Icon of crocodile stuff, Bindi Irwin, is spruiking packet chocolate cake mix, and Rosemary Stanton isn’t happy. Nor is David Penberthy. But they’re both missing the point, writes David Gillespie.
Greens 
SA & WA Newspolls: Rann and Barnett on top
Sometime back yonder, the latest South Australian and WA Newspoll State politics quarterly estimates were released onto the Newspoll public database. Here’s what they’re saying.
Keep your ETS Safe!
A handy guide
Stimulus secured: A Xenophon stunt — on a massive scale
Today’s passage of the stimulus package is Nick Xenophon’s biggest stunt yet, writes Bernard Keane.
It was a bit uncomfortable around the dinner table last night…
This is YOUR ETS!
Now Lee is a Green, expect the Labor mud to fly
Ronan Lee’s defection to the Gerens could unleash a torrent of unfavourable information, writes Canberra Correspondent Bernard Keane.
Rudd’s risky marginalisation of the Greens
An important element of the Government’s self-presentation has been its claim to being at the centre of Australian politics. Kevin Rudd calls it “the reforming centre”. But what does that exactly mean?
Powering Sydney with the sun? Not if the pols can help it
Sydney could have been powered by solar thermal technology in three years, if only for the short-sightedness of politicians. By Alex Mitchell.
If a Green fell in Tasmania, would anyone report it?
Which is the luckiest political party in Australia? The Greens, of course. One of their star candidates resigns from the Party last week — and the story is barely reported, writes Greg Barns.
Meanwhile, on the road to Egypt …
Catch The Fire Ministry’s Pastor Danny Nalliah claimed pre-election to have received divine advice that John Howard would be returned as Prime Minister. This turned out to be a false prophecy. Pastor Nalliah explains, in this extract from his blog, that the fight is not abandonned.
Perhaps all the Nationals should become family men now
It is a wonderful sight to behold how politicians become so concerned for family life when they lose access to their white cars and all the other lurks and perks of ministerial office, writes Richard Farmer.
Oz blogs
The end of the Liberals … Sunday classifieds … Bad news for the Greens … Libs expected worse … The view from the cab … Was all in the timing … Green fashion sense … History repeats … Reality check: Kev - this still holds true
Graham: Indigenous Australians will be rooting for Rudd
The head says that this election - for Indigenous Australia at least - is not about who wins government, rather it’s about who wins control of the Senate, writes the editor of the National Indigenous Times, Chris Graham.
So who or what is behind Greens Watch?
We seem to have reached that point in the electoral process when the minds of our political hopefuls turn inexorably to dirt, writes Jeff Sparrow.
Flint: Behold the arbiters, for they will decide the election
The crucial arbiters who will decide this election, the less interested and the undecided, still don’t know how they’ll vote. They look for similar values in a government to their own, which are mainly conservative, and they rely on common sense, writes David Flint.
Reality check: Greens make the lists
It is interesting to see stories about the Greens finally making the best read lists on internet news lists. There are two of them shown on this morning’s Reality Check and it coincides with Greens Leader Senator Bob Brown bobbing up more frequently on news and current affairs television.
Pollbludger: Forecasting the Senate
Like so much else this year, speculation about the Senate election has been guided by “the narrowing”. That means it is necessary to revise the view that the Coalition will be strong enough in the Senate to make life difficult for an incoming Rudd government, writes William Bowe.
Press gallery missing in action on Senate preferences
After the press gallery completely missed the Senate story last time, you’d think the papers would be all over the group voting tickets, which are one of the few concrete events of the campaign, writes Stephen Mayne.
Greens turn their back on a moralising Christ. Greens win
Another week, another bout of common sense from the Greens. This is becoming disturbing. The influential Australian Christian Lobby sent a list of 25 questions to political parties demanding to know their stance on various issues, and today garnered some publicity for the responses, writes David MacCormack.
Richardson: Labor turns its attention to the Senate
Labor has been trying hard to avoid the impression of overconfidence, but news at the weekend suggests that it too now regards the government’s fate as a foregone conclusion, writes Charles Richardson.
Abjorensen: Polls pointing to Greens Senate victory in ACT
The Coalition might not be able to count on a Senate majority after a likely Labor win at the election, writes Norman Abjorensen.
Election fever hits as Brisbane goes to the polls
Here in progressive inner city Brisbane, we’re proudly in advance of the rest of the nation in actually having an election – we vote on Saturday in the Brisbane Central by-election caused by the resignation from Queensland Parliament of Peter Beattie. Mark Bahnisch reports.
