A plague on both houses

Sussan Ley may pay the price for the implosion of the Coalition, but the blame rests squarely with Nationals leader David Littleproud whose leadership should also be on the line.

Bondi royal commission finally announced

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese prides himself with being in tune with the public mood, but holding out for weeks against a royal commission into antisemitism misjudged that mood, making Thursday’s backdown a humiliation.

Albanese stumbles over a Royal Commission

Anthony Albanese’s refusal to call a national royal commission in the wake of the Bondi massacre may have any number of political motivations but sorely misjudges the public mood.

Australia’s security shake-up

Australia’s law enforcement and intelligence agencies are to be reviewed in the wake of the Bondi massacre which they singularly failed to predict or prevent.

Too little, too late?

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced a suite of legislative and other action to combat antisemitism including new measures against hate speech and extra power to reject visas, but is it too little, too late?

Bringing it all back home

The Bondi atrocity remind us how quickly the political landscape can change and how Australia’s increasingly multi-cultural society now reflects and replicates the problems of the world, rather than offering a haven from them.

Time to take responsibility

In a stark reminder of the strong Jewish backlash against the prime minister, Anthony Albanese was not invited to attend the Wednesday funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger, among the first of the Bondi massacre victims to be farewelled.

More than gun laws need reform

Federal, state and territory governments have agreed to the biggest overhaul of Australia’s gun laws since the Howard government’s post-Port Arthur reforms, in a response to the Bondi massacre that has claimed the lives of 15 victims.

COP31 goes to Turkey

Australia has ceded next year’s United Nations climate conference – COP 31 – to Turkey, but has negotiated a fall back that gives Climate Minister Chris Bowen a prominent role.

Ditching net-zero won’t save the Liberals

Sussan Ley’s decision to ditch the Coalition’s bipartisan climate commitment may win her more time in the party room and save the alliance with the Nationals but will not win back young voters.

50 years on from the ‘dismissal’

The dismissal of Gough Whitlam as Australia’s Prime Minister 50 years ago remains seared in the memory of many Australians who were adults or even children at the time, and was a life-changing day for everyone in Canberra’s Parliament House.

Walking the talk on transparency

The Albanese government hasn’t “walked its talk” about accountability and integrity and needs to honor its stated commitment to transparency to restore public trust in democracy and its institutions.