Electoral reform of the Senate is being floated by the government, in the hope that the likes of Steve Fielding will never get elected on preferences alone, again.
September, 2009
It’s time to let the government into our pantries
The obesity epidemic is costing Australia $8.3 billion a year, and the death toll continues to rise. Self-regulation has failed, says Michael Smith: it’s time to embrace the nanny state.
A tale of two Polanskis
To the French he’s the hero unjustly persecuted by America’s prosecutors and media. The Americans just want to see director Roman Polanski, now arrested in Switzerland, in court for what E Online! calls his “way-old sex charge”.
Coorey: Turnbull gets street wise, Liberal style
Malcolm Turnbull has appointed Ian Macfarlane as the Libs emissions trading spokesperson, showing Turnbull finally understands that ability is not enough in party politics. Phillip Coorey explains.
The British press’s school-girl crush on Obama
The British press is obsessed with whether US President Barack Obama loves or hates the UK’s pollies, giggling like schoolgirls at any perceived slight of PM Gordon Brown. Is there genuine public interest, or is it lazy journalism masquerading as political commentary?
Oakes: Money can’t buy power
The new salary for MP backbenchers? $131,000. The ridiculously low salary for our PM? $340,000. The knowledge that power is the only motivator for politicians? Priceless, writes Laurie Oakes.
Reflections on a cracking Grand Final
St Kilda had its chances; the Cats got out of jail. When it counted, Geelong’s champions came to the fore. And the umpires were too prominent. Charles Happell reflects in the wake of AFL Grand Final ‘09.
Sheehan: Rudd’s population boom and climate change bust
PM Kevin Rudd is telling us a fairytale on population growth and it makes his climate change, green power rhetoric a giant contradiction, writes Paul Sheehan.
My dinner with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
He’s possibly the world’s most hated man — and The Guardian’s Stephen Kinzer just broke bread with him. So what does a table of journos and diplomats discuss with Iran’s embattled leader? Not the Holocaust, for one.
Will the Bradfield rejects be wasted?
A hard won battle has Paul Fletcher named as the Liberal candidate for Bradfield, a far cry from branch stacking and factional messes of preselections past.
VIDEO: The great pacific garbage patch
Deep in the North Pacific Ocean, there is a garbage patch twice the size of Texas, with 36-to-1 ratio of plastic to plankton. Mother Jones sets sail with the scientists studying the mess.
ANZ goes shopping in the wake of the GFC
Busy times at ANZ — it’s moved to take over 100% of ING’s trans-Tasman wealth management and life insurance operations. And today it opens its first regional branch in China. Could AMP be next? asks Adele Ferguson.
Would you like extra bandwidth with your seat?
In future, trying to buy an airliner without internet and mobile phone pico cells already fitted will be like trying to buy a car without CD player today, says Ben Sandilands. The tricky bit will be dividing the spoils.
The world’s biggest celebrity chef empires
Gordon Ramsay, Nobu Matsuhisa, Wolfgang Puck: they’re more than just chefs or restaurateurs; they’re global brands, with cookbooks, movie cameos, TV shows and more. But which regime reigns supreme?
How Obama was forced to play his hand
News of Iran’s secret nuclear fuel processing plant may come as a surprise to most of the world, but the US has known for years, Politico reveals. So why did they finally bring it u now?
Antony Green dissects the double dissolution election
Does the Government want an early election? Nope, says Antony Green. But don’t rule out a double dissolution just yet — a constitutional loophole means Rudd can have his cake and eat it too.
Iran vs. the world
Over the weekend, Obama and the UN called Iran out over a secret nuclear facility. Ahmedinejad came clean and invited the IAEA over for a look. But the US wants to come too. So Iran allayed everyone’s fears by firing off some missiles. Will Obama respond with tougher sanctions?
VIDEO: If Michelle Obama was a hamburger…
… she’d be a free range turkey burger with caramelized onions, Swiss cheese, ruby red tomatoes, crisp lettuce and garden herb mayo on a freshly baked wheat bun, served with an avocado shake. Introducing the “Michelle Melt”.
Vegemite’s new name unites the internet in contempt
Kraft has finally found a name for its “new” Vegemite — and it’s so horrible, the entire internet has gone into snark meltdown.
Breakfast Media Wrap: Merkel wins; this time Germany to have Center-Right government
The pick of Monday morning’s media
FBI release secret Oklahoma City Bombing tapes
It’s pure disaster porn, but can you look away? The FBI has released security surveillance tapes showing the chaos in the moments after the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, as people flee collapsing buildings.
Election hypothetical: who would win?
What would happen if if an Australian election had been held in the last 3 months? Possum Comitatus crunches the figures — and things look very good for the ALP. Only regional Australia gives the Coalition some hope, according to today’s Newspoll.
A murky mix of s-x, Second Life and intellectual property rights
The s-x industry have a proud history of setting precedents online and they’ve proven that point again in the past week from a legal viewpoint. On Second Life, no less, writes David Holloway.
graph pr0n The death of newspapers
A depressing-yet-informative little infographic charting the downturn in revenue, circulation, stock price and advertising in the newspaper industry.
Breakfast Media Wrap: A Sunday paper plea for better treatment of war widows
The pick of Sunday morning’s media
