxes, cut middle-class welfare and concessions

Wayne Swan has to fund handouts and tax breaks from the Howard years using a tax base that gets ever narrower.

Opposition answers needed on Slipper: Swan

04 May 2012 |

Treasurer Wayne Swan says Opposition Leader Tony Abbott and his frontbencher Christopher Pyne have questions to answer over the Peter Slipper affair.

Labor outdoes Howard on welfare cuts

04 May 2012 | Sophie Morris

PRINT: 04 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Labor outdoes Howard on welfare cuts

The federal government has been accused of planning budget cuts to single-parent payments that will be harsher than changes Labor strongly opposed when the Coalition was in power.

Here’s the news: everyone’s a critic

04 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 04 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Here is the news: everyone’s a critic

Politicians in Britain this week got to do what MPs in Australia have only dreamed of for years: turn the tables on the media.

Infrastructure bottom of Abbott’s policy pile

03 May 2012 | Claire Stewart

PRINT: 03 May 2012 | PAGE 7 | Infrastructure bottom of Abbott’s pile

An Abbott government might spend 12 months in office before outlining its infrastructure spending priorities, despite acknowledging that a critical shortfall in past spending was hitting Australia’s productivity rate.

Another day, another crisis

03 May 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 03 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Another day, another crisis

Hewett | It might seem hard for life to get worse for the Gillard government but, sure enough, some fresh disaster turns up every day.

Pyne under scrutiny as Slipper probe begins

02 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

PRINT: 03 May 2012 | PAGE 7 | Pyne sidesteps Slipper issue

The Australian Federal Police has launched a formal criminal investigation into allegations of fraud against former speaker Peter Slipper.

Benefit of beer: it brews honesty

02 May 2012 | Alan Stokes

PRINT: 02 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Beer goggles make lies easier to swallow

Stokes | Too much beer is barely enough, especially if it means our leaders come clean about their stuff-ups.

Gillard hangs on, by hook or by Crook

02 May 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 02 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Gillard safe, by hook or Crook

Nationals crossbencher Tony Crook says the Coalition cannot count on succeeding with a no-confidence motion despite the uncertainty in parliamentary numbers since Speaker Peter Slipper stood down.

Court China but don’t spurn others, says Howard

01 May 2012 | Natalie Gerritsen

PRINT: 02 May 2012 | PAGE 6 | Court China but don’t spurn others, says Howard

Former prime minister John Howard says Australia should not become so mesmerised by the rise of China that it neglects its relationships with other trading partners such as Japan and the United States.

ALP demands Pyne phone records over Slipper

01 May 2012 | Marcus Priest

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Swan demands Pyne’s phone records

Treasurer Wayne Swan is demanding Christopher Pyne release his phone records after it emerged he met a former staffer of Peter Slipper’s weeks before he filed a sexual harassment claim.

Abbott says banks must pass on rate cut

01 May 2012 |

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott said that banks must pass on to mortgage holders and business borrowers any rate cut announced by the Reserve Bank on Tuesday.

Abbott ‘worried’ about support for no-confidence vote

01 May 2012 | Gemma Daley

Independent MP Tony Windsor said the Coalition wasn’t moving a no-confidence motion in the government because it might not have the critical support in the parliament to win the vote.

Abbott’s judgement varies year to year

01 May 2012 | Ian De Landelles

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 57 | Abbott’s judgement varies year to year

In defence of his leader’s written endorsement of Peter Slipper’s 2007 preselection battle for his seat of Fisher, Christopher Pyne has argued that “Tony Abbott has always been famously generous with his colleagues and friends. It does not surprise me at all that he would write a reference of that nature”. (Sky News April 29)

Palmer gilds Lilley

01 May 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Clive gilds Lilley

Hewett | Whenever Wayne Swan needs a cardboard cut-out to play the bombastic and greedy mining billionaire, he can always rely on Clive Palmer.

Sorry tale revealed in HSU finance details

01 May 2012 | Mark Skulley

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 7 | Sorry tale revealed in details

The most telling points in the report on the finances of the Health Services Union’s East branch are almost delivered as asides.

Williamson named in $17m health union splurge

30 April 2012 | Mark Skulley

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Williamson named in $17m health union splurge

The Health Services Union’s East branch paid out more than $17 million for goods and services without tendering or competitive pricing, according to an investigation commissioned by the union.

