Despite what you may have seen on SBS series Liberal Rule, the rise and fall of the Howard government did not represent big shifts in national sentiment, writes Charles Richardson.
Howard government
Liberal Rule vs. The Howard Years
Does SBS’s new series Liberal Rule provide a better look back at the Howard government than the ABC’s The Howard Years? Peter Brent ranks the retrospectives.
Will we really love Coles? Thoughts on a female-friendly publicity stunt
Is there much beyond Coles’ special no-tax tampon offer than clever marketing? Mel Campbell suspects not.
Fair Pay: the perils of politicians appointing ‘independent’ experts
The Fair Pay Commission is a classic example of when politicians appoint independent experts, things often don’t turn out exactly the way they planned.
Australia’s racist underbelly
We may practise it politely, but, as recent attacks on Indian students show, Australia is still a racist country, says Bruce Haigh — and nothing will change until Rudd attempts to reverse some of the damage done by the Howard era.
Coalition ‘punch-up’: a regrettable incident
The Coalition’s discipline, which held more or less solid for the eleven years of the Howard Government, has never really recovered from the election defeat. As this morning it showed.
Circumspection please, Ken Henry is not the bunyip
Ken Henry has become a new bogeyman for conservatives; obviously his years of loyal service to the Howard Government have been forgotten.
Swan’s boom-era Budget should sail
The mixed message of handouts and infrastructure for everyone in a time of supposed austerity is still confusing but probably not enough to cause any difficulty for the Government.
Tinkering with the electoral process: Liberal margin of error
Over the 11 years of the previous government, more and more Australians have been losing their most basic democratic right — their vote at a federal election, writes Michael Danby.
Budget countdown: ASIO growth freeze imminent?
The 2009 Budget might finally spell the end of the remorseless growth of ASIO, the most successful government body of the Howard era.
Budget deficits and the grand hypocrisy of Peter Costello
The biggest public policy issue in Australia at the moment is the size of our budget deficit. The man most responsible is Peter Costello.
Budget countdown: Tax revenue, recession, deficit, oops
There are worrying signs that the collapse in government revenue will reveal a budget in structural deficit.
Mungo MacCallum: Boat people crisis sham
In the old days, maps of the southern seas used to warn off the unwary with the legend: Here Be Dragons. In modern times we have a new legend to frighten the gullible: Here Be Boat People.
Mungo MacCallum: Turnbull can’t hold a candle to Saint Kevin
Malcolm Turnbull may or may not be an expert in telecommunications, but he is rapidly becoming one on unsaleable products.
Taiwan, China and Israel dominate foreign travel of our MPs
When it comes to the influence of foreign governments on MPs and Senators, it isn’t China that we should be concerned about — it’s Taiwan, writes Bernard Keane.
The Liberal Party’s long history of playing the race card
Despite Joe Hockey’s indignant posturing over the weekend, the fact is that the Liberal Party has used race over the past two decades for its own political advantage, writes Greg Barns.
The ugliest Budget in decades way behind schedule
The Budget process is significantly behind schedule, according to sources in the Canberra bureaucracy, delayed by the continuing collapse in revenue projections and the need to find all possible savings, writes Bernard Keane.
ABC/SBS board appointments: step up from Howard
It’s been a long wait, but the first fruits of the Government’s new ABC Board appointments process have emerged, writes Bernard Keane.
Government advertising falls from Howard high of $180 mil
The precipitate fall in Government advertising under the Rudd Government has been confirmed by the first of the Government’s reports on advertising expenditure, writes Bernard Keane.
Joel Fitzgibbon vs the mysterious men and women of the Australian Defence Force
Deep in the secret bowels of the Defence Department…
Liberal mates milked millions from Howard’s ad bonanza
In the Commonwealth, you can’t use taxpayers’ money without appropriate authority and you can’t spend it without making sure taxpayers are getting the best value for money, writes Bernard Keane.
Operation Sunlight: lifting the lid on government transparency
The Rudd Government continues to make significant progress in increasing governmental transparency and accountability, writes Bernard Keane.
Greenhouse niggard to review treasury ETS modelling
Climate action opponent Brian Fisher should have automatically been excluded from any “independent” review of the modelling, writes Bernard Keane.
