Why Australia joining ASEAN is a great idea
South-east Asia could be Australia's "last best option'' as the world order struggles through a new stage of disorder.
Labor's tax plan is a raid on every Australians' super fund
It looks like debt, deficit, and taxation will dominate our lives for the next year or so.
A chance to properly reform Australia's tax system
Is there merit in Labor's controversial policy to help fund company tax cuts by ending a uniquely Australian tax break for investors? The short answer is yes
ASEAN summit reflects our standing in the region
This is a historic moment for our place in the world; a rare opportunity in a time of momentous change – unprecedented in its scale and pace.
Dividend imputation. Labor to become the party of personal tax cuts
The move on dividend imputation is about more than just plugging company tax leakage.
Religious freedom must not be a green light to discriminate
As it ponders the role of religious freedom in Australia, the Religious Freedom Review would do well to reflect on the real-life scenarios where belief collides with the rights of individuals.
How secret 'zoning effect' costs home buyers hundreds of thousands
A recent study by the Reserve Bank has lifted the lid on a little-understood cost of housing.
Sports stars helping government? What could go wrong?
Is there nothing Greg Norman can't do?
The fateful eight: how Malcolm Turnbull can rescue his government
Malcolm Turnbull could do nothing as he approaches the 30 Newspoll benchmark, or he could make changes to policy and presentation to turn things around.
Ignore the rubbish and Parliament starts to look better
Knowing what Barnaby Joyce said during the day, seconds after he said it, just isn't important.
Media's duty is to serve the public's right to know
Has the ABC damaged its reputation as an independent broadcaster?
Politicians should rely more on science, less on populist gut feelings
These days we are seeing more donor-based policy than policy developed through evidence or randomised trials.
'It's the vibe': Sovereign risk econobabble has lost all meaning
The phrase is simply used to dress up the self-interest of powerful groups as being in the national interest.
Home truths about renting a house in Melbourne
One of the main indicators of whether you will be able to enter the housing market is now the wealth of your parents.
Are Australian voters returning support for the big two parties?
State elections are helping us ponder whether the major party duopoly is disrupted, or are voters supporting the big parties?
Our government is a Mexican telenovela
The Prime Minister has lost an extraordinary amount of skin for a scandal that is not his and leads a government that looks chaotic and self-absorbed.
What the hell is it with politicians when it comes to sex and drugs?
Were substances decriminalised and regulated, the evidence is that overdose deaths would plunge, drug use and crime would decline.
Meet the MP who actually wants to know what works
Politicians are forever promising programs they say are ''evidence-based'', but they are usually less than keen on conducting the experiments needed to obtain that evidence. Andrew Leigh is different.
A ministry engaged in self-harm, pratfalls and brain snaps
Turnbull spent too much time, and what's left of his moral credit, defending indefensible conduct.
Forget the red dragon, fear the green one
China is freeing itself of fossil-fuel dependency and will dominate world energy markets.
Nazi jibes, sleazy innuendo: federal politics' depressing new normal
Australian politics has dived to a new low...or is this the new normal?
Integrity of ideas not donations
The goals of an upcoming bill to improve our electoral system are misguided; with significant undesirable and unappreciated consequences.
It was Cash at her worst. Actually not just her worst - the worst
Michaelia Cash is what you get when you hire on merit. Or at least the Liberal Party's version of merit.
Michaelia Cash comes out swinging with Canberra's latest weapon of choice: women
Canberra represents a perfect environment for infidelity - you’re away from your family, it’s lonely, you’re working long hours with interesting people with whom you share a common passion. Inject alcohol and a soulless Kingston serviced apartment into the mix, and you have a marriage in trouble, whether or not the wife knows it.
If politicians can't reform tax system, we need an authority that can
Genuine tax reform needs bipartisan agreement and co-operation between state and federal governments. But in a world dominated by short-term, populist, opportunistic and mostly negative politics, this seems a remote, if not inconceivable, possibility.
Why the Chinese are cheerful about the future
They live under authoritarian government, but the Chinese are among the most optimistic people in the world.
Why voting for an independent is usually a complete waste of time
Perhaps it started with the Australian Democrats. They told everyone in their slogan that they would "keep the bastards honest".
The peculiar parallel universe in the Trump administration
If China presses territorial claims, mateship will be tested.
Tony Abbott's economic argument against immigration is flawed
It appears that the former PM dozed off during some of his lectures.
Hard to see Barnaby and Tony sitting quietly on the back bench
Given what we know of Barnaby Joyce's history and his plans it is hard to see him sitting quietly on Malcolm Turnbull's backbench.
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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.