Titanic II: Palmer fired up to challenge Swan

30 April 2012 | Mark Ludlow

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Titanic II: Palmer all fired up to challenge Swan

Updated | Queensland mining magnate Clive Palmer plans to run against federal Treasurer Wayne Swan in the next federal election.

No peace likely in HSU brawl

30 April 2012 | Mathew Dunckley

PRINT: 30 April 2012 | PAGE 8 | No peace likely in HSU brawl

The departure of Craig Thomson from the Labor Party will do little to quell the war tearing apart the Health Services Union.

A deadly uncertainty in federal politics

30 April 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 30 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | A deadly uncertainty

Tingle | Federal politics is back in the territory where it is being played as if every day could be the government’s last.

Too long to fix Labor’s festering mess

30 April 2012 | The Australian Financial Review

PRINT: 30 April 2012 | PAGE 54 | Too long to fix Labor’s festering mess

Editorial | Again, belatedly, the Prime Minister has been forced to try to clean up a mess that is largely a result of her own missteps.

Storm began brewing nearly 10 years ago

30 April 2012 | Sophie Morris

PRINT: 30 April 2012 | PAGE 53 | Storm began brewing nearly 10 years ago

The saga surrounding Craig Thomson and Peter Slipper has all the drama, intrigue and lurid detail of one of Gore Vidal’s epic novels about politics, sex and power.

MP dumped, PM at risk

30 April 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 30 April 2012 | PAGE 2 | MP dumped, PM at risk

Hewett | Julia Gillard’s clumsy, abrupt reversal on Craig Thomson will prompt fresh doubts about whether her colleagues want to keep her as PM.

Gillard’s ploy to stop the rot

29 April 2012 | Louise Dodson

PRINT: 30 April 2012 | PAGE 1 |

PM Julia Gillard will rely on the vote of Craig Thomson, who she pressured to suspend his Labor membership on the weekend, to retain a knife-edge majority of one in Parliament.

Real ‘crisis’ of productivity

28 April 2012 | Alan Mitchell

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 52 | Real ‘crisis’ of productivity

A leading productivity expert thinks a good deal of the anxiety about Australia’s productivity growth slump is based on a misconception.

Climate policy too hot to handle

28 April 2012 | Brian Toohey

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 51 | Gillard climate policy too hot to handle

Toohey | Tony Abbott has killed off more than the carbon tax – reformers who want to raise the GST can forget it.

Abbott talks tough on Indonesia

28 April 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 8 | Abbott talks tough on Indonesia

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has signalled that as prime minister he would risk an immediate diplomatic rift with Indonesia to pressure it to do more to stop asylum seekers coming to Australia.

Slipper fits Gillard

28 April 2012 | Pamela Williams

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | Slipper fits gillard

Surely even the briefest due diligence on Peter Slipper would have shown Julia Gillard she could not win with him. Now she has to worry about an even bigger loss as a result.

Grubby politics destroys public confidence

28 April 2012 | The Australian Financial Review

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | Grubby politics destroys public confidence

Editorial | As Labor grapples with the extreme politics of minority government, it is becoming clear that, driven by desperation to stay in power, this government has lost its bearings.

Abbott keen on radical approach

28 April 2012 | Andrew Clark

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 3 | Abbott  keen on radical approach

A future Coalition government led by Tony Abbott is developing as a reform centrepiece a radical controlled market approach for federal funding of big-ticket items of state governments, including education and hospitals.

Skilled labour the missing ingredient for top chefs

28 April 2012 | Brook Turner

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | The missing ingredient? Skilled labour

Australia’s top chefs are lobbying the federal government for immigration visa changes to combat a skills shortage they say is crippling the restaurant industry.

It’s budget time: cue the dramatic twist

28 April 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 28 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | It’s budget time – cue the dramatic twist

The Peter Slipper crisis is casting a long shadow over preparations for this year’s federal budget.

No one stays clean in a mud fight

26 April 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 27 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | No one stays clean in a mud fight

The Peter Slipper story means the door has been opened for all sorts of personal mud to be thrown.

Here’s the proof: Slipper

26 April 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 26 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | Here’s the proof: Slipper

House of Representatives Speaker Peter Slipper has produced what he says is proof that criminal alle­gations that he misused Cabcharge dockets were false.

Brown’s house of cards

26 April 2012 | Mark Latham

PRINT: 26 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | Brown’s house of cards

Latham | Whatever else one thinks of Bob Brown, his sense of timing is to be admired.

