Absurd case of Dr Freelander shows constitution in need of an update
When Labor officials eyed one of Sydney's most dedicated medicos for a marginal seat, they faced a curious hurdle.
Drain the swamp: Time for a full audit of the eligibility of MPs
Confusion over section 44 of the constitution threatens to obliterate confidence in the finely balanced 45th Parliament.
Mamma mia! Inside the complex process of gaining Italian citizenship
Experts say it would be "highly irregular" for an adult to gain Italian citizenship without actively participating in the process.
A case of image vs reality for Liberal Party democracy
Political party democracy battles are driven by self-interest and altruism, writes John Warhurst.
Why this latest citizenship discovery is a major blow for Coalition
Had it been a lower house MP, the outcome might well be catastrophic.
Why bigger is not always better
There is no evidence that this expansion will create muscle; the danger is that the bloating will result in more fat.
Will this creepy salesman last as Trump's whipping boy?
Anthony Scaramucci's appointment is the American equivalent of Malcolm Turnbull suddenly putting Peta Credlin in charge of sharpening his public message.
Bill Shorten's equality pitch: the economy's not working for all
Australia is caught between a government unable to conjure the "jobs and growth" it promised, and an opposition proposing a fast-fix via wealth redistribution.
We can no longer tell our left from our right
We've had a decade dominated by a revolving door on the prime ministerial suite.
The trick that opens the door to official corruption
What does it say when ministers, and prime ministers, don't use the official messaging systems?
Losing Ludlam and Waters no joke for Greens
The Greens lost more than a fifth of their talent with the resignations of Scott Ludlam and Larissa Waters
The rise and rise of Peter Dutton, our new security tsar
Peter Dutton has achieved what Scott Morrison could not.
Turnbull needs to be more like Keating and less like Menzies
Republican political leaders like Turnbull and Shorten should not pussy-foot around the issue any longer.
Who ultimately pays for university daze?
Education stopped being something intrinsically wonderful the moment it became an industry.
Rule banning dual citizens is a relic but we're stuck with it
Section 44 of the constitution has claimed another victim.
Turnbull needs to explain why he's shaking up a national security system that is working
Those in the spy and security community aren't for most part panicking about the creation of a super-portfolio like Britain's Home Office.
There are big problems with government databases
The next wave of government reform will have to focus on data management.
Turnbull plays sensible centre half forward
Does going for the sensible centre simply mean being competent, if rather timid and uninspired?
Political 'solutions' simply shift profits, problems elsewhere
Taxpayer subsidies for the Adani coal mine will not solve regional unemployment; at best they will simply shift it from one region to another.
Hey, Scott Ludlam, the constitution is a thing. It's funny like that
Only a Green could tweet his resignation from Parliament like this.
Phony 'carbon tax' debate highlights the sad state of our media and politics
Some days you really do have to wonder: what chance is there of sensible policy being created in this country?
Tribalism and the sweet allure of the 'sensible centre'
The wets the dries, the Bronweenies, the Soft Left and the Shoppies - politicians strive hard to find the right tribe.
Adelaide's dark side a glimpse of our future
It's time to admit that Adelaide is our future: bright for some, yet tragically squalid for others.
Winter is coming: politics-as-usual reaching its limits
It is conceivable that within a decade, neither the ALP nor the Liberal-Nationals coalition will exist as dominant electoral forces .
Malcolm stumbles back towards the middle
Malcolm Turnbull would do well to reflect on the lessons offered by Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.
Turnbull's leadership nearing the terminal stage
If Coalition marginal seat MPs were beef cows, they'd be smelling the abattoirs about now.
Malcolm and the Barnaby and Tony Emergency Express
An anxiety-burdened Malcolm Turnbull has ordered a supersonic private jet to remain on standby at Hamburg airport during his visit to Germany for the G20, its motors running and its pilots on 24-hour alert.
The case for an out-of-sync Senate election
Voters would respond differently if Senate elections were not co-ordinated with House of Representatives elections.
Why would North Korea's little tyrant lob a missile on Darwin?
​Pity Darwin. Bombed by the Japanese in World War II, blown away by Cyclone Tracy on Christmas Eve, 1974, and forever harassed, according to its local newspaper, by person-eating crocodiles, it now has to be concerned about a missile-obsessed Kim Jong-un of North Korea.
More MPs could halt current political dysfunction
It may sound like heresy, but more seats in New Zealand's parliament helped solve that country's problems.
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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.