In a hotly anticipated federal election contest, Tony Windsor and Barnaby Joyce will go head-to-head for the NSW seat of New England. William Bowe takes a look at the history of the normally sleepy rural electorate.

We hear much debate over the battle with the Australian Education Union and the state governments about teacher pay. But how much do teachers across Oz actually earn?

Remember when RSL clubs didn’t house dozens of poker machines? It’s time to re-examine the RSL-pokies nexus, writes historian and researcher Dr Jennifer Cornwall.

Detective Chief Inspector Peter Fox may have given a whistleblowing interview to Lateline last November that sparked the royal commission into institutionalised child sex abuse, but he’s been refused official whistleblower status.

Unions NSW is taking the government to court, claiming that restricting political donations to individuals is an infringement of the implied constitutional right of freedom of political speech.

MPs in a hearing on medical marijuana have been caught out on Facebook. They say they were paying attention, but is it all a smokescreen? Freelance journalist Serkan Ozturk finds out.

Urban development has transformed the one-time National/Country Party stronghold of Richmond over the last few decades, with present incumbent ALP MP Justine Elliot building up a solid margin, says William Bowe.

Three Coalition premiers are running the east coast states. A Crikey analysis of their economies shows Barry O’Farrell is streets ahead, while Victoria marks time and Queensland is in the doldrums.

The appointment of pro chancellor Alec Brennan at the University of Sydney has resulted in less freedom of intellectual enquiry and a corporate focus, an anonymous academic at the uni writes.

ICAC has heard a cosy little story of Ian Macdonald’s allies sealing a deal which could have been worth $100 million to the NSW government — over a waterfront dinner and a magnum of pinot noir.

Is a councillor on Sydney’s Ashfield Council drunk in chambers? A rival wants to breathalyse him — but she’s been dismissed as a “muckraker”. Crikey intern Carrington Clarke tries to get to the bottom of it.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Julia Gillard had a good week campaigning in western Sydney. But what will the long-term cost be of Labor’s populist, anti-immigration rhetoric?

The new freeway to the CBD being touted by Julia Gillard and Tony Abbott is the last thing Sydney needs. Alan Davies explains why.

Julia Gillard has promised the people of Sydney another highway — which is about the last thing the region needs. Crikey’s roaming reporter joins the campaign-that-isn’t out west.

This week’s Auditor-General’s report on problems in the NSW budget hampers the chances of the state hanging on to its coveted triple-A credit rating. Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane report.

There are few issues that bring together the activist Left and the rural Right. But coal seam gas has Nimbin hippies protesting next to knitting nanas, writes Crikey intern Michelle Slater.

The latest bi-monthly Newspoll result for New South Wales shows essentially no change on voting intention, but an improvement in Barry O’Farrell’s personal ratings, reports William Bowe.

The Greens are on track to underperform compared with the 2010 election. In which case, getting your competitor to differentiate you isn’t such a bad strategy.

The NSW Independent Commission Against Corruption is determined to nail former ex-MP Ian Macdonald on his ministerial dealings. But his patience was wearing thin today on the stand.

A Sydney brothel imports sex workers by rorting the student visa program, charging them thousands for English courses they will never take. A special Crikey investigation has alerted Immigration Department officials.

In Sydney a new poll suggests high levels of support for a second Sydney airport. Meanwhile, in Perth, a different kind of brouhaha has erupted, writes Ben Sandilands.

While innocuous, Tony Burke and Stephen Conroy’s contacts with Eddie Obeid symbolise how NSW Labor is likely to drag the Federal party to its doom this year.

The NSW Government is about to land a big windfall from the airport rail line as revenue-sharing provisions kick in, writes Alan Davies. Should it return the money to airport train travellers or keep it?

Eddie Obeid, in the dock at ICAC, is quizzed on the activities of his cashed-up family trust — but he says he was “hands off”, and appeared uninterested in the details.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Local ACT Liberal leader Zed Seselja has launched a raid on the seat of sitting Senator Gary Humphries, pitching conservative against moderate and annoying some at the federal level.

Despite unfavourable redistributions and a statewide swing in 2010, Bill Hayden’s old seat has returned to safe Labor hands since the famous interruption of Pauline Hanson. It is William Bowe’s seat of the week.

The recent ACT election saw an unexpected swing towards women, though the overall number of women in the Legislative Assembly is declining, writes Glen Fuller.

