The stalemate in Washington continues, as President Barack Obama tries to wrangle obstinate Republicans. But as journalist Andrew Murfett writes from Florida, the signs of government shutdown are few.
READ MOREWhen the clock strikes 12, US will bring down the world economy
Nobody is blinking in Washington, with Republicans hostage to the Tea Party and Democrats refusing to budge. A shutdown of the US government is now likely, writes reporter Andrew Murfett stateside.
READ MOREUS shutdown politics Cruzing to a Boehner
Pundits are taking the looming US shutdown as evidence of right-wing bubble thinking. Maybe, or maybe it’s a hard-right strategy to complete a final takeover of the Republican Party.
READ MOREThe corrosive effect of surveillance secrecy
The reflexive embrace of secrecy by governments over internet surveillance corrodes trust right across society, and most of all towards governments themselves.
READ MOREFed chief form guide: who will replace Ben Bernanke?
It’s perhaps the most important economic post in the world. But with a leading contender in the wings, why is Barack Obama delaying a decision on who’ll replace Ben Bernanke?
READ MORERemember, the US Fed’s windback is not irreversible
With the first step in the Fed’s tightening process likely by the end of the week, markets can take comfort in the fact that policy will revert at the first sign of any shock.
READ MORERussia the real winner of Syrian negotiations
Russia has returned from being a struggling second-rate international power to again strutting the international stage as, more or less, the equal of the United States.
READ MOREAnti-Bloomberg de Blasio to become NYC’s new Bloomberg
New York City Democrats will rally around Bill de Blasio to tip Michael Bloomberg out of the mayor’s job, a candidate who has successfully adopted the Bloomberg swagger.
READ MOREAfter 9/11, they may take their purses but never their freedom
The United States has traded liberty for security, with a vast domestic spying program and unprecedented security measures, writes Florida-based freelance journalist Andrew Murfett. Does that mean the terrorists have won?
READ MORERussia may yet offer US a Syrian lifeline
The United States may have been given an opportunity to avoid military intervention in Syria while saving face. But will Bashar Al-Assad really play ball?
READ MOREOn the ground at Burning Man, a cavalcade of counterculture
Freelance journalist Hari Raj takes in the cavalcade of art, costume, nudity and general weirdness that grows every year in the Nevada dessert.
READ MOREWhen Americans wake up from the dream, there’s much to do on race
It’s been 50 years since Martin Luther King’s iconic speech, but the grim reality is that not much has changed for African-Americans since then, writes journalist Andrew Murfett from Miami.
READ MORETen things we’ve learnt about the surveillance state
While the flow of leaks about the National Security Agency continues, we can stand back and draw some important conclusions.
READ MOREOn Chelsea Manning and missing the point
Stop getting distracted about how Chelsea Manning wants to live as a woman. She is a hero, a prisoner and a truth-teller — and her gender should not become the story.
READ MOREA journalist’s partner detained, a surveillance state flexes its muscle
David Miranda was detained at London Heathrow airport for nine hours, which Victorian barrister Rudi Cohrssen says is a troubling sign of the power of the surveillance state.
READ MOREMoney, politics and the campaign arms race: corporates outspend citizens
Australia’s campaign donations regulations are among the most lax in the world. Freelance journalist Jacqueline Ning says despite political will for change it remains a largely unregulated area.
READ MOREUS embassy alert shows war against al-Qaeda offshoot wages
The unprecedented closure of US embassies across the Middle East and Africa shows al-Qaeda and its deadly offshoots are still active and at war with America and its allies.
READ MOREManning and whistleblowing in an age of persecution and indifference
The indifference of the US media to the case of Bradley Manning hasn’t prevented him from exposing the security state or influencing other whistleblowers.
READ MOREAkbar v the drones: the Pakistani lawyer taking the US to court
Pakistani barrister Shahzad Akbar is seeking retribution from the US over its drone war in his country. During his visit to Australia he spoke to Crikey about giving a voice to the voiceless.
READ MOREManning didn’t aid the enemy, but his country will lock him up for life
Former US military officer Bradley Manning has escaped prosecution for aiding the enemy. But the 19 charges that stuck will see the suspected WikiLeaks source locked away for decades.
READ MOREWill America park its drones on our lawn? Military men talk options
Congressional hearings in Washington have revealed the US military is openly canvassing hosting controversial unmanned aircraft in the region — including at Australian bases.
READ MOREUnderstanding surveillance as an information economy
The problems of a surveillance state become more obvious when you understand information as a resource that governments exploit.
READ MORELanguage of intolerance: Zimmerman trial’s prejudice against non-standard English
The George Zimmerman trial brought many hot button issues to the fore, predominantly race and gun laws. But the testimony of a 19-year-old woman also revealed prejudice towards non-stand varieties of English, writes John Olstad.
READ MOREMandate wars and the battle for Senate reform
Maybe we should reform Senate voting. But we should do it for the right reasons. All this talk of mandates gets us nowhere, says Crikey’s writer-at-large.
READ MOREA-G FOI investigation: how data retention was derailed
The Attorney-General’s department was keen to rush data retention into law before the 2010 election. Their haste derailed it, new documents reveal, writes Bernard Keane.
READ MORECoal India, under a haze of scrutiny, eyes Australian miners
A company called Coal India Limited is eyeing off $4 billion of assets in Australia. So who are they, and should we be worried about the purchase? Journalist Karl Mathiesen investigates.
READ MOREWA Senate drama: ballot-box anomalies boost Ludlam’s fight
Independent analysis of the WA Senate count shows irregularities that, if fully investigated, could return the Greens’ Scott Ludlam. As it stands, he will lose his seat on the red leather.
READ MOREThe surprise take away message for domestic online retailers
Instead of complaining about the GST, Australia’s retailers ought to look at who is doing well online here. And the answer might surprise them, write Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane.
READ MOREThe tax man is watching: new surveillance force for ATO
The tax man is stepping up the war on fraud and dodgy claims, using the Australian Crime Commission to monitor suspected cheats. Tax consultant and former ATO manager Chris Seage reports it’s a first.
READ MOREThe trick question that may stall ACT gay marriage laws
The ACT wants to legalise gay marriage but there’s a bevvy of legal challenges the bill could face. David Donaldson lists the obstacles … and finds the big problem could be divorce, not marriage.
READ MOREPoll Bludger: Senate fact-checking and mythbusting
The Western Australian and South Australian Senate results under the microscope: which preference decisions mattered, and which didn’t.
READ MORERevealed: Attorney-General’s drive for data retention law
The Attorney-General’s Department pushed hard for data retention the moment Labor was elected, according to new documents released to Crikey under freedom of information.
READ MOREWhat’s happening with indigenous health?
Croakey takes a look at the latest reshuffle on indigenous health policy.
READ MOREThat’s not deregulation … now THIS is deregulation
If the government is serious about deregulation — which it isn’t — it would pursue these totemic reforms. Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer run through the options.
READ MOREAnother prime ministerial performance from Gillard
She was formidable, flawless … and highly electable. Julia Gillard’s speech in Melbourne last night showed us a glimpse of the prime minister she could have been. So what happened?
READ MOREIt’s Family First’s Day thanks to Greens preferences in Senate race
A Greens preference deal has snared votes for Sarah Hanson-Young while funneling preferences to conservative former HR Nicholls Society board member Bob Day, who has the effective balance of power.
READ MORETaking care of business: Abbott and the Trans-Pacific Partnership
The Coalition has promised to involve industry groups more in trade negotiations. But Dr Matthew Rimmer of the ANU College of Law argues industry already has too much influence.
READ MOREWhen Tony Abbott blocked the Malaysian democracy activist
Malaysian democracy activist Haris Ibrahim was supposed to visit Australia this week, but the Australian government refused him a visa. Anthropology lecturer Gerhard Hoffstaedter calls for the decision to be overturned.
READ MOREiSentia index: Joyce and Brandis draw fire, but Abbott on top
Tony Abbott still takes the lion’s share of media mentions, despite controversy among his MPs.
READ MORETips and rumours
Kate McClymont runs for Uni Syd Senate … Ann Summers pals up with Qantas … Who is Richard Bolt?
READ MOREUnprecedented: Palmer in Parliament raises tough ethical issues
If Clive Palmer wins a seat in Parliament, should he be allowed to vote on everything? Governance expert Stephen Bartos argues this situation is unprecedented and needs attention.
READ MOREEssential: we’re warming to the Coalition’s Direct Action approach
With the arrival of the Abbott government, voters appear more disposed toward his climate action policy. But Essential Research finds voters want to be told when the boats arrive.
READ MOREAt the Opera House, a Gillard curtain call to a cacophony of love
She hit out at the haters and a sell-out crowd went wild. Julia Gillard emerged from exile to talk to Anne Summers in front of a packed Sydney Opera House audience. Crikey was there.
READ MOREDon’t stamp out the prospect of privatising Australia Post
The government should reconsider its preemptive rejection of the privatisation of Australia Post — such sell-offs have worked well overseas. But yes, there are some concerns that need to be deal with first.
READ MOREMichael Smith: Brandis honest, legit over wedding night expenses
Ex-radio host Michael Smith has told Crikey that his friend George Brandis made an innocent mistake over his wedding-night expenses. It was a ‘work-related’ event, Smith maintains.
READ MOREBudget emergency? Not if you look at Hockey’s new numbers
The recently released budget outcome reveals a different economic landscape to what Joe Hockey described. For a start, it showed the largest year-to-year fall in the budget deficit ever.
READ MOREAbbott’s first foreign test: pulling policy fat from diplomatic fire
Tony’s Abbott’s derided Operation Sovereign Borders policy will test the friendship in meetings with Indonesia today. On his first foreign assignment, is he up for the diplomatic challenge?
READ MOREWhat happened to Swan’s surplus? Now we know
The Final Budget Outcome for 2012-13 shows how Wayne Swan’s surplus commitment fell apart - and why he was right to walk away from it.
READ MOREMacfarlane swallows spin from gas industry on drilling
The gas industry has taken a problem of its own making to spin its drilling activities. And the federal government seems to have taken the bait, writes Australian Institute economist Matt Grudnoff.
