Sean Kelly
Sean Kelly is author of The Game: A Portrait of Scott Morrison, a regular columnist and a former adviser to Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.
Opinion
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Amid the ugly Middle East debate, we’ve lost sight of the obvious
One wonders how many of those making the Israel-Hamas equivalence point, including quite a few in the press, had taken 10 minutes to read the ICC prosecutor’s statement.
- by Sean Kelly
Latest
Opinion
Political leadership
Dutton’s grim picture is close to reality, but his migration schtick isn’t the solution
In treating migration as his golden leadership goose, Peter Dutton is making a classic political mistake, which is to identify your strength and then over-emphasise it.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Federal budget
Both Albanese and Dutton believe they’re on the right track. But one of them must be wrong
The difficulty in politics is that at some point – and you never know when – the risk calculus flips. Tomorrow’s budget might tell us if we’re there yet.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Political leadership
The art of good government: Slow and steady won’t win Albanese the race
As the nation confronts serial crises, the Albanese government needs to operate at two speeds: swift and targeted – then slow and sustained.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Mental health
Scott Morrison has broken an Australian taboo, and we should be grateful
That the former prime minister was an active participant in our toxic political culture should not make us less sympathetic to his own difficulties.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Crime
Actions speak louder, but without words we can’t see the full horror
Language can help us see things as if for the first time. When it fails, though, the problem does not really lie with language but with us.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Political leadership
Silence descends: Our inability to discuss difficult issues has never been more obvious
Never more than in the past week have we seen national discussion on major issues marked by the mass silencing of everyone outside the extremes.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Political leadership
The PM was punching well, until he gave himself an immigration uppercut
Sometimes in politics – like when you realise your opponent will always punch harder – you should exit the ring and try another approach.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Housing crisis
Unstoppable electoral waves are approaching, but who will be washed away?
The politics of inequality are shifting rapidly, and the major parties are desperate not to get caught on the wrong side of the debate.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Political leadership
Dutton’s nuclear spin is an alibi, not a policy
Rather than offer a genuine solution on energy, the opposition leader is attempting to avoid two fights: one with Labor, the other within the Coalition.
- by Sean Kelly
Opinion
Political leadership
When’s the next election? The PM’s upbringing might give us a clue
There is a clear analogue to one of Albanese’s traits as PM: his careful attention to planning and sequencing, his belief that a large part of political strategy is doing things in the right order.
- by Sean Kelly