Ahead of the ACT election, The Canberra Times called it as an easy Labor victory based on its “exclusive poll”. The poll was way out. So what went wrong?

Andrew Wilkie’s move to introduce a whistleblowing bill prompted some action from a government hitherto content to ignore the issue — but legislative action may fall off the “to do” list again.

Election results in Sydney, Melbourne and the ACT point to moderately good news for Labor — and the Greens will take some comfort from their inner-city results. Is the anti-incumbency vibe waning?

The ACT has voted and political types are biting their nails as counting continues — but a Labor-Green government is the most likely outcome, due to fractious relations between Greens and Liberals.

Leaving national implications aside, the major parties can both take heart from the gains made at the expense of the Greens in Saturday’s ACT election.

Student journalists Jacqui Garrity and Jelisa Apps, after gobbling down a couple of snags, analyse the ACT election result and the state of negotiations between the three parties.

A national-first prison needle exchange proposed for the ACT has sparked debate ahead of the territory’s election on Saturday. Reporter Ben Westcott examines the proposal.

Student journalists Jacqui Garrity and Jelisa Apps examine active transport policies in the lead up to the ACT election.

It may seem like a case of déjà vu, but ACT voters can be forgiven for thinking they have heard it all before when it comes to bringing light rail to Canberra, reports student journalist Alexandria Caughey Hutt.

The one and only public opinion poll of the Australian Capital Territory election campaign finds Labor headed for a comfortable-to-landslide victory, with three of the Greens’ four seats hanging in the balance, reports William Bowe.

Students and staff at the University of Canberra are divided over the actions of a Catholic doctor at the university medical centre who refuses to prescribe contraception and suggested a gay student have a hormone test.

Debate over how best to alter stamp duty in the ACT has been a major part of both the ACT Liberal and ACT Labor party campaigns, as student journalist Russell Ayres reports.

ACT Liberal policy to introduce free garden waste bins has concerned some locally-owned Canberra waste processing plants. Student journalist Molly Baxter investigates the impact.

Is Canberra more than roundabouts and brothels? With the ACT election looming on October 20, journalism students at the University of Canberra bring us the inside story on the poll.

Barry O’Farrell and the Capital Airport Group believe High Speed Rail will allow Sydney’s second airport to be located 250 km away in Canberra. Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, reckons the idea is outrageous.

The common ground between Canberra Airport’s ambition to become Sydney’s 2nd Airport, and wish of the NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell to support it, is a future high speed rail link between both cities, writes Ben Sandilands.

Amid a backdrop of deep cuts to the public service by conservative governments elsewhere, the looming Australian Capital Territory election gives Labor a strong chance of ending a two-year run of successive state and territory election defeats.

The NT government’s abolition of the Banned Drinkers Register has divided opinion in Central Australia. Swinburne Institute for Social Research research fellow Eleanor Hogan reports for Inside Story.

The NT government’s proposed initiative to mandatorily detain “problem drinkers” is discriminatory and risks causer wider harm. Win Yee Tan and Melanie Johnson explain why.

The NT government’s $100 million plan to detain citizens who have not committed crimes but are regularly liquored-up in public is the latest alcohol initiative that won’t work — and more than likely exacerbate the problem.

Adam Giles abolished the NT’s indigenous affairs portfolio and vowed to put Aboriginal people to work. But that’s easier said than done, writes ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research’s Jon Altman.

Police operations like Thumper in Katherine and other towns of the Top End do not stand unsupported. Thumping is now big business, writes Bob Gosford.

Adam Giles has to restore credibility to the troubled CLP government, which last week he described as “divided” and “in crisis” under former Chief Minister Terry Mills, writes Bob Gosford.

Tony Abbott says that under a Coalition Government parents would face on-the-spot fines for “failing” to send their kids to school. But it won’t work, writes a criminal justice system insider.

It took a little longer than originally planned but Adam Giles has taken power in the NT. So how did Australia’s first Aboriginal political leader make it to the top? It wasn’t easy, writes Bob Gosford.

If Labor continues its current trajectory, the party is doomed. Now is the time for serious decisions, writes disgruntled NT Labor Shadow Minister Kon Vatskalis.

Yesterday the slow moving train wreck that is the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party government drove itself over a cliff, writes Bob Gosford.

The NT government wants a mortgage-led development strategy for Aboriginal homelands. But can individualism and the free markets exist alongside Aboriginal kinship and land rights? ANU’s Jon Altman explains.

