Fifty years of time

Under the campaign slogan ‘It’s Time’, Gough Whitlam led the Labor party back to government fifty years ago today, on December 2 1972, after 23 years in opposition. Three tumultuous years of crisis and transformation followed, and Australia would never be the same again.

The trials of Scott Morrison

After a three-hour debate, a motion to censure Scott Morrison for secretly appointing himself to a range of ministries in flagrant breach of constitutional norms has been passed in the Australian parliament.

Australia and the rules-based international order

Australia can work with Asian societies and Western states to “update” international norms according to a new book on Australia and the Rules-Based International Order.

Play it again, Dan

Despite a strong showing from the Green and other independents, Dan Andrews has been returned to power with a solid majority in Victoria, leaving the Liberals with yet more soul searching to do.

Portents and echoes from Whitlam to Albanese

A new Labor government takes office, threatened by a global recession, seeking a new start with China, and worried by war in a ‘time of entrenched geopolitical competition and stark divisions’ – A tough menu confronted Gough Whitlam’s government when it won office on 2 December 1972.

Morrison’s meltdown

The report by former High Court Judge Virginia Bell into Scott Morrison’s bizarre decision to appointing himself to multiple ministries without telling any of his colleagues underlines how easily constitutional norms can be overriden.

The end of the end of history?

Francis Fukuyama’s book The End of History argued that democracy and free markets offered the best available combination of politics and economics, but their triumph is far from guaranteed.

Measuring what matters

It wasn’t Australia’s first wellbeing budget, as the Treasurer has many economic fires to fight, but he’s taken the first step to get a sense of what we want for society and measuring ‘what matters’.

Restoring Parliament – Victoria’s forgotten integrity institution

Three reforms can help to restore Victoria’s state Parliament to its position as the cornerstone integrity institution that both oversees the government and supports the Ombudsman and the Independent Broad-based Anti-corruption Commission.

Steady as she goes, but rocky times ahead

Jim Chalmers’ inaugural budget plants its feet as solidly as possible in the shifting sands of difficult and unpredictable international and local conditions.

Clive of Australia

Clive Hamilton is a strong critic of modern materialism, an advocate of radical climate action and a brave voice against the threat of China.

The strange death of Liberal Australia

The Liberals’ weakness in Canberra is self-evident and, especially at the state level, part of a long-term change in the country’s electoral politics.