READ MOREThe landslide that wasn’t: how Labor kept its Sydney heartland
The polls pointed to a landslide to the Liberals in Sydney, but Labor managed to retain its base. How did they do it, and how did the polls get it so wrong? Crikey intern Angelo Risso reports.
READ MORECampaign scorecard: Rudd and Abbott battle via ABC proxy
Crikey asks the sharpest political commentators which leader got the best of the campaigning day yesterday, plus we track where the leaders are and what cash promises they’ve made …
READ MORELabor campaigners cut loose after stolen poster row
Labor campaigners have been caught red-handed ripping down Liberal Party posters in Western Sydney. Party HQ has sacked the staffer and volunteer from the campaign.
READ MORESenate guide: could the Right claim a fourth NSW seat?
New South Wales has consistently produced conventional results since the era of six-seat half-Senate elections began in 1990. Will things change this time?
READ MORENo sex appeal in sight at Lindsay candidates’ forum
The candidates for the must-win Sydney seat of Lindsay lined up at a debate last night — and one had, well, sex appeal. Our reporter was at Emu Plains to judge Fiona Scott vs David Bradbury.
READ MOREBarnaby’s giving it his all for a hopeless cause
Barnaby Joyce can talk through anything. Even spruiking hopeless candidates. Even for a party that may no longer have a constituency. Our man on the trail went to Maitland to meet a new local hero.
READ MOREAmong the fibros and McMansions, Blacktown’s diverse voice
Blacktown is a city without a centre, an important voice in the federal election that is actually many. Crikey’s writer-at-large ventured west into the sprawl, where it still feels like the 1970s.
READ MOREAnd the winner in the after-school care pledge is … Sydney
Labor’s $450 million outside school hours childcare announcement is aimed very clearly at Sydney voters.
READ MOREBell tolls for Eden-Monaro, where nobody’s revved up on Monaro St
Eden-Monaro may lose its status as the nation’s bellwether seat this time around. Which, as freelance journalist James Rose discovered walking around Queanbeyan, wouldn’t trouble the locals.
READ MOREICAC’s ‘disgusting’ ruling against Labor: Obeids, Macdonald face charges
There’s a stench around Labor — in NSW at least — as ICAC hands down its findings on the Obeid affair. Criminal charges have been recommended against the men who ran the state like a private club.
READ MOREPoll Bludger’s seat of the week: Lib marginals Dunkley, Macquarie
Electorates Dunkley and Macquarie are among the most marginal in the country. William Bowe profiles them in this week’s Seat of the Week.
READ MORERevealed: Craig Thomson lawyer in $36k NSW Labor cash grab
Craig Thomson’s laywer is suing the NSW ALP for tens of thousands of dollars in legal fees. But Sussex Street says it’s an ambit claim and will fight it in court. Crikey has the statement of claim.
READ MOREHey Australia, do you really want Packer’s casino to define Sydney?
Journalist and author Jonathan Englert says Australia should think twice before making James Packer’s new casino the face of Australia.
READ MOREO’Farrell breaks promise, gifts $250m to Packer in two days
The market loves the deal to give James Packer’s Crown a new casino licence in Sydney. But NSW taxpayers aren’t on as safe a bet as they think they are.
READ MOREThe runaway Ponzi scheme ‘mastermind’ hiding on the Gold Coast
Why is a South African national accused of accruing billions of rand through a Ponzi scheme living in the Queensland suburb of Runaway Bay? South African-Australian journalist Larry Schlesinger examines the case.
READ MOREWe need to build it, but will they come? Private infrastructure problems
Poor assessment of risk, and motorists’ loathing of tolls, has long made infrastructure funding problematic. The NSW government is trying for a new approach.
READ MORELiberal links to anti-wind farm fight multiply
Jeanette Newman, the wife of Tony Abbott’s business tsar, is involved in organising a rally against wind farms in NSW.
READ MOREPitch imperfect: NSW rail to blast youth with high-frequency sound
The NSW government plans to trial deterring young people from train stations by playing a high-frequency sound adults can’t hear. It’s treating youth as second-class citizens, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREThe Bulldogs’ new female CEO could be a game-changer
Is a crack forming in the glass ceiling of professional sporting codes? The Bulldogs’ appointment of the first female to run a footy team is a step in the right direction, writes Crikey publishing director Marina Go.
READ MORECensored: when photographs are just too Vivid for Sydney
Some photographs from warzones have been censored from a NSW-government funded festival, a move which has prompted some photographers to withdraw from the event. Crikey intern Shaun Ewart reports.
READ MOREPacker cuts his Echo losses and goes all-in on Barangaroo
James Packer courted rival casino group Echo Entertainment and ousted its chairman only to sell out yesterday and bet the house on his planned Barangaroo casino development.
READ MOREThe ethics of enforced child vaccinations
There is a broad consensus in the medical community that immunisation is safe, effective and healthy — although not all parents agree. Monash University Law School associate professor Dr Paula Gerber says making childcare conditional upon being vaccinated violates a child’s human rights.
READ MORESeat of the week: Fowler — former Labor heartland up for grabs
Three years ago, the outer western Sydney seat of Fowler was Labor’s third safest in the country. Now there are fears the ALP may lose it, writes William Bowe.
READ MORESeat of the week: Windsor v Joyce in the battle for New England
In a hotly anticipated federal election contest, Tony Windsor and Barnaby Joyce will go head-to-head for the NSW seat of New England. William Bowe takes a look at the history of the normally sleepy rural electorate.
READ MOREThe trick question that may stall ACT gay marriage laws
The ACT wants to legalise gay marriage but there’s a bevvy of legal challenges the bill could face. David Donaldson lists the obstacles … and finds the big problem could be divorce, not marriage.
READ MORESeat of the week: Labor likely to hold on to Canberra
Labor lost its grip on the electorate covering the south of the national capital amid the wreckage of the Whitlam and Keating governments, but few people suggest it will go that way again this year, writes William Bowe.
READ MOREState polls with ‘federal implications’? Time to kill the myth
The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.
READ MOREAnd then there were none: ACT Lib moderate faces the chop
Local ACT Liberal leader Zed Seselja has launched a raid on the seat of sitting Senator Gary Humphries, pitching conservative against moderate and annoying some at the federal level.
READ MOREPoll Bludger’s Seat of the Week: Oxley, Pauline Hanson’s old turf
Despite unfavourable redistributions and a statewide swing in 2010, Bill Hayden’s old seat has returned to safe Labor hands since the famous interruption of Pauline Hanson. It is William Bowe’s seat of the week.
READ MORESwing to women in ACT election shines a dim light in the tunnel of equality
The recent ACT election saw an unexpected swing towards women, though the overall number of women in the Legislative Assembly is declining, writes Glen Fuller.
READ MOREThe paper, the poll and the almighty ACT stuff-up
Ahead of the ACT election, The Canberra Times called it as an easy Labor victory based on its “exclusive poll”. The poll was way out. So what went wrong?
READ MOREWilkie tires of waiting on whistleblower laws
Andrew Wilkie’s move to introduce a whistleblowing bill prompted some action from a government hitherto content to ignore the issue — but legislative action may fall off the “to do” list again.
READ MORESome comfort for Labor, Greens in big polling weekend
Election results in Sydney, Melbourne and the ACT point to moderately good news for Labor — and the Greens will take some comfort from their inner-city results. Is the anti-incumbency vibe waning?
READ MOREBad blood sees Labor well-placed to win the ACT
The ACT has voted and political types are biting their nails as counting continues — but a Labor-Green government is the most likely outcome, due to fractious relations between Greens and Liberals.
READ MOREPoll Bludger: what Labor, Libs can take from ACT election
Leaving national implications aside, the major parties can both take heart from the gains made at the expense of the Greens in Saturday’s ACT election.
READ MOREPodcast: democracy sausages, the tally room and ACT election analysis
Student journalists Jacqui Garrity and Jelisa Apps, after gobbling down a couple of snags, analyse the ACT election result and the state of negotiations between the three parties.
READ MOREBreaking the syringe economy: prison union fights ACT plan
A national-first prison needle exchange proposed for the ACT has sparked debate ahead of the territory’s election on Saturday. Reporter Ben Westcott examines the proposal.
READ MOREThe active future of public transport
Student journalists Jacqui Garrity and Jelisa Apps examine active transport policies in the lead up to the ACT election.
READ MORENext stop: light rail?
It may seem like a case of déjà vu, but ACT voters can be forgiven for thinking they have heard it all before when it comes to bringing light rail to Canberra, reports student journalist Alexandria Caughey Hutt.
READ MOREACT election: Labor’s victory seems assured
The one and only public opinion poll of the Australian Capital Territory election campaign finds Labor headed for a comfortable-to-landslide victory, with three of the Greens’ four seats hanging in the balance, reports William Bowe.
READ MOREDoctor divides uni: gay student told to seek hormone testing
Students and staff at the University of Canberra are divided over the actions of a Catholic doctor at the university medical centre who refuses to prescribe contraception and suggested a gay student have a hormone test.
READ MOREACT election: what’s the best way to reform stamp duty?
Debate over how best to alter stamp duty in the ACT has been a major part of both the ACT Liberal and ACT Labor party campaigns, as student journalist Russell Ayres reports.
READ MOREACT election: Liberals’ garden garbage scheme a waste of space?
ACT Liberal policy to introduce free garden waste bins has concerned some locally-owned Canberra waste processing plants. Student journalist Molly Baxter investigates the impact.
READ MORENext ACT: what the Canberra election means for young people
Is Canberra more than roundabouts and brothels? With the ACT election looming on October 20, journalism students at the University of Canberra bring us the inside story on the poll.
READ MORESeriously, can Canberra really be Sydney’s second airport?
Barry O’Farrell and the Capital Airport Group believe High Speed Rail will allow Sydney’s second airport to be located 250 km away in Canberra. Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, reckons the idea is outrageous.
READ MORECanberra aims too low in wanting to be Sydney’s 2nd airport
The common ground between Canberra Airport’s ambition to become Sydney’s 2nd Airport, and wish of the NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell to support it, is a future high speed rail link between both cities, writes Ben Sandilands.
READ MOREACT election: Labor’s shot at ending successive defeat?
Amid a backdrop of deep cuts to the public service by conservative governments elsewhere, the looming Australian Capital Territory election gives Labor a strong chance of ending a two-year run of successive state and territory election defeats.
