Antony Green: Can the Greens make a dent in Higgins?On paper, the Federal seat of Higgins might not look as safe for the Liberals as it once did — but don’t expect to see Clive Hamilton make much of an impact there for the Greens, says Antony Green. History and the polls are against him.
Australian Greens
How to become a federal MP: the minor parties
Just what does it take to ascend to the lofty heights of federal parliament in a minor party? It seems that compared to the factionally obsessed Libs and Labor, the preselection process is a reasonably democratic one.
Hamilton: Why I am standing for the Greens in Higgins
Crikey regular Clive Hamilton explains why he is running in the Higgins by-election as a candidate for the Greens, and says that climate change won’t be the only issue he’ll be campaigning on.
Rundle: Why Clive H might be just the ticket in Higgins
Higgins is the one of the foremost ‘social liberal’ (or doctors’ wives) seat in the country. Clive Hamilton’s success as the Greens’ candidate in the seat will be a litmus test of test of exactly how seriously they take climate change, says Guy Rundle.
Keep the bastards honest, just with different watchdogs
The Australian Democrats are all but dead, but that doesn’t mean voters don’t want small parties. They just want strong ideological ideas not the “middle-of-the-road mildness of the Aussie Dems”, writes Paul Williams.
Greens talk common sense on climate bill
This morning the Greens launched a raft of amendments to improve the Government’s CPRS bill — and they’re the most sensible suggestions any party has made on the issue in some time.
Small parties to be squeezed out of Senate?
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.
Costello: Early election a gift to the Greens
PM Kevin Rudd doesn’t really want a double dissolution, because he’d prefer the Opposition to pass the ETS scheme and share the blame of future problems, writes Peter Costello.
Crikey Says: Wong’s Copenhagen plan don’t make it right
Penny Wong’s climate change “plan”, letting developing countries create their own national targets, is just more media management from a Government expert in the art.
Rudd shuts up the conversation
No debate should be silenced, particularly one about how much public money the government spends. But this is exactly what PM Kevin Rudd is attempting to do with the stimulus package, writes Janet Albrechtsen.
What’s big, slick and floating towards the WA coast…
How big is the Montara oil leak off the northern coast of Western Australia? That all depends who you ask: the Greens or the company responsible.
Bradfield will be a test for the Liberals, mark my words
Byelections can no longer be guaranteed to record good results for Opposition parties. So how will the Bradfield byelection play out? If the Liberal share is less than 58%, it’ll be bad news for Malcolm Turnbull.
The canny game of Rob Oakeshott
Independent MP Rob Oakeshott is no mug. You don’t have a track record of electoral success as an independent like his without some serious political smarts. So why is he gushing over PM Kevin Rudd?
Bernard Keane’s bits and bobs
Liberal Party of Tas plus Exclusive Brethren. Anna Bligh on accountability and Australian Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young on comfort women.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: Nuclear power and relations with China
Crikey readers weigh in on nuclear power, relations with China and the politics between the Greens and the Nationals.
Guy Rundle: Rundle: Who ate all the yellowcake?
If you think it’s tough to get an incinerator built these days, trying putting a nuclear waste dump anywhere. Voters wouldn’t allow it, not in their backyards. Nuclear power is the defining struggle, around which a new politics is organised.
Barry O’Farrell sticks his neck out on donations reform
Barry O’Farrell has stuck his neck out on political donations reform, lobbyist activities and election expenditure in an attempt to make ground on Premier Rees. But his own political fundraising is under question, writes Lee Rhiannon.
The real CPRS choice: do what it takes or lock in failure
The real choice is whether we do what it takes to stop the climate crisis or whether we lock in failure by sandbagging the old polluting economy, writes Greens Senator Christine Milne.
The environment takes centre stage
Environmental issues are set to get far greater political and media attention than usual this coming week in Federal Parliament. Unfortunately, the politics surrounding climate change and the emissions trading will get more attention than the substance of the issue itself, writes Andrew Bartlett.
A Liberal fable: once upon a time on a small, blue planet …
A small, relatively insignificant country in the planet’s southern hemisphere, which produces about 2% of the carbon causing the problems, is furiously debating how to move away from a dependence on carbon. Not that it will make a difference.
On Line Opinion opens editorial complaint to public
An exchange between the chief editor of Australian e-journal On Line Opinion, Graham Young, and NSW Greens MP Lee Rhiannon, whose story he didn’t publish, reveals the inner thoughts of an online media outlet. Refreshing.
Leave Peter Garrett alone
It would have been easy for Garrett to remain a musician and head of the Australian Conservation Foundation, or join the Greens. Instead, he went for the tough option. Cut him some slack.
Byron Bay to be abandoned to the waves
We should all be thankful that the Greens council which makes the decisions at Byron Shire isn’t in charge of Venice, writes Ian Evans.
graph pr0n Is the Greens’ popularity here to stay?
The Greens’ voter support is its highest level ever – but is that a blip or something that could be more stable? Possum crunches the numbers.
