O'Farrell in shooters' sights for putting them on a leash

Sean Nicholls Series four of the acclaimed BBC political comedy The Thick of It sees the establishment of a parliamentary inquiry into ''the culture of leaking'' at Westminster.

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Lobbyist clout dirties the political air

Sean Nicholls One achievement Barry O'Farrell always lists among his most significant is political donations reform.

Questions hang over new chief's reform agenda

Sean Nicholls There are plenty of adjectives being proffered to describe Jamie Clements, the new King of Sussex Street.

Denials make a mockery of Premier's word

Sean Nicholls Some fine words were uttered by Barry O'Farrell when announcing his decision to sack finance minister Greg Pearce from cabinet for non-disclosure of a potential conflict of interest.

Some partners too private for public good

Sean Nicholls A common observation of governments of all stripes in recent years is that they have grown much closer to the private sector.

Minnows go fishing - for a Senate spot

Sean Nicholls The array of so-called ''micro parties'' hoping to jag a Senate spot at the September 7 election makes for colourful reading.

Unfinished business to weigh heavily

Sean Nicholls When Sam Dastyari became general secretary of NSW Labor in February 2010, it was part of a classic political fix.

O'Farrell hunts bigger game than Shooters

Sean Nicholls All governments have strategies for burying bad news but the O'Farrell government recently demonstrated it is also quite adept at killing a good news story.

When heroes dare - to play safe and steady

Sean Nicholls Like many Premiers before him, Barry O'Farrell rarely misses the opportunity to associate himself with a major sporting contest.

Sean Nicholls

Secrets and whys: how we were kept in the dark

Sean Nicholls With Barry O'Farrell's announcement that his government would back James Packer's vision for a hotel and casino resort at Barangaroo came the release of a mountain of information.

Moves to cut booze violence come up short

Sean Nicholls When someone is a victim of a terrible crime, their family or partner sometimes agrees to discuss it with the media.

Nuclear act is still a minefield

Sean Nicholls More than a year after the heat generated by last year's announcement that the NSW government would overturn a 25-year ban on uranium exploration, things have gone a little quiet - publicly at least.

Decent referee the answer for question time

Sean Nicholls Politicians leaving Parliament are often tempted to use their valedictory speeches to get a bit of payback on to the official record. They take the opportunity to say what they really think.

Pearce's scorn for scrutiny an echo of Carr era

Sean Nicholls When Greg Pearce rose in the Legislative Council in 2000 to deliver his inaugural speech to the NSW Parliament, he first delivered a stinging attack on the then Carr government.

Boost to DPP coffers vital for timely result

Sean Nicholls John Robertson didn't get far with his call for a special prosecutor to be appointed to help the Director of Public Prosecutions investigate any potential criminal charges arising from corruption...

Premier loses the urge for openness

Sean Nicholls Ten years ago, the Labor government had just been returned to power in NSW and Premier Bob Carr was two years away from a decade in the job.

Need for fresh look at rules on lobbyists

Sean Nicholls Woolworths was in a generous mood in the months before the March 2011 state election.

The factional character still holds sway

Sean Nicholls When Eric Roozendaal stood to deliver his valedictory speech in the upper house of the NSW Parliament a week ago, the news that he was quitting politics shocked no one.

Know this: 'no plans' are weasel words

Sean Nicholls Of all the weasel words available to politicians, one phrase appears to be particularly in vogue.

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