Election 2016: Comment & Analysis
The pretend campaign
Nicholas Stuart 12:00 AM We're just playing pretend at the moment: the defining moments of the election campaign are weeks away.
'Aussie John' is wrong. Here's why
Peter Martin 8:38 PM ''Aussie John'' has got it wrong. Labor isn't planning to hit negative gearing on all established housing overnight.
Shorten enlists wingman Dan in Victoria
Richard Willingham 11:51 PM State leader lends federal counterpart a hand in marginal Geelong. And don't be surprised to see them team again in at-risk inner-city Labor seats.
Labor pays penalty for dodgy rate position
Mark Kenny 5:03 PM What's the penalty rate for political dissembling? Bill Shorten and Brendan O'Connor are about to find out. Their each-way bet on weekend penalty rates seeks to have it both ways. The result is that they are likely to take fire from both directions too.
Election 2016: Reasons to be cheerful
Peter Brent There are seven reasons why the Coalition might think things are going well, writes Peter Brent. But the same goes for Labor.
Who would be in your fantasy government?
Tim Dick Bearing little relationship to reality, my fantasy government adopts one of the few advantages American politics has over ours - that the cabinet doesn't have to come from government MPs or the legislature at all. A leader can, within reason, pick who she likes.
Why the major parties can't ignore the Greens
George Williams There is an air of unreality about this debate. While Labor and the Liberals express their disdain for the Greens, their tone will change if Australians vote for a hung parliament and the Greens hold the keys to the Lodge.
Rent control, but for pathologists, not for you
Peter Martin Why on earth is the Coalition controlling rents?
Turnbull will lose unless he wins back Liberals
Tom Switzer 2:29 AM The Prime Minister has not actually done anything to explain his rapid downhill trajectory. But contradicting himself almost every week, Turnbull has stood fast in indecision.
This election is less Michael Bay, more Swedish arthouse
Adam Gartrell Not so long ago federal election campaigns were like Hollywood blockbusters: big budget extravaganzas that moved at such a cracking pace people didn't have time to pick up on all the glaring inconsistencies.
There are tough times on the farm...and then there is Duncan
Tony Wright Calling bull on what constitutes problems in the city versus problems in the country.
The forgotten voters who could decide this election
Katie Acheson Australian politics sorely misses an opportunity by failing to engage young voters.
Turnbull rushes to defence of real estate agents and bankers in debate
Matthew Knott Even for a man known for his love of innovation, this was quite something.
Fake Turnbull confronts a bogus Shorten: The question Australia wants answered
Jack Waterford Can Turnbull chart a 10-year course? Can Shorten? The outlook's not good.
Political football: A debate hiding in plain sight
Mark Kenny Friday night: take-away night. For Malcolm Turnbull though, it might also be the safest place to hide.
Election brings promises on never-never
Mark Kenny Both sides are promising to boost the economy - but do the maths and the figures look increasingly rubbery
PM boosts domestic violence victims' legal help
Cameron Atfield Turnbull government directs $30 million to legal assistance providers for violence victims.
Turnbull named in Panama Papers
Latika Bourke Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
Big budget idea built on shaky ground
Peter Martin The centrepiece of the PM's campaign derives from serious economic modelling but it might not have been completely thought through.
Unions still pull strings of WA Labor
Brendan Foster The embarrassing bungling of the Maritime Union of Australia-backed Chris Brown's candidacy for the seat of Fremantle proves once and for all what many have long suspected - that Labor in WA is little more than a puppet to union preselection demands.
Retrospective claims a super furphy
Peter Martin Those hikes in cigarette taxes... they're retrospective. Really.
Albanese could be hostage to Lib preferences
Deborah Snow If the Greens run second in Anthony Albanese's seat then his prospects become complicated.
Religion will influence election votes
John Warhurst It is common for religion to play a role in Australian election campaigns so the expectation should be that it will do so again.
Rave reviews as thought leader emerges
Latika Bourke DOUBLE SHOT Bill Shorten may have dropped a few kilos but there's another Labor light already shining in the campaign.
Major parties rule out deals with Greens
James Massola, Mark Kenny Labor, Coalition say they won't form a coalition government with the Greens in the event of a hung parliament in 2016.
The debate we won't have this election
Michael Gordon The Immigration Minister should be a man under pressure, even as the nation's attention is diverted by the eight-week election campaign.
'Surprising' talkback gives win to Shorten
Tom McIlroy Bill Shorten has been declared winner of election campaign's first day.
Bandt: case for Labor, Greens co-operation
Adam Bandt The Greens are not in Parliament just to make up the numbers. We are not a ginger group trying to force another party to change its position.
Bowen promises mini-budget if Labor wins
Latika Bourke DOUBLE SHOT: Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
They’re off, but on the wrong race
Nicholas Stuart The Treasurer failed to address the real issues in the budget.
Federal Election 2016: FULL COVERAGE