What exactly is the Northern Territory’s troubled recycling legislation, and what does it have to do with the price of a can of Coke? Lawyer Sarah Burnside explains.

John Elferink will go to the backbench. Lia Finnochario will get a ministry. Kezia Purick will be back in the fold. And the Northern Territory might get a new leader by lunchtime. The Northern Myth blogs the latest.

Local Darwin broadcaster and former Country Party Minister Darryl Manzie has read out a scathing letter he received from a very disaffected CLP member. Bob Gosford has the transcript.

The academic background to last year’s Boyer Lectures was funded by global miners Rio Tinto and Woodside. But the audience was none the wiser. Should she and the ABC have disclosed?

There was a startling hypocrisy in the rhetoric around development in northern Australia yesterday. Both sides of politics were caught opposing their own history.

Julia Gilard’s clumsy attempt to thwart NT Labor’s pre-selection process by parachuting Nova Peris into the party’s Senate ticket will play well down south, but runs a risk of being seen as a cruel and cynical manoeuvre, writes Bob Gosford.

The installation of former Olympian Nova Peris on the Labor Party NT Senate ticket is a short-term fix — but a necessary one to secure a Labor victory in the Top End and elsewhere.

The Darwin seat of Solomon has been on a knife edge since its creation in 2001, but only with Kevin Rudd’s election win in 2007 was Labor able to get over the line, writes William Bowe.

Is it fair to blame violence in indigenous communities on lenient sentences for Aboriginal men? Amy McQuire criticises recent comments by Mick Gooda and proposes a different approach.

Someone in acting NT Chief Minister Robyn Lambley’s position should be well aware that it is erroneous and possibly prejudicial to cry ‘murder’ when there has been no such conviction by a court, writes community developer officer Bob Durnan.

Many Aboriginal people support booze bans in local communities. But a raid on Chrisco hampers in the Northern Territory left a bad taste. Sean Kerins of ANU’s Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy reports from Borroloola.

A group of irreverent Northern Territory artists have created The Little Prick, a series of fake magazine covers that take the piss out of political issues, writes Bob Gosford.

When the “enduring presence” of US marines in Darwin was announced locals were too giddy by Obama’s presence to question it. Justin Tutty from BaseWatch examines what happened when they arrived.

For a brief period, Commonwealth and state/territory governments came together in a kumbaya on indigenous affairs. With Kevin Rudd gone, that is now shifting writes ANU’s Jon Altman.

UNESCO has held off putting the Great Barrier Reef on its endangered list — for now. Crikey intern Sasha Petrova finds out why the reef’s in trouble and what the next steps are.

Following the death of a Brisbane cyclist struck down by a cement truck, there are calls for new road rules requiring a minimum safe passing distance when vehicles overtake riders, writes Alan Davies.

Want to know how secret internal polling is conducted and put to use? Possum Comitatus kicks the door down, exposing how a modern politician campaign actually runs.

Possum Comitatus fires up his Pollytics machine to analyse data and breakdowns from the largest political poll ever conducted in Australia, focusing on privatisation and Queensland.

Is there any way to stop a Queensland mine? Queensland-based freelance journalist Amanda Gearing investigates the effectiveness of an environmental impact statement (hint: not much).

UPDATED: The Queensland government had serious concerns over funding Noel Pearson’s Cape York welfare reform trial. Researcher Dr Kristian Lasslett reveals ongoing governance issues did give cause for concern.

Within weeks of floating it, the Queensland government has backed away from its dramatic new vision for an efficient, high-frequency bus network for south-east Queensland. Alan Davies explains why.

Queensland may allow the shipping of uranium over the Great Barrier Reef. Is this a danger to one of Australia’s most treasured natural assets? Crikey intern Tim Fitzpatrick investigates.

Three Coalition premiers are running the east coast states. A Crikey analysis of their economies shows Barry O’Farrell is streets ahead, while Victoria marks time and Queensland is in the doldrums.

Kevin Rudd’s opponent for the seat of Griffith at the next election has roped in outside help for his campaign. He’s asking students from QUT’s Business School to help him attract more younger voters.

Despite the low success rate, governments continue to offer small sums of money to first-time buyers and wonder why it never works. Property guru Terry Ryder of Property Observer explains.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Julia Gillard had a good week campaigning in western Sydney. But what will the long-term cost be of Labor’s populist, anti-immigration rhetoric?