READ MORENT drama (no crocs though): Alison Anderson dumped
The notoriously turbulent Northern Territory government has unceremoniously dumped another minister — but this one has friends in high places.
READ MOREDoes Mundine support another military intervention in the NT?
Is Warren Mundine in favour of military intervention in the NT?
READ MOREInformed consent and human rights for indigenous Australians
The Commonwealth government has a history of intervening in indigenous affairs without local consultation. ANU professor Jon Altman asks: do the Stronger Futures laws contravene human rights?
READ MOREWill America park its drones on our lawn? Military men talk options
Congressional hearings in Washington have revealed the US military is openly canvassing hosting controversial unmanned aircraft in the region — including at Australian bases.
READ MOREIannucci, eat your heart out: NT Estimates hearings’ real-life Thick of It
If Armando Iannucci and his team of writers for The Thick of It run out of material, they can take a squiz at transcripts from this year’s Estimates Committee hearings of the NT Legislative Assembly. Bob Gosford scours the records for comedy gold.
READ MOREYirrkala Church Panels: how pictures redrew indigenous history
This week’s 2013 NAIDOC celebrations focus on the role of the Yirrkala bark petitions. Bob Gosford examines the equally significant history and importance of the Yirrkala Church Panels, also created in 1963.
READ MORE‘Make a bark petition’: how an old typewriter changed the course of history
The 1963 Yirrkala Bark Petitions had a huge impact on Aboriginal land rights. Bob Gosford reflects on how they came to be — and the role an old typewriter had in changing the course of Australian history.
READ MORERudd takes on reform: NSW intervention 40 years in the making
Kevin Rudd has intervened into the rotten branches of the NSW Labor Party, promising to spread reform nation-wide. He’s in a better position to do it than Julia Gillard.
READ MOREDeceit for a cause: why the ALNF are wrong about indigenous literacy
In a new marketing campaign, the Australian Literacy and Numeracy Foundation claim four out of five indigenous kids in remote communities can’t read. It’s an incorrect statistic and its wrong of them to pretend otherwise, writes Greg Dickson.
READ MOREAn angry open letter to Bess Price from a dyed-in the wool lefty
Incensed by a speech Northern Territory MP Bess Price made earlier this month about the political left’s approach to Aboriginal issues, self-described black feminist Celeste Liddle fires back.
READ MOREA ‘right to drink’ in Alice? Banned boozers register debate
The NT government’s abolition of the Banned Drinkers Register has divided opinion in Central Australia. Swinburne Institute for Social Research research fellow Eleanor Hogan reports for Inside Story.
READ MORENT govt’s ‘problem drinkers’ policy: reasons to be concerned
The NT government’s proposed initiative to mandatorily detain “problem drinkers” is discriminatory and risks causer wider harm. Win Yee Tan and Melanie Johnson explain why.
READ MOREPickled policy: why NT’s mandatory grog rehab scheme is doomed for failure
The NT government’s $100 million plan to detain citizens who have not committed crimes but are regularly liquored-up in public is the latest alcohol initiative that won’t work — and more than likely exacerbate the problem.
READ MOREAdam Giles’ pie-in-the-sky indigenous jobs plan
Adam Giles abolished the NT’s indigenous affairs portfolio and vowed to put Aboriginal people to work. But that’s easier said than done, writes ANU Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research’s Jon Altman.
READ MORENT Police go the Thumper: Losing the war against grog and crime
Police operations like Thumper in Katherine and other towns of the Top End do not stand unsupported. Thumping is now big business, writes Bob Gosford.
READ MOREIn the NT, Adam Giles must restore a ‘crazy’ house in crisis
Adam Giles has to restore credibility to the troubled CLP government, which last week he described as “divided” and “in crisis” under former Chief Minister Terry Mills, writes Bob Gosford.
READ MOREAbbott on truancy: why Tony’s tough love won’t work
Tony Abbott says that under a Coalition Government parents would face on-the-spot fines for “failing” to send their kids to school. But it won’t work, writes a criminal justice system insider.
READ MOREHow Adam Giles (and his mates) seized power in the NT
It took a little longer than originally planned but Adam Giles has taken power in the NT. So how did Australia’s first Aboriginal political leader make it to the top? It wasn’t easy, writes Bob Gosford.
READ MOREMessage to Labor from deep north: do something or we’re doomed
If Labor continues its current trajectory, the party is doomed. Now is the time for serious decisions, writes disgruntled NT Labor Shadow Minister Kon Vatskalis.
READ MOREThe NT political spill that solved nothing: MPs threaten breakaway
Yesterday the slow moving train wreck that is the Northern Territory Country Liberal Party government drove itself over a cliff, writes Bob Gosford.
READ MOREAlison Anderson’s risky — and bold — NT homelands policy
The NT government wants a mortgage-led development strategy for Aboriginal homelands. But can individualism and the free markets exist alongside Aboriginal kinship and land rights? ANU’s Jon Altman explains.
READ MORECrikey clarifier: what does Coke have to do with NT recycling?
What exactly is the Northern Territory’s troubled recycling legislation, and what does it have to do with the price of a can of Coke? Lawyer Sarah Burnside explains.
READ MORENT political rabble: Lambley quits, Mills sacked, Giles wins
John Elferink will go to the backbench. Lia Finnochario will get a ministry. Kezia Purick will be back in the fold. And the Northern Territory might get a new leader by lunchtime. The Northern Myth blogs the latest.
READ MORE‘Time to man up’: NT broadcaster reads scathing appraisal of Country Libs
Local Darwin broadcaster and former Country Party Minister Darryl Manzie has read out a scathing letter he received from a very disaffected CLP member. Bob Gosford has the transcript.
READ MOREMarcia Langton defends non-disclosure on mining cash before Boyers
The academic background to last year’s Boyer Lectures was funded by global miners Rio Tinto and Woodside. But the audience was none the wiser. Should she and the ABC have disclosed?
READ MOREEconomic reality mugs the Liberal economic agenda
The downgrade of Western Australia’s credit rating illustrates how governments can’t merely talk about fiscal discipline, they need to show it. Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane report.
READ MOREWe all go down with the ship on Clive’s cruise to Parliament
Clive Palmer kept the media guessing on election night — until he sniffed a win. Freelance journalist James Rose reflects on his night with Clive — who now looms large on the political scene.
READ MOREKatter’s rural Australia in a globalising world, part two
Queenslanders love Bob Katter’s big hat and bigger swagger, but his folksy charm is wearing thin in some parts of the Tablelands.
READ MOREBattle for the reef rages below the poll surface
There is a new threat to the Great Barrier Reef in the form of shipping and nearby mining, writes local journalist John Mikkelsen. Will anyone except the Greens talk about it?
READ MOREDoing it tough in Forde, Beattie’s would-be electorate
With former Queensland premier Peter Beattie announcing his candidacy for the federal seat of Forde, writer Melissa Lucashenko reports from Logan to find out what he’s campaigning for.
READ MOREPeter Beattie is the anti-politician Rudd and Labor need
Brisbane-based political analyst Dr Mark Bahnisch says Peter Beattie was the original Kevin Rudd — a charismatic Queensland politician who ruled through personality, not politics.
READ MOREUQ election called off amid bitter irregularity dispute
The University of Queensland’s student union was set to turn leftwards for the first time in years, but amid electoral regularities the vote has been declared null and void.
READ MOREBeattie boosts Labor, whatever the election outcome
Whatever Peter Beattie’s relationship with Kevin Rudd, his entry to federal politics boosts Labor.
READ MORECloud over LNP Rankin candidate David Lin after guilty finding
A candidate for the Liberal National Party in Queensland was found guilty of professional misconduct by the state’s chief legal discipline body, Crikey has learned. David Lin says they were “clerical errors”.
READ MOREBooted out: LNP rising star ejected over RM Williams incident
Ben Riley, a rising star in the Young Liberals, has been controversially suspended for six months for pinching a pair of RM Williams boots at a party convention. The swift punishment has exposed party tensions.
READ MORENothing fishy about delayed Great Barrier Reef impact report
The report on the Gladstone harbour development is in its final stages but has been delayed. But local journalist John Mikkelsen reports the delay was not politically motivated.
READ MORESeats of the week: Labor eyes Qld electorates back in play
With the return of Kevin Rudd, a number of seats previously considered unwinnable have been deemed up for grabs. William Bowe profiles the Queensland electorates of Forde and Herbert.
READ MOREBeautiful one day … Queensland drags down national jobs figures
Today’s ABS jobs data shows unemployment has risen a little, but Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane argue the data is modestly good news. Queensland is holding us back however.
READ MORESeat of the seat: Griffith — Rudd’s home turf
Brisbane’s inner south again finds itself represented by a Prime Minister after another absorbing week in federal politics. William Bowe homes in on Kevin Rudd’s electorate.
READ MOREThe runaway Ponzi scheme ‘mastermind’ hiding on the Gold Coast
Why is a South African national accused of accruing billions of rand through a Ponzi scheme living in the Queensland suburb of Runaway Bay? South African-Australian journalist Larry Schlesinger examines the case.
READ MORESearching for the ‘real’ economy on Cape York
The expectation that CDEP participants will engage with market capitalism has failed, writes Professor Jon Altman at ANU’s Centre for Aboriginal Economic Policy Research.
READ MORECrikey Clarifier: why is the Great Barrier Reef in danger?
UNESCO has held off putting the Great Barrier Reef on its endangered list — for now. Crikey intern Sasha Petrova finds out why the reef’s in trouble and what the next steps are.
READ MORECyclists as ‘mere obstacles’? Time for road laws to take new direction
Following the death of a Brisbane cyclist struck down by a cement truck, there are calls for new road rules requiring a minimum safe passing distance when vehicles overtake riders, writes Alan Davies.
READ MORESecrets revealed: anatomy of a modern political campaign
Want to know how secret internal polling is conducted and put to use? Possum Comitatus kicks the door down, exposing how a modern politician campaign actually runs.
READ MOREQueensland and privatisation mega poll: breakdown and analysis
Possum Comitatus fires up his Pollytics machine to analyse data and breakdowns from the largest political poll ever conducted in Australia, focusing on privatisation and Queensland.
