America's undemocratic anachronism
How can such a modern people as Americans tolerate such a dud political system?
Sussan Ley controversy reopens debate about federal ICAC
When scandal erupts in Canberra, the major parties stop short of suggesting any real changes to the way MPs are held to account.
Sussan Ley steps down and don't bet on her coming back
Not once in her media conference at Albury did she say sorry to the public for not just one, but a number of errors of judgment when it comes to spending their money.
Why Ley's statement will not end her problems - or Malcolm Turnbull's
Sussan Ley's mea culpa for slugging the taxpayer for a trip to the Gold Coast when she bought a Main Beach apartment is hopelessly inadequate and will not be the end of the matter.
How Centrelink unleashed a weapon of math destruction
The most frightening thing about the Centrelink malware debacle is the verve with which the government embraced it.
This is not the time of year to submit to the pub test, Minister
Heath Minister Sussan Ley's conduct invites the "pub test" at the precise time of year when many Australians, drink in hand, are extremely well-placed to apply it.
Australia's dirty little secret
It's time to end our dirty little secret
Can Pauline Hanson steady the One Nation ship?
Queensland has changed since Pauline Hanson and her promises first became a political force 20 years ago. It seems One Nation has not.
Payne moves to restore trust, not a moment too soon
"The worst we can do is to take this partnership for granted," Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono declared more than six years ago, when he became the first Indonesian president to address Australia's parliament in 2010.
Why Indonesian general Gatot Nurmantyo halted military ties with Australia
Indonesia's hardliner military chief Gatot Nurmantyo has little love for Australia.
Forget the PM's plan, here's how we should turn Australia into a republic
The republic debate has been trickling along at the same time as dissatisfaction with democracy and political elites grows and voters show a predilection for outsiders.
Indonesia row a two-way failure to communicate
In the absence of the hard facts on just why Jakarta has chosen to suspend military co-operation between Indonesia and Australia, this smacks of a storm in a teacup.
David Pope and the cartoons that defined 2016
From the death of David Bowie to the rise of Donald Trump to whatever you call what Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull spent the year doing, here's how Fairfax Media cartoonist David Pope captured some of the key events and issues of 2016.
Tony Abbott hits out at Cory Bernardi over talk of a breakaway party
Former prime minister Tony Abbott says Cory Bernardi could pick up 10 per cent of the vote and Senators in every state if he quits the Liberal party.
Labor ought to stop pandering to millionaires
Once Labor and the unions stood up for battlers. Now they’re robocalling seeking sympathy for millionaires who want to stay on the pension.
The MPs whose names you'll know by the end of 2017
Politics is an occupation increasingly concerned with personalities as much as it is with policies.
Good policy necessitates some people being worse off
The last Newspoll for 2016 reinforced the basic political conundrum of this decade.
Why my dad votes for One Nation
It started sometime between the second and third courses.
Strap yourself into 2017: it's going to be a bumpy ride
Here are a few predictions for the coming year, starting with Malcolm Turnbull losing his job.
Want to dump Dutton? Here's how
This year, no matter which election I'm voting in, I plan to be a conviction voter.
Turnbull's five biggest mistakes and how he can fix them in 2017
For Malcolm Turnbull, 2016 has been a year of political compromises, dashed expectations and the occasional policy win.
Reports of breakthrough in one of Australia's coldest cases, the Claremont serial killings
Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
'Piss or get off the potty' blunt advice to Malcolm Turnbull as Bernardi and Christensen consider their futures
Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
A right turn-off: the year in politics
The election campaign, which culminated in the nation reluctantly re-instating Malcolm Turnbull as Prime Minister, was loudly decried as too long and too boring.
Why an unhappy Australia is all our own doing
Truth is, the alarming levels of distrust, cynicism, betrayal and disappointment are products of home-grown forces.
Who represents us matters more than ever
Who we are as a nation and having representatives who are one of us are closely related ideas. From now until Australia Day there will be increased reflection on these questions.
Berlin truck driver could still be on the run as police chief warns of further attacks
Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
Why I'm sorry our credit rating wasn't downgraded this week
There is no good reason any sovereign Australian government – federal or state – should allow a few American for-profit businesses to dictate how much it should or shouldn't borrow (nor engage in hugely expensive ways of disguising the true extent of its liabilities).
Russian Ambassador to Turkey assassinated in Ankara
Your personally curated news with six things you need to know before you get going.
Call that a budget improvement? The ratings agencies won't
The ratings agencies won't fall for it, and neither should you.
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Campaign highlights - and lowlights
The hurly-burly of the 2016 election campaign, as seen through the eyes of Fairfax reporters and photographers.