The Queensland government has proposed radical changes to the delivery of health services that need careful consideration. But it doesn’t seem to be waiting for consultation.

The Greens are on track to underperform compared with the 2010 election. In which case, getting your competitor to differentiate you isn’t such a bad strategy.

Campbell Newman has lost a minister and a hand-picked departmental head. His regret is sincere, but nobody else seems to know what they’ve done wrong.

Big political donors ditched Anna Bligh’s failing government and put their money behind Campbell Newman’s bid for the Queensland premiership, data from the AEC reveals.

Flood waters came rushing back into Grantham over the weekend, two years after their community was devastated. It was too much for many residents, writes journalist Amanda Gearing from Grantham.

Unemployment in Queensland has — unsurprisingly — increased following the Newman’s governments significant cuts across the public service. Blaming others doesn’t cut it, says Professor John Quiggin.

Despite an avalanche of controversy, polling indicates Mal Brough will have little trouble winning the Sunshine Coast seat of Fisher from its equally contentious incumbent, Peter Slipper, writes William Bowe.

The Queensland Greens claim last year’s state election recorded the most unbalanced result in a sample of 132 recent elections in states and provinces across the world. It’s a legitimate grievance, writes Charles Richardson.

With the Big Day Out on the hunt for a new site, the economic impact of big festivals has never been more important. But are tourist dollars really the best way to measure the impact of cultural events?

A political void has left Clive Palmer and Bob Katter in the spotlight in Queensland. They pose twin but very different threats to Campbell Newman’s government and conservative forces down south.

The Queensland LNP’s proposal on voluntary voting is aimed at creating a diversion, seeking partisan advantage and creating a smokescreen to hide possible changes on political donations.

The latest data from Essential Research shows Barry O’Farrell looking strong in New South Wales, Ted Baillieu slugging it out in Victoria and Campbell Newman losing support in Queensland, writes William Bowe.

On the northern fringe of Adelaide, Wakefield has a safe-looking double-digit Labor margin — but indications of a strong statewide swing have given the Libs hope, writes William Bowe.

The impressive opening ceremony of the 12th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide showcased the importance of creativity, community, inclusion and equal opportunities, reports Marge Overs.

They’re 40 metres wide, can stay in the air for 30 hours, and are set to patrol Australia’s borders — with not a pilot in sight. The Triton drones are coming to Adelaide, reports InDaily’s Liam Mannix.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Since leaving the frontbench, SA MP Pat Conlon has been working for Minter Ellison three days a week. His constitutes aren’t stimulating enough, reports Kevin Naughton of InDaily.

The Greens are on track to underperform compared with the 2010 election. In which case, getting your competitor to differentiate you isn’t such a bad strategy.

Labor enjoyed blowout majorities in traditionally marginal Adelaide seats at the 2010 election, but the Liberals are expressing optimism that what went up might be about to come down, writes William Bowe.

Steven Marshall seems to have the numbers to claim the leadership of the South Australian opposition. But Alexander Downer’s bid might not be dead, writes Kevin Naughton of InDaily.

South Australian Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond has finally fallen on her sword. It’s a huge relief to many of her colleagues, writes Kevin Naughton of InDaily.

Jay Weatherill’s new-look South Australian cabinet reveals an election strategy that will have to cover over big cuts. The Premier himself has stepped up to massage the numbers, writes David Washington of InDaily.

Could Alexander Downer rescue the SA Liberal Party and defeat Labor at the 2014 election? The odds are firming — but he would have to either do a Newman, or enter Parliament first. InDaily’s Kevin Naughton investigates.

South Australian Premier Jay Weatherill will reshuffle his cabinet and possibly give himself the plum role of treasurer. Though it’s hard to see why he’d want it, writes InDaily editor David Washington.

South Australian Treasurer Jack Snelling has taken an axe to the budget, as falling revenues and a failure to meet targets pushes out the deficit. Even government spinners will go, reports Kevin Naughton of InDaily.

As SA Premier Jay Weatherill enters the run up to the 2014 election, he’s dogged by a high-profile inquiry into alleged cover-ups of sexual abuse at an Adelaide school. InDailyeditor David Washington explains.

Research shows that heatwaves are increasing in severity and some say government policy is still woefully inadequate globally, writes Liam Mannix at InDaily.