Libs may be caught short in snap poll

26 April 2012 | Brian Toohey

PRINT: 26 April 2012 | PAGE 18 | Libs may be caught short in snap poll

The Coalition developed its plan to find at least $50 billion in additional budget savings over four years before there was serious talk of a snap election that could give it the opportunity to deliver a surplus in 2012-13.

Slipper takes Abbott to task

25 April 2012 | Gemma Daley

Former Liberal turned independent MP Peter Slipper has taken a swipe at Tony Abbott on social media, saying he was previously close to him and had delivered the key vote needed to make him Leader of the Opposition.

Asset rich hit hard by aged-care reforms

24 April 2012 | Jason Murphy

PRINT: 24 April 2012 | PAGE 2 | Asset rich hit hard by aged-care reforms

There are winners and losers in most reforms, and the aged-care changes hurt individuals left with substantial sums after selling off their homes.

Mess, Prime Minister

24 April 2012 | Jennifer Hewett

PRINT: 24 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | Mess, Prime Minister

Hewett | No-one could make up the Peter Slipper story. It’s too absurd – especially when downright tacky becomes major political drama.

Surplus in Abbott’s hands: ALP

24 April 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 24 April 2012 | PAGE 2 | Surplus in Abbott’s hands: ALP

With its parliamentary majority under threat from the crisis over the Speaker, the Gillard government is signalling that the fate of its plans to return the budget to surplus could be derailed by the opposition.

Labor’s lost moral authority

24 April 2012 | Laura Tingle

PRINT: 24 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | Labor’s lost moral authority

The allegations facing Peter Slipper have cast a new pall of uncertainty over the budget.

Govt would welcome Slipper back: ministers

23 April 2012 | Gemma Daley

Updated | The Gillard government has defended its recruitment of independent MP Peter Slipper as the parliament’s Speaker, as senior ministers said he would be welcomed back once cleared of fraud allegations.

The lessons of Fightback

23 April 2012 | Michael Baume

PRINT: 23 April 2012 | PAGE 54 | The lessons of Fightback

Tony Abbott must avoid the sort of collapse that wiped out John Hewson’s lead in 1992-93.

For Coalition, care package is false offer

23 April 2012 | Jason Murphy

PRINT: 23 April 2012 | PAGE 7 | For Coalition, care package is false offer

Tony Abbott has accused the government of passing off user contributions in its aged care package as new funding as it strives to make policy without breaking the budget.

Hockey and Robb safe, says Abbott

23 April 2012 | Jason Murphy

PRINT: 23 April 2012 | PAGE 7 | Hockey and Robb safe, says Abbott

Shadow Treasurer Joe Hockey and finance spokesman Andrew Robb are safe in their jobs right up until election day, opposition leader Tony Abbott says.

Abbott attacks IMF contribution

23 April 2012 | Pip Freebairn

PRINT: 23 April 2012 | PAGE 5 | Abbott attacks IMF contribution

Opposition Leader Tony Abbott has criticised the government’s decision to add $7 billion to the coffers of the International Monetary Fund following a Group of 20 meeting in Washington at the weekend.

Labor pushed closer to the brink

23 April 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 23 April 2012 | PAGE 1 | Labor pushed closer to the brink

The Gillard government’s ability to deliver one of the most critical budgets in years has suffered a serious blow after Peter Slipper stood aside in another political scandal that reduces Labor’s numbers.

Labor now a lame duck

23 April 2012 | The Australian Financial Review

PRINT: 23 April 2012 | PAGE 54 | Labor now a lame duck

Editorial | Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s decision to appoint Peter Slipper as the Speaker of the House of Representatives was a gamble driven by desperation and expediency.

Loose lips could sink Abbott ship

21 April 2012 | Geoff Kitney

PRINT: 21 April 2012 | PAGE 63 | Loose lips could sink Abbott’s ship

Kitney | The electorate is crying out for a reversion to politics-lite: the kind that doesn’t intrude on daily life. That’s where GROG comes in.

Downside of super engineering

21 April 2012 | Brian Toohey

PRINT: 21 April 2012 | PAGE 49 | No compelling case for higher super

Compulsory super distorts the systems it was supposed to make more equal, and lower paid members may be worse off than if left to make their own decisions.

Greens’ high stakes business game

21 April 2012 | Andrew Clark

PRINT: 21 April 2012 | PAGE 47 | Greens’ high stakes game

Political forecasting may be a mug’s game, but, to reverse a nostrum about history, we need to look into the future to understand the present. To understand what is going on now in national politics, the observer should first time travel to 2014.