READ MOREDeep impact from Queensland’s long pipeline of projects
Is there any way to stop a Queensland mine? Queensland-based freelance journalist Amanda Gearing investigates the effectiveness of an environmental impact statement (hint: not much).
READ MOREWhy concerns over funding Cape York welfare trial are valid
UPDATED: The Queensland government had serious concerns over funding Noel Pearson’s Cape York welfare reform trial. Researcher Dr Kristian Lasslett reveals ongoing governance issues did give cause for concern.
READ MOREIs the Qld government missing the bus?
Within weeks of floating it, the Queensland government has backed away from its dramatic new vision for an efficient, high-frequency bus network for south-east Queensland. Alan Davies explains why.
READ MORERadioactive reef? Plan to ship uranium over Great Barrier Reef
Queensland may allow the shipping of uranium over the Great Barrier Reef. Is this a danger to one of Australia’s most treasured natural assets? Crikey intern Tim Fitzpatrick investigates.
READ MOREVic v Qld v NSW: who’s the winner of the first-term governments?
Three Coalition premiers are running the east coast states. A Crikey analysis of their economies shows Barry O’Farrell is streets ahead, while Victoria marks time and Queensland is in the doldrums.
READ MOREIt’s Family First’s Day thanks to Greens preferences in Senate race
A Greens preference deal has snared votes for Sarah Hanson-Young while funneling preferences to conservative former HR Nicholls Society board member Bob Day, who has the effective balance of power.
READ MOREThe naked truth far less sexy than media furore at Flinders
When a student complained about being “forced” to appear naked on stage, all hell broke loose. Flinders University academic and theatremaker Julian Meyrick peels back the madness to find the truth.
READ MOREGodless congregation coming to the city of churches
An atheist church is about to open its second Australian congregation. Crikey intern Bension Siebert got out his Sunday best and headed down to talk to Melbourne’s godless believers.
READ MORESeat of the week: Wakefield — Libs eye Labor heartland
On the northern fringe of Adelaide, Wakefield has a safe-looking double-digit Labor margin — but indications of a strong statewide swing have given the Libs hope, writes William Bowe.
READ MORECommunity & creativity: National Rural Health Conference kicks off
The impressive opening ceremony of the 12th National Rural Health Conference in Adelaide showcased the importance of creativity, community, inclusion and equal opportunities, reports Marge Overs.
READ MOREState polls with ‘federal implications’? Time to kill the myth
The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.
READ MOREGreens try for rebranding in the face of a falling vote
The Greens are on track to underperform compared with the 2010 election. In which case, getting your competitor to differentiate you isn’t such a bad strategy.
READ MORESeat of the week: Makin — Liberals optimistic about Adelaide electorate
Labor enjoyed blowout majorities in traditionally marginal Adelaide seats at the 2010 election, but the Liberals are expressing optimism that what went up might be about to come down, writes William Bowe.
READ MOREPoll Bludger’s Seat of the Week: Boothby
Last held by Labor in 1949, the southern Adelaide seat of Boothby — William Bowe’s Seat of the Week — has been trending in the party’s direction since the early Howard years.
READ MOREPenny’s loss is the SDA’s gain: how Wong got rolled
The Labor Left is furious that Finance Minister Penny Wong has been placed behind Don Farrell on the South Australian ticket. Why was she overlooked in favour of a ‘faceless man’?
READ MOREPoll Bludger’s Seat of the Week: Adelaide
Kate Ellis’s electorate of Adelaide is a one-time Labor stronghold which has generally been marginal since the late 1980s, writes William Bowe.
READ MORENewspoll: SA Labor’s worst position since a decade ago
Liberal leadership turmoil hasn’t saved SA Labor from sinking to its worst position in Newspoll since it came to office a decade ago.
READ MOREWill Brandis boycott the anti-boycott movement?
Calls for anti-boycott legislation by the Tasmanian forest industry will test the free speech bona fides of Attorney-General George Brandis. Will he take up the challenge?
READ MOREIs this your new PUP balance-of-power Senate warrior?
Jacqui Lambie, a Tasmanian Senate candidate for PUP, looks likely to win a seat and co-hold the balance of power. So who is she?
READ MOREA day out in Denison, where a familiar face counts for plenty
A day out on the campaign trail in Andrew Wilkie’s seat of Denison shows the power of personal connection — and pork-barrelling. Crikey hits the road with Wilkie and ALP candidate Jane Austin in Hobart.
READ MOREDenison: this is one seat the major parties might not win
It’s de rigueur to hate independents in this federal election campaign — but Andrew Wilkie is on track to hold his Tasmanian seat, probably with the help of Liberal preferences. What happens next?
READ MOREFeeling around in the dark, Walsh finds more shocking art
Hobart’s Dark Mofo arts festival, which runs till the Winter Solstice (June 23), is a celebration of the dark through large-scale public art, food and music, as well as “light and noise”.
READ MORETasmania, the failed state: budget highlights structural woes
Tasmania has too many holes in its budget, amplified by shrinking GST revenue and failing government businesses. Tasmania-based economist and accountant John Lawrence looks at the structural problems.
READ MOREPoll Bludger’s seat of the week: can Wilkie hold Denison?
Andrew Wilkie’s snaring of the Hobart seat of Denison was the biggest surprise of the last election. His challenge to keep it during the next one will make for a complicated contest, writes William Bowe.
READ MORESydney spinners sail to King Island for anti-turbine fight
The PR war over wind turbines on King Island is heating up as professional operatives jump on board. Ben Haslem and John Wells are backing the No TasWind Farm Group to run the project off the island.
READ MORECan Tassie see the deal for the trees? Peace comes at a cost
They’re declaring peace in the forests of Tasmanian. But the deal passed through Parliament isn’t worth much for the environment without further protection for the remaining reserves.
READ MOREThe $1 billion taxpayer-funded Tassie forestry gravy train
The Tasmanian forestry industry is out for the count. But it is taking $1 billion in taxpayer dollars with it, writes Tasmania-based freelance writer John Lawrence.
READ MOREPoll Bludger’s seat of the week: Franklin a worry for Labor
The eastern and outer southern Hobart seat of Franklin has been in the Labor fold for two decades, but the party is said to have grave fears for the seat amid a state-wide collapse in support.
READ MOREState polls with ‘federal implications’? Time to kill the myth
The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.
READ MOREHow your taxes bailed out insolvent timber giant Gunns
Gunns might have been trading insolvent when it took $23 million from the federal government for its non-existent pulp mill, writes Tasmanian economist and analyst John Lawrence at Tasmanian Times.
READ MOREAn inadvertent icon: the making of MONA
Hobart’s wildly contemporary Museum of Old and New Art has become one of the most talked about attractions in the country. In an essay for GriffithREVIEW, founder David Walsh explains why he built MONA in his home town.
READ MOREWhat’s wrong with Tasmania, Australia’s freeloading state?
Tasmania lags the nation in all important economic and social criteria. In an essay for GriffithREVIEW, Jonathan West says a malaise has descended over the Apple Isle. Its industry is broken and its people fear change.
READ MORETimber looks to bailouts, concessions to ward off undertakers
What’s the timber industry quietly seeking from government behind closed doors? What happens in these discussions will shape the debate for at least a decade, write Andrew Macintosh and Richard Denniss.
READ MOREA baptism of bushfire for young Tassie reporters
Tasmania usually only makes the headlines because of environmentalists wanting to save trees. Now firefighters battling dangerous bushfires in the island state are in spotlight, reports Bruce Montgomery in Hobart.
READ MOREThe waste in Tasmania’s forests: most timber left to rot
Most of the trees felled in Tasmania’s forests end up as waste and woodchips. Andrew Macintosh and Richard Denniss crunch the numbers in a new Australia Institute infographic.
READ MORETas forests deal unpacked: the story behind the numbers
A deal to end the Tasmanian forest wars will soon go before state Parliament. Tasmanian-based accountant and former economist John Lawrence crunches the numbers and poses some pertinent questions.
READ MOREHow not to make policy: Tasmanian forest deal
The new deal to bring about peace in Tasmania’s forests is an example of how not to write policy. And Tasmania may be missing out on a massive opportunity, report Andrew Macintosh and Richard Denniss.
READ MORETasmanian forest deal: is this peace in our time?
A deal has just been struck to end Tasmania’s 40-year war over forests. Tasmanian-based freelance journalist Bruce Montgomery asks if the armistice will hold.
READ MOREWhy the ABC is right to axe Tassie TV production
The ABC is right to reduce its cost base and outsource television production in Tasmania, even if no one likes it. It makes the most economic sense.
READ MOREData crunch: how many (con) jobs are there in Tassie forestry?
The war over Tasmania’s forests is painted as jobs vs trees. But how many jobs are there really in the state’s forestry sector? Andrew Macintosh from the ANU and Richard Denniss from The Australia Institute investigate.
READ MOREThe legal ambush that sank gay marriage in Tassie
Tasmania’s upper house was evenly split on a gay marriage bill before voting it down last month. Gay marriage campaigner Rodney Croome explains the last-minute legal ambush which changed minds.
READ MOREEt in Arcadia ego: Tasmania’s rotten economic apple
Most bank managers will tell you that before they can help you, you should get your mind and your house in order. That’s the challenge facing Tasmania.
READ MOREPedal to the metal as RACV board stoush revs up
The RACV board election stoush is reaching fever pitch.
READ MOREAlbo v Bill: Butler, Feeney rally troops for Labor leadership
The battle between Bill Shorten and Anthony Albanese for the Labor Leadership is ratcheting up. David Feeney will lead Shorten’s campaign, pitting him against Mark Butler for “Albo”.
READ MOREBandt’s Greenstown, the last hipster holdout in our dystopia
Freelance writer Mel Campbell is in Greenstown with Adam Bandt, where everyone is donning ponchos, stockpiling lattes and readying themselves for the culture wars to come.
READ MOREMirabella scrambling as polling puts Indi on knife edge
The battle for Indi has turned white hot as Sophie Mirabella pulls out all stops to hold on to her crumbling fiefdom. New campaign material hides the candidate from view.
READ MOREA Liberal MP on the road to defend his pocket of blue in Victoria
Out beyond the Labor strongholds, Liberal MP Dan Tehan is hitting the highways to maintain his healthy margin in the Victorian seat Wannon. Crikey went along for the ride.