Last held by Labor in 1949, the southern Adelaide seat of Boothby — William Bowe’s Seat of the Week — has been trending in the party’s direction since the early Howard years.

The Labor Left is furious that Finance Minister Penny Wong has been placed behind Don Farrell on the South Australian ticket. Why was she overlooked in favour of a ‘faceless man’?

Kate Ellis’s electorate of Adelaide is a one-time Labor stronghold which has generally been marginal since the late 1980s, writes William Bowe.

Isobel Redmond relied on her rural colleagues to narrowly retain the SA Liberal leadership as an old party split cast long shadows, writes Kevin Naughton of InDaily.

Liberal leadership turmoil hasn’t saved SA Labor from sinking to its worst position in Newspoll since it came to office a decade ago.

South Australian opposition leader Isobel Redmond stumbled badly on proposed cuts to the public service. It gave Labor all the ammunition it needs, writes Tom Richardson of InDaily.

The bell rang yesterday on South Australia’s public sector financial performance. It was heard loud and clear in Adelaide’s private sector boardrooms, writes Kevin Naughton of InDaily.

Just what is the status of the Olympic Dam expansion plan? BHP boss Marius Kloppers finally made it clear yesterday — it’s nothing but a pipe dream. Kevin Naughton of InDaily reports.

The Olympic Dam expansion is now a genuine “mirage in the desert”. Kevin Naughton of InDaily looks at the history of the project from Mike Rann to now.

SA Opposition Leader Isobel Redmond’s grasp on her job appears sunk by claims that key federal Liberal MP Jamie Briggs is behind moves to parachute in a replacement, writes Kevin Naughton of InDaily

The PR war over wind turbines on King Island is heating up as professional operatives jump on board. Ben Haslem and John Wells are backing the No TasWind Farm Group to run the project off the island.

They’re declaring peace in the forests of Tasmanian. But the deal passed through Parliament isn’t worth much for the environment without further protection for the remaining reserves.

The Tasmanian forestry industry is out for the count. But it is taking $1 billion in taxpayer dollars with it, writes Tasmania-based freelance writer John Lawrence.

The eastern and outer southern Hobart seat of Franklin has been in the Labor fold for two decades, but the party is said to have grave fears for the seat amid a state-wide collapse in support.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Gunns might have been trading insolvent when it took $23 million from the federal government for its non-existent pulp mill, writes Tasmanian economist and analyst John Lawrence at Tasmanian Times.

Hobart’s wildly contemporary Museum of Old and New Art has become one of the most talked about attractions in the country. In an essay for GriffithREVIEW, founder David Walsh explains why he built MONA in his home town.

Tasmania lags the nation in all important economic and social criteria. In an essay for GriffithREVIEW, Jonathan West says a malaise has descended over the Apple Isle. Its industry is broken and its people fear change.

What’s the timber industry quietly seeking from government behind closed doors? What happens in these discussions will shape the debate for at least a decade, write Andrew Macintosh and Richard Denniss.

Tasmania usually only makes the headlines because of environmentalists wanting to save trees. Now firefighters battling dangerous bushfires in the island state are in spotlight, reports Bruce Montgomery in Hobart.

Most of the trees felled in Tasmania’s forests end up as waste and woodchips. Andrew Macintosh and Richard Denniss crunch the numbers in a new Australia Institute infographic.

A deal to end the Tasmanian forest wars will soon go before state Parliament. Tasmanian-based accountant and former economist John Lawrence crunches the numbers and poses some pertinent questions.

The new deal to bring about peace in Tasmania’s forests is an example of how not to write policy. And Tasmania may be missing out on a massive opportunity, report Andrew Macintosh and Richard Denniss.

A deal has just been struck to end Tasmania’s 40-year war over forests. Tasmanian-based freelance journalist Bruce Montgomery asks if the armistice will hold.

The ABC is right to reduce its cost base and outsource television production in Tasmania, even if no one likes it. It makes the most economic sense.

The war over Tasmania’s forests is painted as jobs vs trees. But how many jobs are there really in the state’s forestry sector? Andrew Macintosh from the ANU and Richard Denniss from The Australia Institute investigate.

Tasmania’s upper house was evenly split on a gay marriage bill before voting it down last month. Gay marriage campaigner Rodney Croome explains the last-minute legal ambush which changed minds.

Most bank managers will tell you that before they can help you, you should get your mind and your house in order. That’s the challenge facing Tasmania.

