22 Results

If you want to see a pretty pack of pollies, you need look no further than James Packer’s new political mates: Karl Bitar and Mark Arbib, writes Paul Barry.

If you want to see a pretty pack of pollies, you need look no further than James Packer’s new political mates. From NSW Labor heavyweights Karl Bitar and Mark Arbib to NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell.

James Packer’s expensive campaign to discredit Echo Entertainment Group chairman John Story continues afoot at the same time as the casino billionaire’s own investment record has again come into sharp focus after the latest disaster at Network Ten.

As with any public debate, the challenge in the pokies reform will be getting participants to put all their cards on the table and declare these conflicts as they arise. Stephen Mayne declares their interests on the public’s behalf.

Bolt’s worst offence over the weekend was to grossly exaggerate the impact of the NSW pokies backlash while failing to disclose his financial association with those involved in the campaign.

They may not punch with the same force of the past, they may no longer punch at all, but any round-up of Australian Political Fixers would be incomplete without mentioning the men who made fixing an art form.

Paul Barry and Matthew Knott look back at the main players in the Night of the Long Knives: where are they now?

The James Packer ALP advisory team of Graham Richardson, Karl Bitar and former Kim Beazley chief-of-staff Gary O’Neill, today have played one of their trump cards in the campaign to head off Andrew Wilkie’s pokies reform agenda.

Two former NSW Labor powerbrokers rubbish James Packer’s hiring of dumped ALP national secretary Karl Bitar as a Crown Casino lobbyist, suggesting the media scion might be better off dispatching his new charge back to the dole queue.

Karl Bitar seems to have made it his life’s work to symbolise the decline of the Australian Labor Party. Spinning for Crown says more about the party than the man.

Fears are growing among senior ALP figures that mooted Karl Bitar successor Anthony Chisholm would serve as a part-time National Secretary to allow him to helm Anna Bligh’s bid for a second elected term in office.

Karl Bitar departs Labor’s national secretaryship, leaving a smoking ruin where viable political parties once stood.

For thirty years our politics has focused on economic management and reform. But voters appear to want something more, and they’re not getting it from the major parties.

While Karl Bitar appeared in denial about Labor’s wretched election campaign, Julia Gillard gave an inkling that - egad! - she’s actually worked out where she needs to go.

Julia Gillard needs to launch a challenge for the ALP leadership to save Kevin Rudd from himself. She can’t use loyalty as an excuse for wimping out, writes Peter van Onselen.

The ALP National Executive has launched a secret review of the party’s Queensland election campaign, amid claims of systemic failures.