READ MORELiberal HQ spy fears force Victorian press gallery hacks out
Journos in Melbourne are spitting chips after they were told to shift from their spiritual home by Denis Napthine’s mandarins. It seems paranoid Liberal operatives thought they were being spied on.
READ MORELabor outrage as Greens HTVs pulped after ‘admin error’
Labor has accused the Greens in Victorian of ratting on a national preference deal and deliberately running “open” tickets.
READ MOREIn La Trobe, Smyth trying to put the brakes on Liberal slide
Most people are polite at Berwick Station as they’re accosted by Labor candidate Laura Smyth, but she has a huge challenge to hold La Trobe. Crikey spent the day in the outer-Melbourne seat.
READ MOREBandt or not, Melbourne is turning a shade of Green
There’s a well-oiled machine in a dingy Melbourne office block working overtime to keep Greens MP Adam Bandt in Parliament. But the social shifts in the progressive seat are more helpful.
READ MOREThe school of hard (door) knocks for a Lib in Labor-land
For the challenger, it takes plenty of shoe leather — and front — to hit the campaign trail in a safe seat. The Citizen’s Michael Roddan tagged along with one such political hopeful.
READ MOREThe internal dirt-digging exercise against Labor’s Hotham candidate
Clare O’Neil has won endorsement to run for Labor in Hotham, but not before internal party rivals tried to discredit her with dirt-digging into her past.
READ MOREPolice swoop on McDonald’s protesters as legal pressure builds
McDonald’s protesters have been “ringed” by police as their Tecoma occupation continues in the face of mounting pressure to disperse.
READ MORELeaked notes show Macca’s wants search and rescue cops to end protest
Leaked notes from McDonald’s management show the fast food giant is liaising with police to bring in a search and rescue team to end a protest at a controversial Victorian restaurant site.
READ MOREPoll Bludger’s seat of the week: Lib marginals Dunkley, Macquarie
Electorates Dunkley and Macquarie are among the most marginal in the country. William Bowe profiles them in this week’s Seat of the Week.
READ MORENo deal: Left tell Shorten and Conroy to sort out spat
The Labor Party’s Left have told the bickering Victorian Right to take a cold shower and come and see them again when they’ve sorted out their differences.
READ MOREDanby rounds behind Barker as Hotham preselection explodes
Victorian Labor is at breaking point as the battle for preselection in Simon Crean’s seat of Hotham turns nuclear. Letters and accusations are flying ahead of tonight’s vote.
READ MOREVic Labor at war over Senate, Hotham
The Victorian ALP has received five nominations for the number three spot on the party’s Senate ticket vacated by David Feeney.
READ MORERevealed: the full McDonald’s Tecoma writs and affidavits
A group of community protesters are being sued by global food giant McDonald’s for protesting at the Melbourne site where the company want to build a store. Crikey has obtained the full cache of court documents.
READ MOREALP meltdown over Hotham could deliver Crean’s pick the goods
Monash councillor and Hotham preselection contender Geoff Lake has emerged smiling from a meeting of the Victorian ALP’s Labor Unity grouping. But a factional fight is still brewing.
READ MORELegally speaking, taxidermy roadkill artist could be stuffed
Gerard Geer makes sculptures and jewellery out of roadkill, contravening the Wildlife Act. He promises to burn his art, but not before one final exhibition. Crikey intern Bension Siebert reports.
READ MOREDishonour and betrayal? Labor fight for Gillard seat hots up
Julia Gillard’s preferred pick to move into her safe Labor seat of Lalor has sailed into a factional fight over her apparent ineligibility and long-standing backroom deals on candidates.
READ MOREHoly factions! Batman preselection ratchets up
Freelance journalist Stephen Mayne and Crikey senior journalist Andrew Crook find out who’s who at the Labor zoo.
READ MOREChild porn — or art censorship by wannabe Tory pollies?
Was the weekend Victoria Police raid on a St Kilda art gallery motivated by wannabe local politicians? Art critic Mark Holsworth examines the issues surrounding the criticisms of artist Paul Yore.
READ MOREFeeney under assault from all sides in Batman preselection
A high-profile mayor has entered Labor’s race for the safe seat of Batman. Senator David Feeney’s prospects of moving to the lower house are now taking blows from both sides.
READ MORESext files closed? Proposed decriminalising for ‘harmless’ texts
After a parliamentary inquiry, a committee has proposed descriminalising sexting in Victoria. Young people caught on the Sex Offenders Register could now be delisted.
READ MORESovereign risk at last? WA Premier threatens Browse venture
If you’re looking for sovereign risk in the resources sector, look no further than Colin Barnett’s threat to shutter the Browse project. Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer report.
READ MOREEconomic reality mugs the Liberal economic agenda
The downgrade of Western Australia’s credit rating illustrates how governments can’t merely talk about fiscal discipline, they need to show it. Glenn Dyer and Bernard Keane report.
READ MORESenate guide: will Labor lose its tenuous grip on WA?
Western Australia provides the most consistent senate results, which is a nice change from Queensland, the other frontier state.
READ MORECrikey Clarifier: behind the James Price Point decision
Plans for a gas hub at James Price Point have hit another snag. What’s the big deal about James Price Point anyway? Former native title lawyer and Perth writer Sarah Burnside explains.
READ MOREWikiLeaks Party’s ‘administrative errors’ incense Greens
A decision by the WikiLeaks Party to direct preferences away from Julian Assange’s strongest political supporter has incensed supporters. They should have known better.
READ MOREEconomic lessons from WA: nobody booms over this bust
The Western Australian government’s budget and Rio Tinto’s continuing reliance on the Pilbara reflect economic reality rather than political or corporate rhetoric, write Bernard Keane and Glenn Dyer.
READ MORENo room for history in WA: records out of space
Thousands of government documents are unsecured and at risk in WA due to a lack of shelf space in the records office. 3rd Degree student journalist Karma Barndon reports.
READ MOREHold the funeral for WA Labor, it’s not so bad after all
Yes, WA Labor lost. But the party didn’t lose big, and it’s very difficult to dislodge a first-term government. The result will not be the end of WA Labor, and Mark McGowan will be in a stronger position next time around.
READ MOREWA election wrap-up: how the final numbers pan out
The Western Australian election is all decided, and neither Greens nor Liberals got any benefit from the other’s preferences. Charles Richardson crunches the numbers.
READ MOREToxic Labor brand cost WA’s Mark McGowan his chance
While WA Labor leader Mark McGowan out-campaigned the Premier, Labor suffered a huge swing. Former WA Liberal (and Independent Liberal) senator Noel Crichton-Browne points the finger at federal Labor — and the Nationals.
READ MOREState polls with ‘federal implications’? Time to kill the myth
The idea that there are “federal implications” of state elections doesn’t hold up under examination. But that doesn’t mean the Gillard government will hold on in this year’s federal election.
READ MOREWA poll: Barnett restarts the cycle with a thumping win
Colin Barnett’s Liberal government in Western Australia won a decisive majority in the state poll on Saturday, marginalising the Nationals and giving federal Labor headaches.
READ MOREWA election: Barnett boosts majority, Labor hungover
The hangover for Labor after the Western Australian election is crippling. Crikey’s polling guru examines the wreckage and the key gains for the returned Barnett government.
READ MOREThe Victorian Premier might wish he had some Greens around
Ted Baillieu might now be regretting his decision to preference Labor ahead of the Greens. In Western Australia, the Liberals and Greens have come to terms. Denis Napthine should consider doing the same.
READ MOREWA election: Barnett will win, and by more than a sniff
WA Labor leader Mark McGowan is personally popular, but that won’t be enough to get his party over the line in tomorrow’s state election. But is a vote for Barnett a vote for Troy Buswell?
READ MOREWA pollies square off … over who hates Canberra more
WA is in a fit of pique and feeling pretty hard done by, writes former Western Australian Callum Denness. Its politicians want nothing to do with eastern elitism and populist taxes, thank you very much.
READ MOREHow Twiggy took on the miners — and lost
A major mining company is going to spoil someone’s pastoral lease without their consent, writes former native title lawyer Sarah Burnside. Only thing is, “someone” is Andrew Forrest.
READ MOREA wonk’s guide to the WA Legislative Council election
The election for the WA Legislative Council will be the seventh held since the introduction of the current system of proportional representation. William Bowe surveys the six voting regions.
READ MOREWA poll: McGowan’s done well, but Gillard doesn’t help
With the baseball bats out, Mark McGowan faces a hammering at the Western Australian election. The Opposition Leader has done a good job, but federal Labor’s woes will ensure defeat.
READ MOREMarcia Langton defends non-disclosure on mining cash before Boyers
The academic background to last year’s Boyer Lectures was funded by global miners Rio Tinto and Woodside. But the audience was none the wiser. Should she and the ABC have disclosed?
READ MORELabor insider: Barnett’s re-election not entirely certain
The Liberal campaign in WA has been a chaotic mess, with Colin Barnett’s Labor challenger Mark McGowan running well. Think the Liberals will be handily re-elected? Look closer, says former Labor adviser Luke Walladge.
READ MOREGreens try for rebranding in the face of a falling vote
The Greens are on track to underperform compared with the 2010 election. In which case, getting your competitor to differentiate you isn’t such a bad strategy.
READ MOREThe WA election just got more confusing
The WA election just got more confusing with the release of upper house preference tickets and Labor’s direction of preferences in several key regional seats to the Liberals ahead of the Nationals, writes William Bowe.
READ MORESeagulls and togas in the race to run the quarry
It’s just a few weeks until WA heads to the polls. Local boy David Ritter outlines the political — and cultural — landscape of the boom mining state. Five dollar flat white, anyone?
READ MOREAnd the centre of arts innovation is … Perth
Western Australia’s cultural scene is flourishing. As Perth booms with mining wealth, its international festivals are expanding and the local scene is a melting pot of renewed creativity.
READ MOREStrait talking: boats issue barely rates on Indonesian street
What has Indonesia made of Australia’s obsession over the asylum seeker issue? Opinions range from critical to ignorant, writes Crikey intern Soren Frederiksen.
READ MORESee ya later, Senate — could it happen in Australia?