The Greens tread a fine line in claiming their third victory in Tasmania. Though there seems little doubt Gunns’ proposed pulp mill is dead, writes Bruce Montgomery.

John Gay was not at the helm of Gunns as it sank into administration yesterday. But his fingerprints are all over the rise and fall of the once-mighty timber giant.

It was Gunns’ greed-at-all-costs attitude that destroyed its public reputation and ensured its financial demise, according to Richard Flanagan. The company and its planned pulp mill had gone rogue.

Tasmania’s Upper House politicians seem to be gearing up to say “I don’t” to gay marriage when they vote on the issue, probably this week. Crikey runs the numbers.

A proposed Tasmanian ban on selling cigarettes would be a prohibition-style flop, writes Martyn Goddard at Tasmanian Times.

Tasmania’s ailing and highly subsidised forestry industry should finally be subject to market principles, write Andrew Macintosh and Richard Denniss.

Tasmanian forest negotiators must be inflicted with Stockholm syndrome. A new interim agreement to end the 30-year war doesn’t get very far, reports Bruce Montgomery in Hobart.

Redistribution has given Labor in a boost in an eastern Melbourne seat that has remained outside their grasp for over two decades, though perhaps not enough of one in the current environment.

We hear much debate over the battle with the Australian Education Union and the state governments about teacher pay. But how much do teachers across Oz actually earn?

Julia Gillard faced a crowd of undecided voters in Melbourne last night — and the public’s apparent hostility to her government was nowhere to be seen. Crikey intern Kylar Loussikian was there.

What remains of the Labor faithful descended on Moonee Valley for the party’s annual state conference on the weekend. Reform was on the agenda, but few were really listening.

Crikey brings you the inside word on who’s gearing up to run for the hotly contested Victorian Upper House electorate of Western Metro.

An anonymous party has circulated a vicious letter smearing Nicola Roxon’s former staffer Katie Hall in the battle for safe Labor seat Gellibrand. But who is responsible?

It’s not often that Stephen Mayne and Gina Rinehart agree. But they’ve found common ground in urging mining giant Rio Tinto, which has recently slashed its Melbourne workforce, to relocate its headquarters from London to Australia.

The Victorian government is convening a ministerial advisory council on gay health issues. A member of the last group, Daniel Reeders, describes the challenges of getting anything done.

Three Coalition premiers are running the east coast states. A Crikey analysis of their economies shows Barry O’Farrell is streets ahead, while Victoria marks time and Queensland is in the doldrums.

Former Victorian ALP arts minister Mary Delahunty reflects on how hard it is to get money out of Treasury boffins for the arts, and provides a few pointers to would-be arts ministers.

Children can be held accountable for their crimes and put in detention at age 10 in Australia. Is that too young? Crikey intern Michelle Slater reports on a proposal to lift the age of criminal responsibility.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Julia Gillard had a good week campaigning in western Sydney. But what will the long-term cost be of Labor’s populist, anti-immigration rhetoric?

Ted Baillieu might now be regretting his decision to preference Labor ahead of the Greens. In Western Australia, the Liberals and Greens have come to terms. Denis Napthine should consider doing the same.

Why did Ted Baillieu resign as Victorian premier? Crikey outlines the ups and downs of the Baillieu government, from TAFE cuts to nurse protests and teacher disputes.

Why did the Liberal Party cut Ted Baillieu loose? You have to examine the factional background of conservative forces in Victoria. The Right rump never much liked him.

Victoria’s Planning Minister, Matthew Guy, has been called into question for his lack of public consultation and ‘hands-off’ approach, writes Alan Davies.

Victorian Premier Ted Baillieu’s plan for a ‘20 minute city’ may sound enticing, but it is a quaint and outmoded idea borrowed without acknowledgement from his predecessor, writes Alan Davies.

The Greens are on track to underperform compared with the 2010 election. In which case, getting your competitor to differentiate you isn’t such a bad strategy.

The ALP’s Victorian Left faction has targeted the party’s sclerotic party structures and excessive influence of powerbrokers, likening the situation to teen vampire hit Twilight.

The key problem with a Melbourne councillor’s proposal to ban smoking in public places is that it doesn’t recognise smoking is an addiction, writes Alan Davies

The eastern Melbourne seat held by Kevin Rudd numbers man Alan Griffin is theoretically losable for Labor, although it stayed with them throughout the Howard years, writes William Bowe.

