The Witness K and Bernard Collaery case could well continue behind closed doors, prompting great concern over their right to a fair trial. But who gets to make the decision?
While others abandon preference whispering, Victoria persists
Victorian Labor has been fairly consistent in its reticence to let go of group voting tickets.
Foxtel posts Christmas party invites, redundancy notices on same day
Foxtel gives the Christmas gift of redundancy, Chris Smith is set to rejoin Nine Entertainment, and the Nine-Fairfax merger is less valuable than ever.
Will ScoMo ever cut through in irreligious Australia?
Scott Morrison is trying to find the right balance between his dual image as a devout Christian, and a daggy but relatable suburban dad.
Fourteen easy tips to avoid looking like Big Brother
Human Services Minister Michael Keenan is sick of the government being portrayed as Big Brother. Maybe if it stopped behaving in ways straight out of 1984, he wouldn't have that problem.
Fairfax closes local paper office, staff to work remotely
In a story on its website, the paper said the change was at least in part because of changes in technology.
Australia’s great wage stagnation continues
Another quarter, and more bad news for Australia's private sector workers with wage stagnation continuing.
Seven AGM promises a sunny outlook, but cuts will hurt
Chair Kerry Stokes and CEO Tim Worner were optimistic at Seven's annual general meeting. But staff and shareholders won't have much to smile about.
Don’t expect this to be the last foreign affairs bungle from this government
Crikey readers respond to the Morrison government's handling of the Indonesian free trade deal, and the history of Victorian Liberal leader Matthew Guy.
Good morning, early birds. Defence Industry Minister Steven Ciobo has privately downplayed the chances of an Israeli embassy move, more than 100 government bodies have sought citizen metadata, and a catatonic refugee has been evacuated from Manus. It's the news you need to know, with Chris Woods.
‘Heart-sick’ Andrew Bolt defends Ross Cameron’s racist comments
Sky News said the comments have "no place on any of our platforms", but do other News Corp outlets feel the same way?
Scott Morrison, the most Aussie PM of them all
The Morrison government is composed of all the worst qualities of Australia, and few of the good ones.
The AFR’s neoliberal remake of The Usual Suspects
Once again, a tiny pack of interest-rate hawks at the Australian Financial Review are demanding the economy be crunched in the name of neoliberal orthodoxy.
Welcome to For Your Information, where Helen Razer explains a topic of global, local or, occasionally, no significance.
Welcome to Side View — a curated guide to new and overlooked content on politics, policy, and public affairs. This week: a history-packed Side View looks at the Armistice, 80 years since Kristallnacht, and Orwell's lurid personal life.
If the Democrats go into the 2020 elections complaining about the conduct of the 2016 elections, they don't stand a chance against Trump's populist appeal.
Blue wave or big victory? How the media covered the midterms.
The results have been used as evidence of America's "cold civil war", with either side able to interpret them as they wish. To an extent, that division has been imported to Australia.
US midterms confirm America is deeply (and dangerously) divided
Though the Democrats seized the House, the results suggest Donald Trump's populist movement retains much of its potency.
When a majority ain’t a majority: the rocky road ahead for US Democrats
It's good news overall for the Democrats, but the thorny issue of intra-party conflict remains a pressing concern.
Scott Morrison announces $3 billion Pacific package
Good morning, early birds. Scott Morrison has announced a $3 billion Pacific infrastructure funding package, the Democrats have scored a victory in the US midterms, and Victorian Labor plan 50% renewables by 2030. It's the news you need to know, with Chris Woods.
The Liberals should stop pretending to enjoy beer and leave it to the ALP
No Liberal leader has ever looked natural while drinking a beer. Meanwhile, Labor has known the visual language of beer in every era and election.
Ross Cameron and the limits of News Corp’s outrage economy
Sky News' sacking of Ross Cameron after racist on-air remarks shows a News Corp increasingly conscious of the enhanced role commercial activism plays in media revenue disruption.
Scott Morrison ramps up Trumpian rhetoric against journalists
Scott Morrison's suggestion that an ABC reporter was a Labor partisan is just one the ways he's been channelling Trumpism.
Australia's foolish protectionism, when accompanied by base political calculation, makes for a policy mess.
Our government hopes we’ll forget about Saudi brutality
The government says it will do nothing further in response to the Saudi murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi until there's an investigation completed. Which is very handy indeed.
The cost of Australia’s ‘loneliness crisis’
After increasing attention around the world, we're now seeing calls for a local "loneliness minister". Can the state really fill the void?
Bloated Home Affairs is keeping alive the industry of counter-terrorism
Giving more power to an ineffective Home Affairs department will do nothing to assuage livid Australians after another Bourke Street tragedy.
Labor abandons the intelligence oversight issue
In a new committee report, Labor has walked away from its previous commitment to fixing Australia's broken intelligence oversight system.
...Sydney radio station 2GB for bringing back the "Fake Sheikh".
Can Justin Milne sue Guthrie and the ABC for defamation?
Monday's Four Corners report on the Michelle Guthrie-Justin Milne ABC leadership saga included claims of inappropriate behaviour from Milne. What's the next step?
The ABC leadership structure is set up to fail
The entire process of appointing the ABC managing director is flawed, constantly risking a poor appointment to a demanding job.
Duterte amps up attack on independent press in the Philippines
Charges laid against independent news site Rappler are just the latest step in Rodrigo Duterte's push to crush press freedom in the Philippines.
The AFR’s neoliberal remake of The Usual Suspects
Once again, a tiny pack of interest-rate hawks at the Australian Financial Review are demanding the economy be crunched in the name of neoliberal orthodoxy.