Ireland could soon be without a senate, depending on the results of this weekend’s referendum. It’s an interesting possible case study for Australia, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREShutdown standoff, ‘exasperated’ President v obstinate GOP
The stalemate in Washington continues, as President Barack Obama tries to wrangle obstinate Republicans. But as journalist Andrew Murfett writes from Florida, the signs of government shutdown are few.
READ MORESilvio Berlusconi’s worst day yet
Having to give a public vote of confidence in a government he tried to destroy might be the end for the notorious Italian politician, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREEcuador and the Amazon’s $3.6b decent proposal
The world had an opportunity to save parts of the Amazon from oil exploration. But diplomatic diddling means the developing world has abdicated its responsibilities to the globe’s great lung.
READ MOREWhen Tony Abbott blocked the Malaysian democracy activist
Malaysian democracy activist Haris Ibrahim was supposed to visit Australia this week, but the Australian government refused him a visa. Anthropology lecturer Gerhard Hoffstaedter calls for the decision to be overturned.
READ MOREWhen the clock strikes 12, US will bring down the world economy
Nobody is blinking in Washington, with Republicans hostage to the Tea Party and Democrats refusing to budge. A shutdown of the US government is now likely, writes reporter Andrew Murfett stateside.
READ MOREUS shutdown politics Cruzing to a Boehner
Pundits are taking the looming US shutdown as evidence of right-wing bubble thinking. Maybe, or maybe it’s a hard-right strategy to complete a final takeover of the Republican Party.
READ MOREThe besieged leader a long way from falling: Assad’s Syrian stand
Syria’s use of sarin gas last month was not a diplomatic mistake — it the culmination of six months of very clever strategising, writes Dara Conduit, a PhD student on Syria.
READ MOREThe ‘free women of Syria’ camp in Jordan with stories of horror
Just across the Syrian border in Jordan, the world’s second-largest refugee camp houses the displaced, scarred by the memories of a bloody civil war. Kim Wilkinson talks to families who fled for Crikey.
READ MOREAbbott’s first foreign test: pulling policy fat from diplomatic fire
Tony’s Abbott’s derided Operation Sovereign Borders policy will test the friendship in meetings with Indonesia today. On his first foreign assignment, is he up for the diplomatic challenge?
READ MOREDeal or no deal — on Iran’s nuclear program
Israel’s not happy about a proposed deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program — but not for the reasons you’d think, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREThe remarkable story of the nationalisation of PNG’s largest mine
Professor Stephen Howes, Director of the Development Policy Centre at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University.
READ MORECrikey Clarifier: what the overhaul of Australian aid will mean
Tony Abbott is overhauling aid, cutting funding, merging AusAID with DFAT and reorienting spending. Aid expert Thulsi Narayanasamy looks into the changes and what they will mean.
READ MOREDeutschland decided: (almost) everyone wins, Merkel for grand coalition
Angela Merkel doesn’t have a majority, but she will form government, most likely in coalition with the Social Democrats. The Social Democrats had offered an alternative to government — now they will govern.
READ MOREOil and blood: Kenyan mall attack is Somali payback
The Al-Shabaab attack on a Kenyan shopping mall was retaliation for Kenya’s intervention in Somalia, writes United Nations adviser in Nairobi Robert Johnson. And there’s also the matter of oil …
READ MOREDeutschland Decides in austerity test for Angela Merkel
Germans are heading to the polls this weekend in what could be a very close contest. It’s about Merkel, austerity, and Europe.
READ MOREThe corrosive effect of surveillance secrecy
The reflexive embrace of secrecy by governments over internet surveillance corrodes trust right across society, and most of all towards governments themselves.
READ MOREFree trade crusade is easier said than done
Freelance journalist David Donaldson says the incoming Abbott government will have to balance the free-trade ethos of the Liberals with the protectionism of the Nationals. It won’t be easy.
READ MORECrikey Clarifier: Australia’s counter-terrorism legal landscape
With the UK examining its counter-terrorism laws, freelance jouranlist Farz Edraki asks: are Australia’s counter-terrorism laws too restrictive and in need of reform?
READ MOREFed chief form guide: who will replace Ben Bernanke?
It’s perhaps the most important economic post in the world. But with a leading contender in the wings, why is Barack Obama delaying a decision on who’ll replace Ben Bernanke?
READ MOREA world tour of direct elections for party leader
Australian Labor is following the lead of the UK and NZ in giving members a vote in selecting party leader. Freelance journalist David Donaldson takes a look at how the schemes work overseas.
READ MOREGreg Sheridan defends Sri Lankan junket — and glowing coverage
The Sri Lankan government’s human rights record is under attack, but not by The Australian’s Greg Sheridan. He travelled to the country last month on a government-funded trip.
READ MORERemember, the US Fed’s windback is not irreversible
With the first step in the Fed’s tightening process likely by the end of the week, markets can take comfort in the fact that policy will revert at the first sign of any shock.
READ MORERussia the real winner of Syrian negotiations
Russia has returned from being a struggling second-rate international power to again strutting the international stage as, more or less, the equal of the United States.
READ MOREStrait talking: boats issue barely rates on Indonesian street
What has Indonesia made of Australia’s obsession over the asylum seeker issue? Opinions range from critical to ignorant, writes Crikey intern Soren Frederiksen.
READ MOREWhen Tony Abbott blocked the Malaysian democracy activist
Malaysian democracy activist Haris Ibrahim was supposed to visit Australia this week, but the Australian government refused him a visa. Anthropology lecturer Gerhard Hoffstaedter calls for the decision to be overturned.
READ MOREAbbott’s first foreign test: pulling policy fat from diplomatic fire
Tony’s Abbott’s derided Operation Sovereign Borders policy will test the friendship in meetings with Indonesia today. On his first foreign assignment, is he up for the diplomatic challenge?
READ MOREThe remarkable story of the nationalisation of PNG’s largest mine
Professor Stephen Howes, Director of the Development Policy Centre at the Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University.
READ MORECrikey Clarifier: what the overhaul of Australian aid will mean
Tony Abbott is overhauling aid, cutting funding, merging AusAID with DFAT and reorienting spending. Aid expert Thulsi Narayanasamy looks into the changes and what they will mean.
READ MOREFree trade crusade is easier said than done
Freelance journalist David Donaldson says the incoming Abbott government will have to balance the free-trade ethos of the Liberals with the protectionism of the Nationals. It won’t be easy.
READ MOREGreg Sheridan defends Sri Lankan junket — and glowing coverage
The Sri Lankan government’s human rights record is under attack, but not by The Australian’s Greg Sheridan. He travelled to the country last month on a government-funded trip.
READ MORERussia the real winner of Syrian negotiations
Russia has returned from being a struggling second-rate international power to again strutting the international stage as, more or less, the equal of the United States.
READ MOREIncoming government crashes into Indonesian diplomacy
The incoming Abbott government has learnt the hard way that it might not be a great idea to make foreign policy campaign promises without first talking to the principals involved.
READ MOREDon’t call it stimulus, but China’s cash splash helps miners
Chinese banks and government bodies are pumping money into the country’s ailing economy. But as Michael Sainbury writes, officials are refusing to call it a stimulus measure.
READ MOREChina is driving our economy, but will be ignored in the election
Treasury clearly needs to lift its game on China — they got it wrong in May and may well be wrong again.
READ MOREAkbar v the drones: the Pakistani lawyer taking the US to court
Pakistani barrister Shahzad Akbar is seeking retribution from the US over its drone war in his country. During his visit to Australia he spoke to Crikey about giving a voice to the voiceless.
READ MORECambodian election: Why the close result matters
The Cambodian People’s Party is still in power, but with a majority of just eight seats. Charles Richardson says the outcome of the country’s recent election shows democracy is growing stronger.
READ MORECambodian election: Hun Sen losing his tight grip on power
Cambodians have voted and while strongman Hun Sen retains a majority in Parliament, his grip on power is slipping. What will he do now?
READ MOREAid implications of PNG deal: what will happen, and what won’t
There are questions around Australia’s commitment and organisation of foreign aid to Papua New Guinea around Labor’s asylum seeker plan. Academic Stephen Howes explains the state of play.
READ MOREHoliday in Cambodia: a leader returns to fuel unrealistic hope
For the first time since 1979, there is a real feeling in Cambodia that dictator Hun Sen can be thrown out.
READ MOREPNG deal will save Labor — and end it as we know it
Labor took the only deal it could to send asylum seekers to Papua New Guinea. But this is now a party divorced from its past, sailing against the tide that carried it this far.
READ MOREJapanese PM wins both houses — but clear majority comes with downsides
Shinzo Abe’s has won clear majority support in Japan. But the seats don’t tell the whole story and stable government can be a mixed blessing, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MORE‘No way’: PNG reaction to the boat people plan
People in PNG have reacted with shock then anger to the deal with Australia over boat people. Freelance journalist Catherine Wilson, who has lived and worked in PNG, surveys local reactions to the deal.
READ MOREThe Rudd Solution: all maritime arrivals to be resettled in PNG
The Rudd Solution on asylum seekers is a dramatic one: from now on, no one arriving by boat will ever be resettled in Australia. Will it work — politically, or in stopping drownings?
READ MOREHaving a whale of a time at the ICJ, where diplomacy gets mean
Legal tempers are fraying as Australia takes on Japanese whaling in the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands. Priya de Langen, a freelance writer based in The Hague, sat in the courthouse for Crikey.
READ MOREIs China in for a hard landing, or is this the new normal?
It is possible that China’s GDP growth will slow to 7%, a 23-year low. Business Spectator commentator Stephen Koukoulas asks: what will that mean for the global — and Australia’s — economy?
READ MORENever visit your parents? In China, you’ve been served
Moral and legal obligations clash in China, as the government attempts to protect the family unit. If you don’t visit your parents you might get sued, reports freelancer Kway Teow in Beijing.
READ MOREAn Indonesian perspective on Rudd747′s overseas visit
Tomorrow’s summit between Kevin Rudd and Indonesian President SBY is getting good press here — but the anticipation in Indonesia is more subdued. Jakarta-based Stuart Ranfurlie explains why.
READ MORESee ya later, Senate — could it happen in Australia?
