The arts year will be dominated by key themes: the announcement of the National Cultural Policy, the deflation of the music festivals bubble, and fraught times at many smaller companies.
Simon crean
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Australia Council review secret and hopelessly compromised
Arts Minister Simon Crean’s review of the Australia Council is much needed. But it’s been hopelessly compromised already by the choice of the man leading it.
My Cup Of Tea: Where arts and policy meet in the digital sphere
The Gillard government is embarking on a “digital culture public sphere” consultation as a part of its national cultural policy development. Kate Lundy talks to Crikey about what it is and why we should care.
My Cup Of Tea: Arts policy converging into a government hash
Government arts policy is a hash. The now its Convergence Review — which is posing serious questions about the future shape of cultural policy — is making the National Cultural Policy irrelevant.
My Cup Of Tea: A political arts discussion with broad strokes
Arts Minister Simon Crean has released a discussion paper on the government’s forthcoming National Cultural Policy. He speaks to Crikey about the competing agendas and the budget belt tightening.
Political snippets: PM should take the next step
Her Green allies might not like it but Julia Gillard should take the next step in letting the people give their verdict on her carbon tax regime.
My Cup Of Tea: Crean gets to work on Labor’s cultural fabric
Some broad outlines of Labor’s National Cultural Policy are beginning to finally emerge. But arts minister Simon Crean faces some big questions from industry and artists.
Political snippets: When pressed, Abbott discovers he has a pair
Refusing to grant Simon Crean a pair so he could address the National Press Club today was not such a good idea by Tony Abbott.
Political snippets: Richard Farmer’s chunky bits: beware the record of the vanquished
Out of my comfort zone. I confess to being confused about this election. I have been writing about them, and participating in them, federal and state, for nearly 50 years but have not come across anything like this one. My experience tells me that first-term governments don’t lose when economic conditions are basically good. Yet, […]
DEEWR and its contractors — worst-practice workplace relations in action
The secretary of Julia Gillard’s former department has called DEEWR’s treatment of IT contractors “unacceptable”, writes an anonymous tipster.
Who will Rudd replace if Labor wins?
In an entirely minimalist pre-election reshuffle, Julia Gillard has shifted Trade Minister Simon Crean to her former portfolio, with Foreign Minister Stephen Smith picking up Crean’s workload, reports Bernard Keane.
Sinodinos: Cat’s got the Crean
Simon Crean knew exactly what he was doing last week with his jibes against the RSPT. This election is being run like a presidential contest, which could be dangerous for everybody, writes Arthur Sinodinos.
Abbott overcompensates and big business pays the price
It’s not a good idea to act as if your opponents are right. But Tony Abbott has decided he needs a big policy to fix his problem with women voters and his eggs are in the paid parental leave basket.
Explaining the stacked deck that is parliamentary question time
It’s doubtful a coalition Opposition would take advice from a former Labor press secretary but if they did, they might want to just hand question time over to the press gallery, writes Network Ten press gallery producer Stephen Spencer.
Rudd’s community cabinet hits the city of churches, Crean yawns
Federal Cabinet was on safari in Adelaide last night, and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd went hunting votes in the outer suburb of Osborne, reports Hendrik Gout.
A recycling Tony Abbott shows his green credentials
Tony Abbott has been channelling Prince Philip and some of Australia’s most successful Opposition leaders in an effort to bran himself as a champion of the environment.
Gorgon: the little gas project that could
The Gorgon Gas project is the new golden child of the Rudd government, expected to create jobs, help Australia-China relations and further destroy the Opposition’s leadership, writes Annabel Crabb.
The Media Monitors' Top 20: Hu gives Smith, Bishop and Crean a boost? Exactly
The Stern Hu arrest has unsurprisingly launched Stephen Smith, Julie Bishop and Simon Crean way up the list in the battle for political media airtime.
Scottish cat lady wows Britain’s Got Talent
Simon Cowell wanted to mock Susan Boyle. But couldn’t. Despite setting her up to fail, she sang Les Mis like a champion. A quick record deal is on the way.
The saga of filling Malcolm Turnbull’s front bench
The new frontbench will have a very thin look about it. Turnbull will have to make the most effective use of limited resources, writes Bernard Keane.
Possum: So just how bad is 9% for Brendan Nelson?
There be no typos here, it really says 9%, writes Possum Comitatus.
Newspoll: Better than it might have been for Dr Brendan
There’s no real surprise in the voting intention or preferred prime minister figures in the first Newspoll for the year. Indeed, they are academic. Still, opposition leader Brendan Nelson can draw heart from his approval rating, writes Christian Kerr.
Mungo: Howard’s decline and fall, part 2
In our continuing series of extracts from Mungo MacCallum’s new book “Poll Dancing: The Story of the 2007 Election,” he looks at the unlikely rise of Kevin Rudd: “I had always been somewhat ambivalent about Rudd…”
