Don’t worry too much about the Coalition’s promise to fund the compulsory super increase - it’s dealt with this problem before.
Keating government
Maley: waging a battle against stalling productivity
There’s no doubt that the core reason that our productivity is ebbing is that we’ve lost the zeal for microeconomic reforms, writes Karen Maley of Business Spectator.
Budget breakdown: why Gillard’s Labor has lost its heritage
Does anything distinctively Labor remain in the Gillard government, asks John Quiggin, an economist from the University of Queensland?
C’mon, Kev, show some guts: tell us where we’re weak
We need more than just idle talk from a Prime Minister and a Treasury that knows what’s needed and should have the guts to issue a report pointing out our weak areas and suggesting what needs to be done.
Guy Rundle: The long, plodding March of Patriots
Guy Rundle reviews Paul Kelly’s new book, The March of Patriots: the literary equivalent of cleaning out the garage on a grey Saturday afternoon.
Keating, a rusted-on luvvie, leaves a legacy
Guy Rundle’s recent assault on Paul Keating’s cultural cred was irritating and thrilling by turns, writes arts reporter Stephen Feneley — it shouldn’t be so surprising arts folk have such fond memories of Keating given what came after him.
The death of Tozer and Keating’s romancing of genius
The death of pianist Geoffrey Tozer raises questions about Paul Keating and the attitudes about art and civilisation that he projected — and continues to project — onto this country.
Restoring authority to parliament
Kevin Rudd wants to make resolutions of the House and ministerial statements fashionable again, but the days of ministers speaking to the people through Parliament are gone forever, writes Rob Chalmers.
Where now for Liberal staffers? The mining boom?
Ministerial advisers are well compensated with a respectable termination payment if they have served for a few years or more. And most are generally happy for a decent break after the rigorous pace of government. But it soon dawns on most that their skills are tough to transfer when they wear a Labor or conservative badge.
When a swing is on …
While the overall result was about what I expected, the seat-swing make-up wasn’t, writes Peter Brent.
Poll history repeats – but which piece?
The government will be hoping opinion poll history repeats. But which piece of history? Which previous Newspoll graph can the government take heart from? Peter Brent investigates.
Time for Rio Tinto to call Australia home
Today’s Rio Tinto EGM approved one of three largest cash bids in corporate history — the $US44 billion Alcan takeover — but the deal will see the world’s second biggest mining company become even less Australian.
Mixing the polls: Tuesday edition
Today’s poll-mix, of a Morgan, Nielsen and Newspoll over the last fortnight, giving greater weight to the Newspoll because it is most recent (more here on the methodology) shows a 56 to 44 two party preferred in Labor’s favour.
The 39 (marginal) steps – to government
The Liberal Party has doubled the number of seats it is treating as marginal in the face of Labor’s consistent poll leads, according to the Australian. There’s Wentworth. What our the other 39 steps to government?
All steady in latest Morgan Poll
Opinion poll number three for the week is from Gary Morgan, and it confirms the other two. Labor’s two-party preferred vote is at 57.5% (Nielsen said 57%, Newspoll 56%); that’s a swing of about 10%, down 0.5% from the previous poll. The lead on primary votes is 48-37, compared to Nielsen’s 48-39 and Newspoll’s 46-39.