A Victoria police detective has been accused of a “colossal level of naivety” by discussing an upcoming terror raid with The Australian’s Cameron Stewart.

The Federal Court’s decision to block reintroduction of cattle grazing in Victoria’s high country has turned it into a constitutional issue. It also raises questions about the limits of federal power, writes Charles Richardson.

Victorian Young Labor’s five months of uncertainty is about to resolved by the ALP national executive. Michael de Bruyn’s tenure appears doomed as old power blocs crumble.

Thousands of government documents are unsecured and at risk in WA due to a lack of shelf space in the records office. 3rd Degree student journalist Karma Barndon reports.

Yes, WA Labor lost. But the party didn’t lose big, and it’s very difficult to dislodge a first-term government. The result will not be the end of WA Labor, and Mark McGowan will be in a stronger position next time around.

The Western Australian election is all decided, and neither Greens nor Liberals got any benefit from the other’s preferences. Charles Richardson crunches the numbers.

While WA Labor leader Mark McGowan out-campaigned the Premier, Labor suffered a huge swing. Former WA Liberal (and Independent Liberal) senator Noel Crichton-Browne points the finger at federal Labor — and the Nationals.

The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.

Colin Barnett’s Liberal government in Western Australia won a decisive majority in the state poll on Saturday, marginalising the Nationals and giving federal Labor headaches.

The hangover for Labor after the Western Australian election is crippling. Crikey’s polling guru examines the wreckage and the key gains for the returned Barnett government.

Ted Baillieu might now be regretting his decision to preference Labor ahead of the Greens. In Western Australia, the Liberals and Greens have come to terms. Denis Napthine should consider doing the same.

WA Labor leader Mark McGowan is personally popular, but that won’t be enough to get his party over the line in tomorrow’s state election. But is a vote for Barnett a vote for Troy Buswell?

WA is in a fit of pique and feeling pretty hard done by, writes former Western Australian Callum Denness. Its politicians want nothing to do with eastern elitism and populist taxes, thank you very much.

A major mining company is going to spoil someone’s pastoral lease without their consent, writes former native title lawyer Sarah Burnside. Only thing is, “someone” is Andrew Forrest.

The election for the WA Legislative Council will be the seventh held since the introduction of the current system of proportional representation. William Bowe surveys the six voting regions.

With the baseball bats out, Mark McGowan faces a hammering at the Western Australian election. The Opposition Leader has done a good job, but federal Labor’s woes will ensure defeat.

The academic background to last year’s Boyer Lectures was funded by global miners Rio Tinto and Woodside. But the audience was none the wiser. Should she and the ABC have disclosed?

The Liberal campaign in WA has been a chaotic mess, with Colin Barnett’s Labor challenger Mark McGowan running well. Think the Liberals will be handily re-elected? Look closer, says former Labor adviser Luke Walladge.

The Greens are on track to underperform compared with the 2010 election. In which case, getting your competitor to differentiate you isn’t such a bad strategy.

The WA election just got more confusing with the release of upper house preference tickets and Labor’s direction of preferences in several key regional seats to the Liberals ahead of the Nationals, writes William Bowe.

It’s just a few weeks until WA heads to the polls. Local boy David Ritter outlines the political — and cultural — landscape of the boom mining state. Five dollar flat white, anyone?

Western Australia’s cultural scene is flourishing. As Perth booms with mining wealth, its international festivals are expanding and the local scene is a melting pot of renewed creativity.

It might be in the midst of a state election campaign, but WA Labor is already sizing up its Senate candidates for the September federal poll. Outside infuencers have been accused of making trouble.

In Sydney a new poll suggests high levels of support for a second Sydney airport. Meanwhile, in Perth, a different kind of brouhaha has erupted, writes Ben Sandilands.

Months out from the Western Australian state election, a long-awaited Newspoll suggests everything is coming together for Colin Barnett’s government, reports William Bowe.

The big one — the federal election — will occur later this year, and Western Australia will also head to the polls. Crikey’s elections guru outlines the year ahead and makes some guesses on the big date.

Beware he who proffers helpful advice about the AWU smear campaign in The Australian.

There have been suggestions that the electorate of John Curtin might be lost to Labor at the next election as part of a statewide Liberal sweep, although they have faded with Labor’s recent improvement in the polls, writes William Bowe.