Pet shop productivity

Former prime minister Paul Keating used to say the resident galah in any pet shop was talking about micro-economic policy. These days, if you encounter a pet shop with a galah, she’ll be chattering about productivity, but will the Government’s new roundtable allow progress to be made?

Restoring faith in democracy

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his second term government is “focused on delivery” to improve Australians’ faith in democracy as well as the strength of the economy.

Gluing the bench back together

The fall-out from the Liberals-Nationals split and potential reconciliation continues as David Littleproud and Sussan Ley jockey for supremacy and policy control.

The Liberals turn to Ley

Sussan Ley added an “s” to her name as a joke when she was young, and has now added the leadership of the Liberal party to her list of accomplishments.

Sweeter the second time around

Albanese must use the political capital of his overwhelming election win to tackle the fundamental budget, economic and social issues facing Australia, while the Liberals have a long way to climb out of the electoral pit they’ve dug for themselves.

Labor landslide

Far from being forced into minority government, as most observers had been expecting, Labor has increased its majority, with a substantial swing towards it, in a triumph for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.

Tell-tale signs on the road to polling day

The importance of certain points in this campaign were obvious, while the significance of others became clear in retrospect. Here is a recap of 10 of the twists and turns on the hustings that decided the battle for votes.

Understanding Dutton

Like his mentor John Howard, Peter Dutton is a man of strong political instincts rather than ideology, but will that be enough to propel him into office?

Fumbling the ball

The Coalition went into the election campaign neck and neck with Labor, but some campaign fumbles have seen Labor stretch ahead, so what’s gone wrong for Peter Dutton?

Succession

There’s everything still to play for in the 2025 election campaign, but a host of ambitious politicians are eyeing their chances of progression should their own leaders falter in May.

Fear and loathing on the campaign trail

The current Australian campaign may be dull but political campaigns were once the stuff of passion and high drama so the Conversation asked 10 experts to nominate their favourite book about the hustings.

Tweedle dum v tweedle dee

Uninspiring leaders, stressed voters and the shadow of Trump could make for an uncertain election campaign.