Ireland could soon be without a senate, depending on the results of this weekend’s referendum. It’s an interesting possible case study for Australia, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MORESilvio Berlusconi’s worst day yet
Having to give a public vote of confidence in a government he tried to destroy might be the end for the notorious Italian politician, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREEcuador and the Amazon’s $3.6b decent proposal
The world had an opportunity to save parts of the Amazon from oil exploration. But diplomatic diddling means the developing world has abdicated its responsibilities to the globe’s great lung.
READ MOREDeutschland decided: (almost) everyone wins, Merkel for grand coalition
Angela Merkel doesn’t have a majority, but she will form government, most likely in coalition with the Social Democrats. The Social Democrats had offered an alternative to government — now they will govern.
READ MORECrikey Clarifier: Australia’s counter-terrorism legal landscape
With the UK examining its counter-terrorism laws, freelance jouranlist Farz Edraki asks: are Australia’s counter-terrorism laws too restrictive and in need of reform?
READ MOREA world tour of direct elections for party leader
Australian Labor is following the lead of the UK and NZ in giving members a vote in selecting party leader. Freelance journalist David Donaldson takes a look at how the schemes work overseas.
READ MOREYour Maj, time to give your UK subjects their rightful retirement
British retirees living in Australia get half the pension of their countrymen and women. The long-running fight to overturn the freeze has now called on the Queen for help, reports freelance writer Ava Hubble.
READ MOREA journalist’s partner detained, a surveillance state flexes its muscle
David Miranda was detained at London Heathrow airport for nine hours, which Victorian barrister Rudi Cohrssen says is a troubling sign of the power of the surveillance state.
READ MOREMoney, politics and the campaign arms race: corporates outspend citizens
Australia’s campaign donations regulations are among the most lax in the world. Freelance journalist Jacqueline Ning says despite political will for change it remains a largely unregulated area.
READ MOREWar of words over Gibraltar
Spain and Britain are still arguing over the coastal territory, but the discussion is unlikely to spark another Falklands War, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREBig planes out, small planes in: Air Austral scales back Indian Ocean route
Air Austral looks set to abandon plans for large-capacity planes flying between France and Noumea. The airline’s idea was ahead of its time, writes Ben Sandilands.
READ MORENormal Kate’s normal post-George bump a shape of things to come
How normal is Kate? So normal. And Willy is such a normal dad. And George will be normalised, too. These new-age royals are all so normal. Or so the narrative goes.
READ MORELack of logic no obstacle for David Cameron’s Conroy-esque internet filter
In the thick of royal baby news hullaballoo, David Cameron announced an internet censorship filter very much like Stephen Conroy’s. It’s woefully impractical and doomed to fail, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MORELynton Crosby and the Tory slide in Britain
Ex-John Howard adviser Lynton Crosby now has the ear of the UK Prime Minister — with interesting results. Has the Australian brought low politics to British Tory strategy?
READ MORERed and black now just part of a political rainbow
They say that in Russian the words for “light blue” and “dark blue” are different, and that people do not recognise them as the same colour. Whether that’s true, or simply fake exoticism, I have no idea. But we sure could use some new colours for politics as we are fast running out.
READ MORELabo(u)r’s little union problem, abroad and at home
As the British Labour Party struggles with a preselection battle in a Scottish seat, the Left in Britain and Australia tries to reinvent itself … with or without unions.
READ MOREBerlusconi’s sex crime indicative of his ‘bunga bunga’ legacy
Founded guilty of sex with an underage prostitute, Silvio Berlusconi has moved closer to going to jail on a charge that almost by coincidence tells us a lot about his record, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREGood God, where in the world is Ed Snowden?
Edward Snowden sent a plane-load of journalists on a wild goose chase, as the debate in the United States over spying and the pursuit of leakers got sillier and sillier.
READ MORECo-operative model fails, leaving UK banks looking shaky
The collapse of the Co-operative Group banking firm in the UK shows the banking sector remains the biggest worry in a still faltering European economy.
READ MOREGreek tragedy: broadcaster shut down as crisis worsens
Remember Greece? We’ve heard a lot about Cyprus in recent times, but Greece is still a basket case and going from bad to worse.
READ MORELa mort boheme of London’s Soho no more
Crikey’s writer-at-large mediates on life, death, love and loss in London’s most iconic urban neighbourhood. It’s not what it used to be, and never will be again.
READ MOREBombings and Bitcoins, why the centre can’t hold
Power is changing hands, flipping on its head, ebbing away, growing ever stronger. Guy Rundle on why (lazy cliche of a Yeats poem not withstanding), things are very much falling apart.
READ MOREWoolwich killers get exactly what they want
The response to the Woolwich terrorists’ attack on drummer Lee Rigby was exactly what the killers were aiming for. Was it a crime or an act of terror?
READ MORELosing the faith? Irish lessons for Catholics under pressure
With Australia’s royal commission into child sex abuse dominating national headlines — and senior Catholic George Pell facing a similar state enquiry today — will the faithful stop going to church? Ireland offers some clues.
READ MOREThe besieged leader a long way from falling: Assad’s Syrian stand
Syria’s use of sarin gas last month was not a diplomatic mistake — it the culmination of six months of very clever strategising, writes Dara Conduit, a PhD student on Syria.
READ MOREThe ‘free women of Syria’ camp in Jordan with stories of horror
Just across the Syrian border in Jordan, the world’s second-largest refugee camp houses the displaced, scarred by the memories of a bloody civil war. Kim Wilkinson talks to families who fled for Crikey.
READ MOREDeal or no deal — on Iran’s nuclear program
Israel’s not happy about a proposed deal regarding Iran’s nuclear program — but not for the reasons you’d think, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MORERussia may yet offer US a Syrian lifeline
The United States may have been given an opportunity to avoid military intervention in Syria while saving face. But will Bashar Al-Assad really play ball?
READ MOREHow Australia should use the UN to lead on Syria
With the US poised to launch military action against Syria, can Australia’s UN Security Council presidency make a difference? Retired diplomat Bruce Haigh assesses the options.
READ MORECompare and contrast — Syria vs Iraq
It’s over-simplistic to compare the situation in Syria with early 2000s Iraq — for starters, there is already conflict in Syria, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREPause for thought on Syrian chemical attacks — and reprisals
There’s still no clear evidence on which group was responsible for a chemical attack in Syria. This lack of information makes Western intervention risky, argues Crikey’s foreign affairs writer.
READ MOREUS intervention in Syria could escalate a bloody war
If it is proved the Syrian government used chemical weapons, the United States will likely intervene in the civil war. But would that help save lives or just make things worse?
READ MOREOn the brink: where to next for troubled Egypt?
With deadly violence erupting on the streets in Egypt, is the country on the brink of civil war? Canberra-based freelance writer Farz Edraki talks to experts in Australia on the ground.
READ MOREThe hope that swept away Mubarak is fading fast in Egypt
Revolution was driven in Egypt by many factors, none more so than hope. That hope is now fading fast as warring sides continue deadly protests, writes Egyptian-Australian journalist Myriam Robin.
READ MORE‘Blood for blood’: on the streets of Cairo, a dangerous zoo
Kim Wilkinson sits in her Cairo apartment while blood is spilled around her. “You feel somewhat culpable,” she reports on the unfolding Egyptian crisis.
READ MOREBloody day in Egypt: shock and awe blows democracy away
The Muslim Brotherhood’s fury at the removal of their freely elected president has been met with fire in Egypt, in one of the bloodiest days of the movement. Vickie Smiles reports from Egypt.
READ MOREEgypt’s brief fling with democracy draws to a close
Egypt’s brief experiment with democracy appears to be drawing to a close as the army tightens its grip on politics, and some turn to terrorism.
READ MOREUS embassy alert shows war against al-Qaeda offshoot wages
The unprecedented closure of US embassies across the Middle East and Africa shows al-Qaeda and its deadly offshoots are still active and at war with America and its allies.
READ MORE‘The army stole my revolution’: Egypt’s new choice — bad or worse
Some Egyptians lament what they see are only two options for the political future of the country: the military or the Muslim Brotherhood. Journalist Kim Wilkinson reports from Cairo on a third movement.
READ MORERebels without a PM: violent Egypt still in transition
The wrangling over control of Egypt continues, as the violence on the streets results in deaths, confusion and political finger-pointing. Vickie Smiles reports from the Egyptian town of Alexandria for Crikey.
READ MOREIranian asylum seekers target Australia — but are still fleeing brutality
Like other countries, Australia has recorded a surge in the number of Iranians seeking asylum since 2009.
READ MOREMorsi or less: Egyptian protesters oust president
Egyptian protesters have emerged triumphant, kicking president Mohamed Morsi to the kerb. But the nation remains on the brink of chaos, reports freelance writer Vickie Smiles from Alexandria.
READ MOREFrom dictatorship to democracy, deja vu lingers in an angry Egypt
Huge demonstrations in Egypt evoke memories of the revolution that overthrew Hosni Mubarak — but unseating a democratically elected president is very different from desposing a dictator, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREHopelessness in Syria: something must be done, but what?
Peace without a plan versus intervention without a clear picture of how it would help. On the vexed question of what can be done for Syria, there are no easy answers, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MORENo peace with honour in Afghanistan
There might not be a way for the US to “win” the war in Afghanistan. It also might not be able to achieve a Vietnam-style “peace with honour” defeat.
READ MORETurkish PM v Twitter: government can’t stop social media tide
Social media has inspired much of the protest movement in Turkey. Now the government wants to unplug the networks. Good luck, writes Turkish-Australian academic Erdem Koc.
READ MORECan Iran’s new president enact real change?
Urban, middle-class Iranians hope President-elect Hassan Rouhani will end the oppressive restrictions of the previous regime. But ANU Centre for Islamic Studies academic Brenton Clark cautions against too much optimism.
READ MORESteering the state ship with a Zimmer frame: the world’s oldest leaders
With Robert Mugabe hoping to be the world’s only nonagenarian head of government, Crikey intern Joanna Robin finds out what other world leaders are making the most of their golden years.
READ MOREThe power of standing still: Turk’s silent protest goes global
A silent protest in Turkey has sparked a global social media sympathy campaign. A defiant stand by one protester in Taksim Square overnight has reignited the campaign, writes Turkish-Australian Erdem Koç.
