The idea of tragedy has been exiled from our political culture, writes John Armstrong.
State & Territory
Rees has Arts NSW staff dancing in the hallways
Arts NSW staff were practically dancing in the hallways naked yesterday with the announcement that new NSW Premier Nathan Rees had taken over the state’s arts portfolio, writes Nicholas Pickard.
Whistle blower protection too late for Orkopoulos staffer
Special Minister of State John Faulkner today committed to legislation establishing a “preferred model” for whistle-blower protection in 2009, writes Bernard Keane.
Carpenter’s early election call a fatal mistake
Completely misreading public sentiment, Labor ran a presidential campaign which did little more than feed community resentment, writes Noel Crichton-Browne.
Union buster Iemma writes for scab Herald
NSW Premier Morris Iemma contributed a by-line article to the weeked edition of The Sydney Morning Herald while journalists were on a picket line striking to protect hundreds of jobs and quality journalism, writes Alex Mitchell.
Ugly Ducklings in Queensland: Molony on Women
Councillor John Molony has been propelled to fame, if only briefly, for his comments that “beauty-disadvantaged” women would be welcome in the mining town of Mount Isa, writes Binoy Kampmark.
Video: Open season on black swans in Victoria:
Video footage following up on the plight of black swans and how the DSE is responding.
Crook NSW coastal candidates
Nominations for the NSW local government elections closed at midday today with a major shock for voters in the Tweed Shire Council on the border between NSW and Queensland, writes Alex Mitchell.
First NT now WA — hot vote in 08
Everybody loves an early election, writes William Bowe.
Smith departure overshadowed by Meagher’s taxi hijinks
The departure of Alex Smith from the NSW Premier’s Department last Friday made no news whatsover. Not even a footnote, writes Alex Mitchell.
NSW government in distraction mode
The constant question to be asked about the dunderhead NSW government is whether the little jokes it plays are intentionally on itself — a joke on a joke, so to speak — or just on its hapless citizens? writes Michael Pascoe.
NT result: bad for the ALP, even worse for pundits
With a minority CLP Government still possible up in the Northern Territory, Saturday’s election was terrible for Paul Henderson’s ALP – but even worse for the pundits, writes Bernard Keane.
WA part I: Libs are underdogs, but backable
The timing is cynical, and the odds are stacked against the opposition, but don’t write the Liberals off in WA, writes William Bowe.
Tasmanian politics and the unfortunate vignette of Paula Wriedt
In the aftermath of Paula Wriedt’s attempted suicide, let’s consider the state of affairs in Tasmania in terms of both ministerial workloads and parliamentary representation, writes Bruce Montgomery.
Colin Barnett and the perils of recycled leaders
The Liberal Party is short of leaders, writes Charles Richardson, and recycling past failures isn’t working. Nor is it likely to work at the Federal level.
Crikey Says: Crikey says
He’s the Bert Newton of Australian politics: the polished performer whose gift for spontaneous, stiffly splenetic wit was honed in tougher vaudevillian times, times when having a personality meant more than booking an in-store appearance from Sophie Monk. “He” is of course Paul Keating, a man who knows how to milk a moment in the public […]
Mackerras: the WA redistribution that grew
‘I assumed it would be a pretty minor affair but I could not have been proved more wrong,’ writes Malcolm Mackerras.
China’s mining giant gets ready to strike it lucky in NSW
China’s biggest coalmining company, Shenhua Group Corporation Ltd, has booked itself a profitable place with the Iemma Government. It is the front-runner to take the gold medal in two contests. Alex Mitchell explains.
One man standing in race to replace Iemma
Of the four candidates put forward by NSW ALP general secretary Karl Bitar to succeed Premier Morris Iemma, only one is left standing – Water and Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees. Alex Mitchell reports.
Vic Libs release a fragrant load of dirty laundry
The Victorian Liberal Party this week released a radical discussion paper on internal reform, writes Charles Richardson.
Save $40million: Nine news chief gets his orders
Mike Munro’s gone, morale is sagging and the worst might be yet to come for Nine news and current affairs, writes Glenn Dyer.
Tripodi excited over Oliveri appointment, but for how long?
Is the appoinment of Frank Oliveri likely to end Joe Tripodi’s career? Alex Mitchell investigates.
LNP: new name, same dribbling hicks and hacks
The weekend’s conservative merger in Queensland is a humiliating defeat for senior federal Liberals, writes Bernard Keane.
