Alex Mitchell
NSW politics correspondent
Alex Mitchell is a former state political editor and columnist for Sydney’s Sun-Herald, and arrived at Crikey after a long career in the Canberra press gallery and overseas.
Morris Iemma may lead one of the least competent governments in Australian history, but he long ago realised the immense value of saying sorry, writes David MacCormack.
As the polls have gone from bad to worse for the Government, Dennis Shanahan's role as the Comical Ali of Australian political journalism has become increasingly untenable, writes David MacCormack.
While the Catholic Church has the advantage of having its own country, for immigration purposes it now appears that the Government treats the Church - or at least the Sydney archdiocese - as a sovereign state, writes David MacCormack.
It's less a phoney war than a phoney peace. The country is in a political twilight zone rarely experienced: the Government ensured it was prepared for an election weeks ago, but when the Prime Minister declined to fire the starting gun, it stayed in the blocks, unsure what to do with itself.
After stunning successes against the cocaine and heroin drug barons, the War on Drugs is taking on the Mr Bigs of body building.
When it comes to the greenhouse effect, the Australian Bureau of Agriculture and Resource Economics has always been an enthusiastic advocate for the primary industries and agricultures sectors.
Another day and another tragic, heart-rending headline about the appalling state of the NSW hospital system. In the hot seat is the new director-general of the Health Department, Deborah Piccone, who is an ALP hackette from way back, writes Alex Mitchell.
If you want to quantify the toxic effect of the National Party on Australian public life, the $2 billion in "drought relief" this Government has announced in recent years, including yesterday's package, is a good place to start.
Mick Keelty's Whitrod Oration is further evidence of just how clueless our top copper is, writes David MacCormack
The Howard Government not only invests hundreds of millions of dollars in advertising itself, but devotes considerable resources to controlling every detail of that advertising, writes David MacCormack.