READ MOREEcuador and the Amazon’s $3.6b decent proposal
The world had an opportunity to save parts of the Amazon from oil exploration. But diplomatic diddling means the developing world has abdicated its responsibilities to the globe’s great lung.
READ MOREOil and blood: Kenyan mall attack is Somali payback
The Al-Shabaab attack on a Kenyan shopping mall was retaliation for Kenya’s intervention in Somalia, writes United Nations adviser in Nairobi Robert Johnson. And there’s also the matter of oil …
READ MOREUS embassy alert shows war against al-Qaeda offshoot wages
The unprecedented closure of US embassies across the Middle East and Africa shows al-Qaeda and its deadly offshoots are still active and at war with America and its allies.
READ MOREZimbabwe elections, where ghosts vote and Facebook rules
Zimbabwe heads to the polls today — but the iron grip of Robert Mugabe, and the passive state-controlled media, is feeding fears the election will not be fair. Some are fighting back.
READ MOREChile loses presidential contender, replacement to face uphill task
Chile votes in November to choose a new president, but there’s sudden uncertainty about who the contestants will be following the withdrawal of a major candidate due to clinical depression, reports Charles Richardson.
READ MOREShot in the head, now Malala faces backlash in Pakistan
Pakistani education advocate Malala Youseffzai did not let an attack by the Taliban silence her. Her reward? A backlash, laden with conspiracy theories and victim-bashing.
READ MOREPostcard from Ecuador: top weather, cheap kebabs waiting for Snowden
As the world waits to see if Edward Snowden will make it to Ecuador, Austin Mackell, a freelance journalist based in Quito, says it’s a banana republic no longer.
READ MOREWhere — and how — could Edward Snowden become a refugee?
Like Julian Assange in his embassy, Edward Snowden could find it difficult to leave Moscow, writes Victorian barrister Rudi Cohrssen. Here’s what Snowden would have to prove to become a refugee.
READ MOREMorsi or less: Egyptian protesters oust president
Egyptian protesters have emerged triumphant, kicking president Mohamed Morsi to the kerb. But the nation remains on the brink of chaos, reports freelance writer Vickie Smiles from Alexandria.
READ MOREMilitary steps in to quell violence against Egyptian protesters
Protests in Egypt are taking to the streets in unprecedented numbers. Will it be enough to oust President Mohamed Morsi? Freelance writer Vickie Smiles reports from Alexandria in the country’s north.
READ MOREObama’s speech on gays in Africa a step forward for human rights
In Africa anti-gay measures have enjoyed covert support from Republicans, which is one of the reasons Obama’s speech to the Senegalese government this week is a major step forward, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MORENotes from the Brazilian spring: it’s about more than bus fares
It started about the cost of bus fares — but the Brazilian spring has morphed into something much bigger. Brazilian-Australian journalist Naiara Carrillo explains why they’re revolting, and points to early successes.
READ MOREThe runaway Ponzi scheme ‘mastermind’ hiding on the Gold Coast
Why is a South African national accused of accruing billions of rand through a Ponzi scheme living in the Queensland suburb of Runaway Bay? South African-Australian journalist Larry Schlesinger examines the case.
READ MORESteering the state ship with a Zimmer frame: the world’s oldest leaders
With Robert Mugabe hoping to be the world’s only nonagenarian head of government, Crikey intern Joanna Robin finds out what other world leaders are making the most of their golden years.
READ MOREHope for Gillard in British Columbia? Incumbent wins in upset
The opinion polls proved wrong in British Columbia, where the incumbent Liberals won in a major upset. But their first-past-the-post voting system doesn’t give much hope to Julia Gillard.
READ MORECheat sheet for Michael Kirby on abuses in North Korea
Former High Court judge Michael Kirby will lead a UN inquiry into human rights abuses in North Korea. He says he has no preconceptions, but the evidence is already damning.
READ MORESide stepping death’s shadow in the Dominican Republic
Alexander Cornwell recounts being robbed at gunpoint in the Dominican Republic.
READ MOREParaguayans swing to the right, return to the devil they know
Paraguay’s voters have returned to the fold of the centre-right Colorado Party and elected successful businessman and former jailbird Horacio Cartes as their next president, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREMaduro prepares to take office in a deeply divided Venezuela
There’s been post-election violence in polarised Venezuela but no likelihood the victory of Nicolás Maduro will be undone, writes Charles Richardson.
READ MOREHow to lose $25b in a year: Brazillian billionaire’s PowerPoint dreams
How to lose $25 billion in a year? You talk a big game and watch your remarkably bullish predictions fail. Eike Batista bankrolls much of Brazil, but his fortunes are on the wane.
READ MOREJudges have the last word in Kenya
Kenya’s Supreme Court has upheld the victory of Uhuru Kenyatta in this month’s presidential election. For now it looks like a triumph for Kenya’s democratic institutions, says Charles Richardson.
READ MOREFraud just the beginning of aid program’s woes
AusAID’s scholarship program is wasteful and is possibly being defrauded, writes AID/WATCH’s Matt Hilton. Why are we spending millions on programs that don’t work or just help a handful of people?
READ MOREIn Kenya, the rights and wrongs of a complex election play out
Kenya’s president-elect is facing International Criminal Court charges of crimes against humanity. But he has a more immediate problem closer to home. United Nations consultant Robert Johnson reports from Nairobi.
READ MOREPope Francis: an authentic moral leader for our times?
Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio has been named Pope Francis. Catholics around the world will unite behind a man of authenticity, writes long-time Vatican watcher Michael Hewitt-Gleeson.
READ MOREShutdown standoff, ‘exasperated’ President v obstinate GOP
The stalemate in Washington continues, as President Barack Obama tries to wrangle obstinate Republicans. But as journalist Andrew Murfett writes from Florida, the signs of government shutdown are few.
READ MOREWhen the clock strikes 12, US will bring down the world economy
Nobody is blinking in Washington, with Republicans hostage to the Tea Party and Democrats refusing to budge. A shutdown of the US government is now likely, writes reporter Andrew Murfett stateside.
READ MOREUS shutdown politics Cruzing to a Boehner
Pundits are taking the looming US shutdown as evidence of right-wing bubble thinking. Maybe, or maybe it’s a hard-right strategy to complete a final takeover of the Republican Party.
READ MOREThe corrosive effect of surveillance secrecy
The reflexive embrace of secrecy by governments over internet surveillance corrodes trust right across society, and most of all towards governments themselves.
READ MOREFed chief form guide: who will replace Ben Bernanke?
It’s perhaps the most important economic post in the world. But with a leading contender in the wings, why is Barack Obama delaying a decision on who’ll replace Ben Bernanke?
READ MORERemember, the US Fed’s windback is not irreversible
With the first step in the Fed’s tightening process likely by the end of the week, markets can take comfort in the fact that policy will revert at the first sign of any shock.
READ MORERussia the real winner of Syrian negotiations
Russia has returned from being a struggling second-rate international power to again strutting the international stage as, more or less, the equal of the United States.
READ MOREAnti-Bloomberg de Blasio to become NYC’s new Bloomberg
New York City Democrats will rally around Bill de Blasio to tip Michael Bloomberg out of the mayor’s job, a candidate who has successfully adopted the Bloomberg swagger.
READ MOREAfter 9/11, they may take their purses but never their freedom
The United States has traded liberty for security, with a vast domestic spying program and unprecedented security measures, writes Florida-based freelance journalist Andrew Murfett. Does that mean the terrorists have won?
READ MORERussia may yet offer US a Syrian lifeline
The United States may have been given an opportunity to avoid military intervention in Syria while saving face. But will Bashar Al-Assad really play ball?
READ MOREOn the ground at Burning Man, a cavalcade of counterculture
Freelance journalist Hari Raj takes in the cavalcade of art, costume, nudity and general weirdness that grows every year in the Nevada dessert.
READ MOREWhen Americans wake up from the dream, there’s much to do on race
It’s been 50 years since Martin Luther King’s iconic speech, but the grim reality is that not much has changed for African-Americans since then, writes journalist Andrew Murfett from Miami.
READ MORETen things we’ve learnt about the surveillance state
While the flow of leaks about the National Security Agency continues, we can stand back and draw some important conclusions.
READ MOREOn Chelsea Manning and missing the point
Stop getting distracted about how Chelsea Manning wants to live as a woman. She is a hero, a prisoner and a truth-teller — and her gender should not become the story.
READ MOREA journalist’s partner detained, a surveillance state flexes its muscle
David Miranda was detained at London Heathrow airport for nine hours, which Victorian barrister Rudi Cohrssen says is a troubling sign of the power of the surveillance state.
READ MOREMoney, politics and the campaign arms race: corporates outspend citizens
Australia’s campaign donations regulations are among the most lax in the world. Freelance journalist Jacqueline Ning says despite political will for change it remains a largely unregulated area.
READ MOREUS embassy alert shows war against al-Qaeda offshoot wages
The unprecedented closure of US embassies across the Middle East and Africa shows al-Qaeda and its deadly offshoots are still active and at war with America and its allies.
READ MOREManning and whistleblowing in an age of persecution and indifference
The indifference of the US media to the case of Bradley Manning hasn’t prevented him from exposing the security state or influencing other whistleblowers.
READ MOREAkbar v the drones: the Pakistani lawyer taking the US to court
Pakistani barrister Shahzad Akbar is seeking retribution from the US over its drone war in his country. During his visit to Australia he spoke to Crikey about giving a voice to the voiceless.
READ MOREManning didn’t aid the enemy, but his country will lock him up for life
Former US military officer Bradley Manning has escaped prosecution for aiding the enemy. But the 19 charges that stuck will see the suspected WikiLeaks source locked away for decades.
READ MOREWill America park its drones on our lawn? Military men talk options
Congressional hearings in Washington have revealed the US military is openly canvassing hosting controversial unmanned aircraft in the region — including at Australian bases.
READ MOREUnderstanding surveillance as an information economy
The problems of a surveillance state become more obvious when you understand information as a resource that governments exploit.
READ MORELanguage of intolerance: Zimmerman trial’s prejudice against non-standard English
The George Zimmerman trial brought many hot button issues to the fore, predominantly race and gun laws. But the testimony of a 19-year-old woman also revealed prejudice towards non-stand varieties of English, writes John Olstad.
READ MORE