If a politician’s entitlements annoy a voter, then an ex-politician’s entitlements must annoy a voter more, writes Stephen Bartos, governance expert and director of Sapere Research Group.
Malcolm fraser
Malcolm Fraser: High Court offers govt chance to seize high ground
Former prime minister Malcolm Fraser sent the following letter to Immigration Minister Chris Bowen last week …
Reith v Abbott: the early 90s wants its zeal back
The tensions between Tony Abbott and Peter Reith have deep roots in recent Liberal history. The former minister’s eagerness to prevent a return to “the Fraser years”, unencumbered by the party presidency, will be fascinating to watch.
Fraser to Sheridan: ‘you’re a barracker for political memories’
Malcolm Fraser responds to The Australian: “In his hyperbole, prejudice and partiality, Greg Sheridan shows himself to be not so much a commentator as a barracker, in this case for political memories.”
Gillard’s extraordinary ordinary
Australians
There was a great deal we’d heard before in last week’s Whitlam Institute much-debated speech by the Prime Minister. In fact, we’ve been in this grimly Spartan territory on several previous occasions.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: A return to a more moderate multiculturalism policy
Crikey readers have their say.
Wright: You call those gaffes? THESE are gaffes
Abbott and Gillard’s recent gaffes on the international circuit pale in comparison to past blunders - including Malcolm Fraser’s rendition of I Like Aeroplane Jelly and Gough Whitlam’s declaration that “trade is so f — -ing boring,” says Tony Wright.
Mungo MacCallum: Mungo: New ‘Bronwyn’ takes some heat from Rudd’s amateurs
There are times, and this is one of them, when Rudd and his troops look like a bunch of amateurs. The only thing that saves them is that their opponents look even sillier.
The Guardian praises Fraser: an “antipodean Jimmy Carter”
The Guardian’s editorial is an ode to Malcolm Fraser quitting the Libs, calling him “a force for moderate good sense” and noting that dull leaders can make fine national elders.
How the Liberal Party left Malcolm Fraser behind
Malcolm Fraser can be blamed for many things, but he cannot be blamed for feeling out of place in today’s Liberal Party.
Fraser quits: well, duh
Daily Media Wrap: Former Liberal PM Malcolm Fraser’s resignation from the party has been met by the nation’s pundits with a collective, “Well, duh.” But is it still a big blow to Abbott, or just a long time coming?
The inside story on Fraser’s
resignation
Both Tony Abbott and former staffer David Kemp appealed to Malcolm Fraser not to leave the Liberal Party, reveals his biographer Margaret Simons.
Malcolm Fraser quits the Liberal Party
Former Liberal Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser has resigned from the party, saying he no longer supports the way the Coalition is operating.
Sheridan: Stop the boats!
The old Howard classic “We will decide who comes to this country and the circumstances in which they come” is still the best refugee policy for this country and Kevin Rudd is slowly realising it, writes Greg Sheridan.
Malcolm Fraser: Do we really want a return to the White Australia policy?
Despite the fact that asylum seekers who arrive by boat rather than plane are overwhelming found to be refugees (85% compared to 30%), our government discriminate against them. Why? asks former PM Malcolm Fraser.
Malcolm Fraser: a champion for immigration and a bigger Australia
Malcolm Fraser opened the door to Vietnamese refugees in the late 1970s and championed a larger Australia through immigration. Here, in an extract from the new Fraser biography, he remembers the birth of multiculturalism.
Crikey Says: And on the subject of boat people, let me just say this: eat more eggs
Politicians, says Malcolm Fraser, have a superior duty to speak with “discretion and respect” on issues of race and religion. How does Kevin Rudd hold up?
David Smith: Malcolm Fraser is lying about the Whitlam dismissal
Malcolm Fraser’s account of what then Governor General John Kerr said to him on the morning of 11 November, 1975, is not true, says Kerr’s former secretary David Smith.
The Henderson letters
Upon obtaining a copy of Malcolm Fraser and Margaret Simons’ new book Malcolm Fraser: The Political Memoirs, Gerard Henderson began a snarky correspondence with Margaret Simons. These are those letters, and this is his story.
Mungo MacCallum: Here’s the Goss — Abbott may struggle to win the media war
By saying the government’s $250m rebate to TV networks looks like a bribe, Tony Abbott has opened up a new front bin the media wars. Will the high risk strategy of aligning himself with the Pay TV media moguls work?
Malcolm Fraser: I was the reformer, not Howard
The idea of John Howard the reformer and Malcolm Fraser as the rigid conservative is a myth, writes Malcolm Fraser and Margaret Simons in an extract from Fraser’s upcoming memoirs.
Turnbull invokes a Menzies manoeuvre by crossing the floor
Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to cross the floor of the House of Representatives is no big deal, particularly when his party is in Opposition, writes Rob Chalmers.
30 years on and how much has changed?
It’s that time of the year again, when all of the government papers from 30 years ago get revealed to the public. The Oz have dedicated a whole section to it, from the Fraser government’s fear of refugees dividing the nation to new plans to the establishment of Australia’s first counter-terrorism squad.
Ackland: Shouldn’t we share our “boundless plains”?
Doesn’t anybody remember the lyrics to our national anthem — “for those who’ve come across the seas”? asks Richard Ackland. It’s time to offer an ‘Australian Solution’.
Please explain: Barnaby Joyce, the new Pauline Hanson?
A former Pauline Hanson adviser, John Pasquarelli, laments Australia’s ‘forgotten people’. No, not Indigenous Australians, but rather mainstream Australians, getting overrun by gangs and immigrants. Can a Barnaby Joyce-type be their new leader?
