America's freedom fundamentalism impervious to death
Las Vegas is being described as the worst mass shooting in US history but so what? It is a news headline. Nobody, not for a second, imagines it will be the last.
The many myths of the same-sex marriage campaign
The "no" side has a list of consequences it claims will arise from same-sex marriage: but do they stack up?
Secrecy now shrouds decentralisation mess
As the bureaucracy nears its deadline, the policy makes even less sense.
Gaming budget forecasts breaks voters' trust
Spurning tough choices and hoping for an economic rebound rarely works.
A friendship that bloomed over media-politics divide
A funny thing happened when I went to work in the Canberra press gallery: I became friends with a politician. As a rule, this isn't something I'd encourage.
Surface tension holding a PM afloat
Auditor-General gives Malcolm Turnbull's department a bare pass on innovation.
Gas win for PM leaves Labor blowing smoke rings
Gas producers give Turnbull a crucial win - leaving Labor's call for market intervention looking a bit foolish
Celebrating the magnificent seven
The plight of these politicians is a positive story of immigration and Australia's multiculturalism.
Will army's costliest vehicles be useless?
'Sensible' decisions made to protect our diggers will render them more vulnerable.
Don't ask, don't tell. But I did
Ignore the Cassandras who say the 'no' vote is winning ground.
Running dead on marriage vote could be the PM's riskiest strategy
Malcolm Turnbull needs a lot to go right between now and the end of the year, if he is to maximise his slim chances of recovery through 2018.
Abbott 'assault' a gift to the 'no' case plain and simple
The foaming response from Abbott haters to the claim that the former prime minister was physically assaulted by a self-identifying "yes" voter in Hobart, is instructive.
The Empirical Strikes Back: Malcolm Roberts' difficult day in court
When Pauline Hanson returned to Canberra last year after nearly two decades in the political wilderness the conventional wisdom was more "sophisticated".
Abbott's gut v Musk's brain and billions
If Abbott wins and convinces the Coalition to back coal, the Australian economy loses.
The quandary of our four 'too big to fail' banks
A laissez-faire 'let them burn' approach would harm far more people and cost far more public money.
Civil rites and wrongs
It's time to take religion out of civil marriage ceremonies.
Don't complain, this is the public debate the 'no' side asked for
Never borrow money from family or discuss religion. And whatever you do, don't mix politics and sport.
Big bang theory: Abbott still drowning out Turnbull's sales pitch
By Christmas, Malcolm Turnbull will be halfway through this term of Parliament. Perhaps further, given an election in late 2018 remains a live option.
Why quit Twitter (in 140 characters or less)
Twitter is a land where insults fly with abandon, and sometimes you just have to step away.
campaigning against one's peers
When the result it announced, it will be almost impossible to know what influenced it.
Reactionary right tying itself in knots to forestall modernity
Of the arguments against broadening the definition of marriage, Tony Abbott has found the most circular.
Navy junks chance to build a successful industry
The Defence Department has pulled the wool over one of its ministers' eyes.
Minimum-wage earners face brunt of bracket creep
There's a strong case for increasing the lower income-tax thresholds, despite the costs.
Is our discriminatory marriage law unconstitutional?
If there is no marriage equality, there should be no marriage law at all.
Utopian moments are not hard to find in real life
Unfortunately the downsizing that threatens many workers doesn't extend to human resources sections.
Celebrity news is not real journalism
What's in the public interest isn't always what the public's interested in.
Back to the future as old climate battlelines re-emerge
After a decade of feckless negation, the last thing this country can afford is more of the same.
A plague on both your houses: Parliament gets a new fence
Parliament House is getting a new fence. Not that you'd know about it.
You need to be in Canberra to comprehend the lunacy of politics in 2017
The world has been stood on its head here in Canberra.
Marriage campaign's strange dynamics
The push for votes seems stuck in first gear and threatened by apathy.
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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.